CHAPTER IV
NODDY NIXON'S PLIGHT
"What can have happened to him?" asked Ned.
"That's his auto; isn't it?" demanded Bob.
"Surely," answered Jerry. "No mistaking that; but Noddy isn't init--that is unless he was knocked unconscious and has slipped under theseat."
"Let's look," proposed Ned. Jerry had brought their own car to a stop,and as the three lads alighted, peering anxiously toward the stalledmachine for a sight of the bully, they were startled by hearing a groanof distress.
"What's that?" cried Bob.
"It sounded like--him!" declared Jerry.
"Oh--Oh fellows--help me--Oh I'm--I'm stuck!" exclaimed a woe-begonevoice.
Simultaneously our friends turned their gaze in the direction of thecry. It came from a slimy black pool of mud and water, off to the leftof the Nixon car, which was in the slough over the hubs. The sightthat met the gaze of Jerry and his chums was enough to excite theirpity, even though the victim was their worst enemy.
Noddy Nixon was standing in the mud puddle which came considerably overhis waist, and from the condition of his face, it was evident thathe had been flung in head first, and had, after a struggle rightedhimself. He was covered, streaked, spotted and speckled with the black,slimy mud. It dripped from his shoulders, dripped from his extendedhands, and even oozed from his chin in a slimy stream.
For a moment our heroes gazed at him without speaking, then Jerryuttered an expression combining surprise, dismay and pity.
"Well, what do you think of that?"
"He certainly is all in," was Ned's opinion.
"Good and proper," murmured Bob.
Probably the hardest thing Noddy Nixon ever had to do was to appeal forhelp to the three boys whom he had, many times in the past, used someanly. Yet there was no way out of it.
"Oh--oh, fellows," he faltered. "See if you can't help me out of here.I--I'm stuck."
"How'd you get there?" asked Jerry for want of something better toinquire about.
"I--I stopped my car too suddenly," replied the bully trying to wipesome of the mud from his face with a still muddier hand. "It skidded,and I put on the brakes hard, and I was flung out."
"You didn't pick out a very good place to land in," grimly remarked Bob.
"Guess he didn't have time," suggested Ned.
"Oh, aren't you going to help me out?" begged Noddy.
"Do you mean help you out, or your car?" asked Jerry. "Why can't youwade over to solid ground? Then we'll help you pull out your car.That's stuck pretty bad too."
"No, I--I can't wade out," replied Noddy helplessly. "I'm in a sort ofmuck, or quicksand. Everytime I try to take a step I go in deeper. Ineed a board or a fence rail, or--or something to help me. Oh, please,fellows--I know I've been mean to you--but forgive me and help me out!"
"It's about time you got wise to the fact that you did us some meanturns," spoke Ned. "How about splashing mud on us a little while ago?"
"I'm sorry I did that."
"Yes, you are now, but the next time you get the chance you'd do thesame thing," declared Jerry.
"No, honest I won't!" promised Noddy, and he was in earnest--at leastfor the time being.
"Well, you don't deserve to have us help you out, but we can't see youin this plight without doing something," went on Jerry. "Try once moreto pull yourself out. I don't fancy getting all covered with mud."
Noddy tried, but it was of no use. The more he struggled to freehimself, the deeper he sank, and he was evidently very much alarmed--somuch so that he began to blubber.
"Oh, now, stop bellowing, and we'll help you," cried Ned, muchdisgusted by the cowardice of the bully. "Come on, fellows, get somefence rails, and we'll see what we can do."
The rails were brought, and extended to Noddy in a sort of criss-crossplatform to support him. In placing them our friends got in the mudover their shoes, but there was no help for it. Presently Noddy wasable to bear part of his weight on the rails, and then, by a vigorouseffort, he managed to pull his legs loose from the grip of the stickymud. He crawled out on the firm ground, a worse looking sight thanJerry and his chums had seen for many a day.
"Look at me!" gasped Noddy in dismay, as he glanced down at his legs."Look at me--Oh!--Oh! It's--it's--awful!"
"Better look for a clean puddle of water and roll in it," advised Ned,trying not to smile.
"If you had a lot of newspapers you could wipe some of it off," addedBob.
"Or some rags from your auto," put in Jerry. This mention of the carrecalled to Noddy the plight of his machine. He looked over to where itwas firmly imbedded in the slough, and said:
"Will you help me get it out, fellows?"
"It's in pretty deep," observed Jerry, going closer and taking acritical observation.
"We'll have to get some wide boards and put them under the wheels," wasNed's opinion.
"Maybe we could pull it out with our car, if we had a long rope,"suggested Bob.
"That's the very thing!" exclaimed Jerry. "I guess we can pull it out,Noddy--but next time, don't go so fast--especially around a curve."
"I'll not," promised the miserable bully.
"And don't steer out of your way to splash mud on people from whom youmay want help afterward," suggested Ned significantly.
"I--I won't," declared Noddy. "Oh, fellows if you'll only pull mycar out for me I'll pay you well. My father said if I had any moreaccidents I couldn't run it again this summer. I'll do anything you sayif you'll pull it out."
"We don't want any of your money," half growled Jerry. "There's onething about it though, you've got to wade in there yourself to attachthe rope; that is if we can get one."
"I've got a long rope in the car!" exclaimed Noddy eagerly. "I alwayscarry one, for I was stuck in the sand once. I'll go in and get it,and fasten it to my car. Then I'll bring the end out here, and you canattach it to your machine."
"Yes, I guess you'd better do the wading," said Ned, for to get toNoddy's stalled car it would be necessary for some one to go in themuck up to his knees, and none of our heroes relished this. "You can'tbe much muddier than you are Noddy," finished the merchant's son.
"I'll do it," promised the bully eagerly, and having gotten rid of someof the muck on his face and hands he stepped into the miniature swamp,and was soon attaching the rope to the rear of his car. Then he broughtthe free end out to firm ground where Jerry received it. Then, havingturned his auto around, the tall lad made the cable fast to the rear ofhis machine.
"Come on now, fellows, get in our car to hold it down when the straincomes," suggested Bob to his chums.
"All ready?" asked Ned of Noddy, a little later.
"Yes," was the faltering answer.
Jerry threw in the gear, and let the clutch slip into place. The carof our heroes went forward a little way, and then began the strain onthe rope. The strands straightened out, there was a creaking sound, butNoddy's auto did not budge.
"Try more power, Jerry," suggested Ned.
The tall lad turned on all the gasolene he dared. The rear wheels ofhis auto spun uselessly around in the wet dirt of the highway.
"Wow! Stop!" cried Bob. "You'll rip off our tires."
"I guess we can't stir you, Noddy," called Jerry, as he shut off thepower.
"Oh, try! Try once more!" begged the bully.
Jerry did not relish his task much, but he did try. Once more the ropebecame taut. There was a great strain on it. Once more the wheels ofthe pulling auto spun around. Still Jerry kept the power on.
Noddy's car quivered in the mud that held it fast. It moved not aninch, however.
"Go on! Go on!" yelled the bully encouragingly.
"You'll ruin our tires!" cried Ned.
Jerry, with a grim look on his face turned on the least bit moregasolene. Then, with a crack like that of a revolver the rope snapped,and one end of it flew dangerously close over the heads of our heroesin their car. For when a rope on which there is a great strain breakssuddenly, it is a
dangerous missile.
"Look out!" yelled Ned, as he saw the end of the cable hurling towardhimself and his chums. They ducked just in time. The other end floppeddown in the mud behind Noddy's car.
The bully looked disconsolate.
"Have to try it again, I guess," he suggested.
"Not much!" declared Jerry decisively.
"Wha--what?" gasped Noddy.
"No more tries for us," went on the tall lad. "You've stuck too fastfor us to pull you out, Noddy. What you need is some pulleys and aderrick. We can't risk breaking our car, and ripping off the tires.You'll have to stay there until you can get some one else to pull youout."
Jerry detached the broken rope from his car, and got in again.
"You--you aren't going away and leave me; are you?" faltered Noddy.
"You guessed it," declared Bob.
"Oh, please pull me out!" pleaded the bully.
"We can't," spoke Jerry, not unkindly. "It's impossible, Noddy. Thatmud has too firm a hold on your wheels. The best we can do is to stopat the nearest garage and tell them about you."
The bully begged and pleaded by turns, and offered the boys a large sumof money; but though our heroes would have helped him, in spite of hisformer meanness, it was out of the question. They could not afford todamage their own car, and risk getting hurt by a breaking rope.
"Sorry to leave you, but we must," called Jerry, as he sent the autoslowly ahead. They turned toward Cresville, leaving Noddy standing onthe brink of the muck-hole, gazing disconsolately at his stalled auto,while the mud and water dripped from him at several points, and formedlittle puddles at his feet.