The Rover Boys on the Farm | Page 4

a job of it getting you home."
"No sprained ankle for mine, thank you," replied Tom. And he was
more careful after that.
As Dick came after his brothers he saw something peculiar at one side
of the path he was pursuing. It appeared to be a tin lunch box
suspended from a tree limb by a bit of wire. The box was painted red
and seemed to be new.
"That's strange," said the eldest Rover boy to himself. "Who would
leave such a thing as that in that position? I'll have to investigate."
Without telling Sam and Tom what he was going to do, Dick left the
path and plunged into the bushes which grew between himself and the
tree from which the tin box was suspended. Among the bushes the
footing was uncertain, and hardly had he taken a dozen steps when he
felt himself sinking.
"Hi! this won't do!" he cried in alarm, and then plunged down into a big
hole, some bushes, moss and dead leaves coming down on top of him.
In the meantime, Sam and Tom had gone on. Coming to where the path
appeared to divide, they turned to the right, only to find, five minutes
later, that they had made a mistake.
"Where in the world can Dick be?" murmured Sam, after he and his

brother had called again. "I thought he was right behind us."
"So did I, Sam. It's mighty queer what's become of him. If he fell over a
cliff----" Tom did not finish, but heaved a deep sigh.
With anxious hearts the two boys endeavored to retrace their steps up
the mountainside. They had to climb up one of the cliffs, and just as
this was accomplished it began to rain.
"More bad luck," grumbled Sam. "If this keeps on we'll soon be
soaked."
"Spit, spat, spo! Where did that mountain path go!" cried Tom,
repeating a doggerel often used by children. "Dick! Dick!" he yelled, at
the top of his lungs. Then Sam joined in the call once again. But as
before, there was no answer.
It must be confessed that the two Rover boys were now thoroughly
alarmed. As they had climbed up the mountainside they knew they
must be close to the spot where they had last seen Dick. What had
become of their big brother?
"Tom, do you think he could have fallen over some cliff and rolled to
the bottom of the mountain?" questioned Sam, anxiously.
"How could he roll to the bottom with the trees so thick? He would
have plenty of chance to catch hold of one of them."
"Not if he was knocked unconscious."
"Well, where can he be?"
"I don't know."
It was now raining steadily, and to protect themselves the two boys
pulled their caps well down over their heads and turned up their coat
collars. They came to a halt under the wide-spreading branches of a
hemlock tree.

"It beats the nation, that's what it does," declared Tom. "Maybe the
earth opened and swallowed him up!"
"Tom, this is no joke."
"And I'm not joking, Sam. I can't understand it at all."
"Is that the path over yonder?" continued the youngest Rover, pointing
to a spot beyond the opposite side of the hemlock tree.
"It looks a little like it," was Tom's reply. "Might as well go over and
make sure."
Leaving the shelter of the tree, they made their way through the bushes,
which were now beginning to drip from the rain. As they progressed
Sam pushed a big branch from him and let it swing back suddenly,
thereby catching Tom full in the face.
"Wow!" spluttered the fun-loving Rover, as he staggered back. "Hi!
Sam, do you think I need a shower bath? I'm wet enough already." And
Tom commenced to brush the water from his face.
"I didn't mean to let it slip," answered Sam. "But say----"
What Sam was going to say further will never be known, for just then
he felt himself slipping down into some sort of a hole. He tried to leap
back, and made a clutch at Tom's legs, and the next instant both rolled
over and over and shot downward, out of the daylight into utter
darkness.
They were taken so completely by surprise that neither said a word.
Over and over they went, a shower of dirt, sticks and dead leaves
coming after them. Then they brought up on a big pile of decayed
leaves and lay there, the breath all but knocked out of them.
"Wha--what--where are we?" gasped Sam, when he felt able to speak.
"Say, is thi--this a ne--new shoot-the--the--chutes?" asked Tom who
was bound to have his fun no matter what occurred.

"Are you hurt?"
"I don't think I am, but I reckon my liver turned