two men thrust bits of board beneath the
wheels for it to climb out of the hole on. Prescott's team slackened
their pace, jerking their heads and pricking their ears. They were young
range horses that had roamed over wide spaces, and were badly broken.

Getting a tight grip on the reins he turned to his companion.

"We can't get around--the muskeg's too soft. I'd put you down, only that
I may not be able to hold the team after we get past that machine." He
raised his voice. "Can't you stop her, boys?"

"No, sir!" cried a grimy man. "Soon as we cut out the engine she'd run
back into the hole! We've been here two hours already!"

"Hold tight!" Prescott cautioned Gertrude, and urged the horses forward.

As they approached the tractor the noise suddenly increased, and its
wheels spun faster, grinding on the skids. One of the horses reared,
swinging up the pole, which nearly threw its fellow; then there was a
frantic thud of hoofs against the frame of the vehicle, and the team,
swinging half around, threatened to overturn it into the swamp. Prescott
plied the whip; the beasts plunged. One pair of wheels left the road, and
the rig slanted alarmingly. A violent crash and jolt followed; Gertrude
came near to being flung out of her seat; and they passed the tractor and
sped across the graded stretch at a furious pace. Prescott was braced
backward, his feet pressed hard against a bar, his lips tightly set,
while Gertrude, shrinking from the disaster that seemed imminent,
wondered how he swung the panic-stricken beasts clear of the worst holes.
She gasped with relief when they had passed the muskeg, but the trail was
still in a dangerous state, and Prescott turned the team upon the grass,
where they galloped on while the wheels smashed through short scrub,
until at last the speed began to slacken. The horses' coats were foul and
flecked with spume when Gertrude looked backward and saw the tractor far
away in the distance.

"They've had enough," Prescott remarked. "We made the last mile at a
pretty good clip; I kept them at it. Guess they won't start another
circus if we meet a freight locomotive on the switches."

The settlement was reached without further mis-adventure, and Prescott,
as a special favor, secured a separate table at the hotel, where Gertrude
was served with an excellent meal. Afterward he showed her how to
despatch her father's message, and as she turned away the telegraph
operator grinned at Prescott.

"Wh