CHAPTER XIII
TOWED BY A MULE
"Bless my gizzard! Is it anything serious?" asked Mr. Damon. "Will itblow up, or anything like that?"
"No," replied the lad, as he leaped out of the car, and began to makean examination. Mr. Sharp assisted him.
"The motor seems to be all right," remarked the balloonist, as heinspected it.
"Yes," agreed our hero, "and the batteries have plenty of power left inthem yet. The gauge shows that. I can't understand what the trouble canbe, unless--" He paused in his remark and uttered an exclamation. "I'vefound it!" he cried.
"What?" demanded the aeronaut.
"Some of the fuses blew out. I turned on too much current, and thefuses wouldn't carry it. I put them in to save the motor from beingburned out, but I didn't use heavy enough ones. I see where my mistakewas."
"But what does it mean?" inquired Mr. Damon.
"It means that we've got to walk back home," was Tom's sorrowfulanswer. "The car is stalled, for I haven't any extra fuses with me."
"Can't you connect up the battery by using some extra wire?" asked Mr.Sharp. "I have some," and he drew a coil of it from his pocket.
"I wouldn't dare to. It might be so heavy that it would carry morecurrent than the motor could stand. I don't want to burn that out. No,I guess we'll have to walk home, or rather I will. You two can stayhere until I come back with heavier fuses. I'm sorry."
Tom had hardly ceased speaking, when, from around the turn in the roadproceeded a voice, and, at the sound of it all three started, for thevoice was saying:
"Now it ain't no use fer yo' to act dat-a-way, Boomerang. Yo' all ain'tgot no call t' git contrary now, jest when I wants t' git home t' mahdinner. I should t'ink you'd want t' git t' de stable, too. But ef yo'all ain't mighty keerful I'll cut down yo' rations, dat's what I'segoin' to do. G'lang, now, dat's a good feller. Ho! Ho! I knowed dat'dfetch yo' all. When yo' all wiggles yo' ears dat-a-way, dat's a suahsign yo' all is gwine t' move."
Then followed the sound of a rattletrap of a wagon approaching.
"Eradicate! It's Eradicate!" exclaimed Tom.
"And his mule, Boomerang!" added Mr. Sharp. "He's just in time!"commented Mr. Damon with a sigh of relief, as the ancient outfit, incharge of the aged colored man, came along. Eradicate had been sent toShopton to get a load of wood for Mr. Swift, and was now returning. Atthe sight of the stalled auto the mule pricked up his long ears, andthrew them forward.
"Whoa dar, now, Boomerang!" cried Eradicate. "Doan't yo' all commencet' gittin' skittish. Dat machine ain't gwine t' hurt yo'. Why goodland a' massy! Ef 'tain't Mistah Swift!" cried the colored man, as hecaught sight of Tom. "What's de trouble?" he asked.
"Broke down," answered the young inventor briefly. "You always seem tocome along when I'm in trouble, Rad."
"Dat's right," assented the darkey, with a grin. "Me an' trouble am oleacquaintances. Sometimes she hits me a clip on de haid, den, ag'inBoomerang, mah mule, gits it. He jest had his trouble. Got a stoneunder his shoe, an' didn't want t' move. Den when I did git him startedhe balked on me. But I'se all right now. But I suah am sorry fo' you.Can't I help yo' all, Mistah Swift?"
"Yes, you can, Rad," answered Tom. "Drive home as fast as you can, andask Dad to send back with you some of those fuses he'll find on my workbench. He knows what I want. Hurry there and hurry back."
Eradicate shook his head doubtfully.
"What's the matter? Don't you want to go?" asked Mr. Sharp, a triflenettled. "We can't get the car started until we have some new fuses."
"Oh, I wants t' go all right 'nuff, Mistah Sharp," was Eradicate'sprompt answer. "Yo' all knows I'd do anyt'ing t' 'blige yo' or MistahSwift. But hits dish yeah mule, Boomerang. I jest done promised him datwe were gwine home t' dinnah, an' he 'spects a manger full ob oats. EfI got to Mistah Swift's house wid him, I couldn't no mo' git him t'come back widout his dinnah, dan yo' all kin git dat 'ar car t' movewidout dem fusin' t'ings yo' all talked about."
"Bless my necktie!" exclaimed Mr. Damon. "That's all nonsense! Youdon't suppose that mule understands what you say to him, do you? Howdoes he know you promised him his dinner?"
"I doan't know how he know, Mistah Damon," replied Eradicate, "but hedo know, jest de same. I know hit would be laik pullin' teeth an' wusstoo, t' git Boomerang t' start back wid dem foosd t'ings until afterhe's had his dinner. Wouldn't it, Boomerang?"
The mule waved his long ears as if in answer.
"Bless my soul, I believe he does understand!" cried Mr. Damon.
"Of course he do," put in the colored man. "I'se awful sorry. Now ifit were afternoon I could bring back dem what-d'ye-call-'ems in ajiffy, 'cause Boomerang allers feels good arter he has his dinnah, butbefo' dat--" and Eradicate shook his head, as if there was no more tobe said on the subject.
"Well," remarked Tom, sadly, "I guess there's no help for it. We'llhave to walk home, unless you two want to wait until I can ride backwith Eradicate, and come back on my motor cycle. Then I'll have toleave the cycle here, for I can't get it in the car."
"Bless my collar button!" cried Mr. Damon. "It's like the puzzle of thefox, the goose and the bag of corn on the banks of a stream. I guesswe'd better all walk."
"Hold on!" exclaimed Mr. Sharp. "Is your mule good and strong,Eradicate?"
"Strong? Why dish yeah mule could pull a house ober--dat is when he'sgot a mind to. An' he'd do most anyt'ing now, 'ca'se he's anxious t'git home t' his dinnah; ain't yo' all, Boomerang?"
Once more the mule waved his ears, like signal flags.
"Then I have a proposition to make," went on the balloonist. "Unhitchthe mule from the load of wood, and hitch him to the auto. We've gotsome rope along, I noticed. Then the mule can pull us and the runabouthome."
"Good idea!" cried Mr. Damon.
"Dat's de racket!" ejaculated Eradicate. "I'll jest sequesterate dishyear load ob wood side ob de road, an' hitch Boomerang to de auto."
Tom said nothing for a few seconds. He gazed sadly at his auto, whichhe hoped would win the touring club's prize. It was a bitter pill forhim to swallow.
"Towed by a mule!" he exclaimed, shaking his head, and smilingruefully. "The fastest car in this country towed by a mule! It's toughluck!"
"'Tain't half so bad as goin' widout yo' dinnah, Mistah Swift!"remarked Eradicate, as he began to harness the mule to the electricrunabout.
Boomerang made no objection to the transfer. He looked around once ortwice as he was being made fast to the auto and, when the word wasgiven he stepped out as if pulling home stalled cars was his regularbusiness. Tom sat beside Eradicate on the front seat, and steered,while the colored man drove the mule, and Mr. Sharp and Mr. Damon werein the "tonneau" seats as Tom called them.
"I hope no one sees us," thought Tom, but he was doomed todisappointment. When nearly home he heard an auto approaching, and init were Andy Foger, Sam Snedecker and Pete Bailey. The three croniesstared at the odd sight of Boomerang ambling along, with his great earsflapping, drawing Tom's speedy new car.
"Ha! Ha!" laughed Andy. "So that's the motive power he's going to use!Look at him, fellows. I thought his new electric, that was going tobeat my car, and win the prize, was to be two hundred horse power.Instead it's one mule power! That's rich!" and Andy's chums joined inthe laugh at poor Tom.
The young inventor said nothing, for there was nothing he could say. Indignified silence he passed the car containing his enemies, they,meanwhile, jeering at him.
"Dat's all right," spoke Eradicate, sympathizing with his youngemployer. "Maybe dey'll 'want a tow derselves some day, an' when deydoes, I'll make Boomerang pull 'em in a ditch."
But this was small comfort to Tom. He made up his mind, though, that hewould demonstrate that his car could do all that he had claimed for it,and that very soon.