By this time the two big bobs were close together, and the dangerous turn was almost at hand. All the other coasters on the hill, save a few that were near the bottom, had stopped their sport to see the outcome of the perilous ride.
“Look out, Frank, you’ll be into them!” yelled Tom, as he saw their bob coming nearer and nearer to the foremost one. “Shall I jam on the brakes?”
His hand was on the cord, and, in another moment he would have sent the scraping steel back of the rear runner, into the frozen surface.
“No! No!” yelled Frank. “Don’t touch that brake, Tom! I want all the speed I can get!”
“What are you going to do?” cried his chum.
“I’m going to head them away from the cut-off.”
“I’m going to!” retorted Frank grimly. “Easy on the brake, Tom.”
The girls on both bobs were now quiet, but they were none the less in great fear. The very danger seemed to make them dumb, and they looked ahead with frightened eyes, waiting for they knew not what.
A moment later Frank’s plan was plain to his chums. Knowing the hill as he did, familiar with every bump and hollow, he had decided, if possible, to draw up alongside the foremost bob, between it and the dangerous turn, which Burton did not seem able to avoid. Then Frank would hold a straight course, if he could, and fairly force the other sled out of danger.
It was a risky plan, but none other would serve to prevent the big, new bob from shooting toward the smaller hill, with the certainty of overturning.
“Steer to the right--more to the right!” yelled Frank to Burton. “I’m coming up on your left!”
“I--I can’t!” was the answer. “My steering wheel is jammed!”
“You can never make it, Frank,” called Phil. “There isn’t room between that bob and the turn to get in. You’ll upset us!”
“No, I won’t! Just sit still! I’m going to do it!”
There was a quiet determination in the voice of the Big Californian, a comparatively newcomer at Randall.
With a rushing whizz Frank steered his bob up alongside of the other. It was just this side of the dangerous turn, toward which Burton was headed. He was unable to do anything toward guiding his sled, and the brake, though jammed on full, only served partly to slacken the speed. But this slackening was enough to permit the faster bob from Randall to creep up, and just in time.