"Whoa!" yelled Sam to the team, and brought them to a standstill at the foot of the hill.
"What broke?" asked Dick, anxiously.
"The back axle, I think," answered Tom as he leaped to the ground.
The boys had a lantern with them and with this they looked for the damage done. Tom's guess proved correct—the back axle had given way close to the left wheel.
"What's to be done now?" asked Sam, in some dismay. "Say, I don't think that was my fault," he added, quickly.
"I told you to be careful," returned Dick. "Now we are in a pickle and no mistake."
"If we had a wire we might bind up that axle," said Tom, looking at the fracture, which was in the form of a long split.
"But we haven't any," said Dick. He looked into the carriage. "Nothing here but the hitching strap and I don't think that will do."
"There is a farmhouse," said Sam, pointing to a light in a nearby field. "Maybe I can get help there."
"We'll see," said Dick. "Just draw up alongside the fence—so that nobody will run into the carriage. Now that the main road is shut off, everybody has to use this one."
