ay on the smooth surface of the highway had been one thing;
keeping up such a gait over a ploughed field and in snow almost a foot
deep was quite another. Soon the fiery grays broke from their mad
gallop into a trot, and a minute later Dave had no trouble in bringing
them to a halt. There they stood in the snow and the furrows of the
field, snorting, and emitting clouds of steam from their nostrils.

"Hold 'em, Dave, while I get out and go to their heads!" cried Ben,
and an instant later was out in the snow and had hold of the steeds.
Each of the horses was trembling a little, but the run seemed to have
done neither of them any harm.

"Oh, Dave! Dave!" gasped Jessie. She tried to go on, but could not.

"Oh, how thankful I am that you did not attempt to go around that
corner!" came from Laura. "If you had tried that we would have been
upset and maybe all killed!" and she shuddered.

"It was just the right thing to do, Dave," was Ben's comment. "But I
don't know that I would have thought of it. You are a quick thinker,
and I guess we have you to thank for saving our lives."

"Well, we've broken down somebody's fence," returned Dave, not knowing
what else to say. "We'll have to fix that, I suppose."

"Huh! What's a broken fence to saving one's neck!" snorted Ben.
"Besides, we only busted a couple of rails, and they are not worth a
great deal."

"Dave, do you think it will be safe to ride behind that team any
more?" questioned Laura.

"I'm going to do it," he answered promptly. "No team of horses is
going to get the better of me!"

"I think, now that they have had this run, they'll tame down a
little," said Ben. "Besides that, the rest of the road to Coburntown
is almost straight and flat."

"Yes, and as soon as we get on a straight road I'll give them all the
running they want," answered Dave. "I'll guarantee that by the time
we reach town they'll be just as meek as any one would want them."

With Ben still at their heads the team was turned around and led to
the roadway once more. There the horses were tied to a tree near by,
and then Dave and Ben spent a little time in repairing the damage done
to the fence.

"I wish we could find out who those fellows in the auto were," said
Ben, when they were once again on the way. "They ought to be fined for
speeding."

"I doubt if we'll be able to locate them," answered Dave. And he was
right--they never saw or heard of the reckless automobilists again.

As has bee