Soon they saw the wheels of the Basswood car revolving rapidly, and the turnout itself moved slowly to the rear. Then Ben must have reversed the power, for the car came forward, but this time headed for the left side of the road.
"I don't think he'll gain much by that move," observed Dave. "I tried it, and found it rather soft over there."
"Look, he is backing again!" cried Laura. "O dear! Whatever will he do if he gets stuck fast?"
"Let us hope that nothing like that happens," answered her uncle, gravely.
But that was just what did happen, and although both Ben and his father did their best to free the car from the mud, it was without avail. They managed to get to within fifteen feet of the end of the wet place, and there they stayed, unable to budge either forward or backward.
"Listen! he is sounding his horn!" cried Roger, during a brief lull in the storm.
"I guess he wants us to come back and help pull him out," answered Dave, and sounded a reply to show that he had heard the call of distress.
"What are you going to do, Dave--try to turn around here or back down?" asked Roger.
"Oh, it's too narrow to turn here!" cried Laura, in alarm.
"You'll have us all over in the ditch if you don't look out!" came from one of the others in the car.
"I see a little wider spot further ahead," answered Dave, and turned on the power once more.
Soon he had reached the place in question, and there, by skillful maneuvering, he managed to turn the touring-car the other way. Then he came down the hill slowly until within a few feet of the bad spot in the highway.
"Hello there!" called out Mr. Basswood. "I guess you'll have to get out that towing-rope again and give us a lift."
"Just what I thought," answered Dave. "We'll have it out in a jiffy."
He and his uncle alighted once more, taking with them the towing-rope that had been used before. Mr. Basswood was already out of the car, standing in water and mud over his shoe-tops.
"Here, catch the rope!" called out our hero, and sent one end whirling toward the other car in true cowboy fashion--a trick he had learned while staying at Star Ranch.
Mr. Basswood caught the rope, and soon had it adjusted to the front axle of the car. In the meanwhile Dave and his uncle fastened the other end to the rear axle of their own turnout.