The Rover Boys on the Farm/Chapter 22
The race had now reached its critical point and all of the cadets on the hill waited for the outcome with keen interest. The bob owned by Peter Slade was still two lengths in advance, and it looked very much as if Peter would be the victor.
But with the passing of the last ridge the Rovers' bob seemed to become endowed with new life. With no drag on the runners, it shot forward with a speed that surprised even Dick. Steadily it gained on the other bob, until, when the end of the course was but fifty yards away, the two were almost side by side.
"Let her out, Pete!" cried one of the boys on Slade's bob, but Peter could do no more.
"It's a tie race!" called several, but hardly had the words been spoken when the Rovers' bob shot ahead, and reached the end of the course a winner by twenty-five feet.
"Hurrah! the Rovers win!"
"I tell you what, you can't get ahead of Dick Rover and his crowd!"
Peter Slade was much chagrinned to have the victory snatched from him, and began to mutter something about the race not being a fair one.
"I agree with you, it was not fair," answered Sam. "Hans' tippet caught under our runners and held us up a good deal."
"If it hadn't been for that we would have won by three times the distance," added Tom.
"Humph!" muttered Peter Slade. "I guess you jumped off once and pushed."
"I did not," answered Tom, hotly.
"I think you did."
"And I say I didn't," and now Tom doubled up his fists.
"Oh, don't quarrel," put in Larry, who was near. "If Peter isn't satisfied why not race over again?"
"I am willing," answered Dick, promptly.
"I'm tired of riding," said Slade. "I—er—I am not feeling extra well and it shakes me up too much."
"Then let some of the others use the bob."
"No, it needs overhauling, and I am going to have it fixed up," was Slade's answer, and began to move off toward the Hall, dragging his bob after him.
"He's afraid to race," said George. "My! how mad it makes some fellows to get beaten!"
It may be mentioned here that Peter Slade had been one of Tad Sobber's cronies, and now that Sobber was gone he took it on his shoulders to fill the bully's place in the particular set to which he belonged. He was a quick-tempered youth, and had been in more than one fight since his arrival at Putnam Hall.
The boys who could not ride on the hill amused themselves by making some big snowballs, which they allowed to roll down another hill. One of the snowballs made was fully eight feet in diameter, and it was a great sight to see this go down, getting bigger and bigger as it progressed.
"Hello, I've got an idea!" cried Tom, as he watched the rolling of the big snowballs.
"Something brand new, Tom?" queried Larry.
"I think so. Let us give Peleg Snuggers a roll. It will do him good—shake up his liver, and all that."
"You mean to roll him down this hill?" asked a student named Morley.
"That's it."
"Might hurt him."
"Not if we put a snow overcoat on him first," answered Tom.
"What do you mean?" asked another student.
"Let us roll a big ball the shape of an egg and hollow out the middle. Then by some trick we can get Peleg to crawl inside, and"
"That's the thing!" cried George Garrison, "Come on. Where is Peleg?"
"Down at the stables."
With eager hands the cadets set to work and rolled up a big ball in the shape of an egg and then dug out the middle with a shovel. In the meantime a message was sent to the general utility man that he was wanted at the top of the hill at once.
"Must want me to mend a sled," he mused, and hurried off, taking with him some tools, nails and cord. He often did favors for the cadets, who gave him "tips" in return.
When Peleg Snuggers arrived at the top of the hill the big snowball was ready for use.
"Here is Peter!" cried Tom. "He can do the trick for us. Can't you, Peter?"
"What is that, Tom?" asked the general utility man, innocently.
"We want to fasten this cord in the hole through that big snowball, but we don't want to get it crossed," went on Tom, anxiously. "Will you take the cord, crawl in there and then pass the end out and over the end of this shovel, and then loop it over to the other end?"
"Why—er—I don't understand," stammered Peleg Snuggers.
"I'll explain after you are inside the ball," said Tom. "Here's the cord," and he led the general utility man to the hole and helped him to get down.
Not suspecting a trick, Snuggers crawled into the big snowball. Before he could do anything with the cord given to him the cadets rushed forward and gave the snowball a push toward the edge of the hill.
"Hi! stop that!" roared the general utility man, trying to back out.
"Hold tight—the snowball is getting away from us!" yelled Tom. "Somebody keep it from going down the hill!"
"We can't hold it back!" screamed Larry, grinning at the same time.
"It's bound to go—too bad!" wailed another.
"Say, let me git out!" yelled Peleg Snuggers, but at that moment the snowball began to turn over. "I'll be killed! Oh, dear, I think you did this a-purpose, you rascals!"
"Never!" came back promptly.
"Enjoy the ride while you have the chance, Peleg!"
"You've got a free ticket to the bottom of the hill!"
"Let me out! Stop her!" yelled Snuggers, and they saw his feet at one end of the big snowball and his hands at the other. I can't stand rollin', nohow!"
"You're not standing," called Sam. "You are just rolling."
Away went the big snowball, down the long hill, and the cadets after it. As it progressed it grew larger and larger. They saw Peleg Snuggers shove out his head from one end, and the head went around and around like a top.
"I guess he'll be rather dizzy when the trip's ended," observed Songbird.
At last the snowball came to a stop in a stretch of meadow land. The students rushed up just in time to see Peleg Snuggers crawl out on his hands and knees. When he arose he staggered around as if intoxicated.
"Say, you young villains!" he gasped, and then had to stop to catch his breath.
"Oh, Peleg, why did you run away with our snowball?" asked Tom, innocently.
"It was a mean thing to do," put in Dick.
"We wanted some fun with that ball," added Sam.
"I—run—off—with the—the snowball?" gasped the general utility man. "I want you to know"
"Oh, we know all about it," interrupted Tom. "I know what's the matter. You've been drinking, and didn't know what you were doing."
"Perhaps we had better report this to Captain Putnam," said Larry. "Drinking isn't allowed around here, you know."
"I hain't drunk a drop—it's the rollin' as made me dizzy," roared Peleg Snuggers. "Oh, dear, I can't stand straight," and he bumped up against the big snowball and sat down in a heap.
"I'll tell you what I think you ought to do," proceeded Tom, calmly. "I think you ought to roll our snowball back up the hill for us."
"Roll it back?" snorted Snuggers. "Why, four hosses couldn't pull that weight o' snow up the hill! I ain't going to tech the snowball."
"Then at least pay us for the ride you've had," suggested Sam.
"I ain't goin' to do that nuther! It's a trick that's what it is!" growled the general utility man, and arose unsteadily. "I'll be sick for a week after this, I know I will!"
"Never mind," said Dick, soothingly. "Just get Mrs. Green to give you a dose of pink Whirl Around Pills, and you'll be all right again."
"I shan't never come out to this hill again, not fer nobody," grumbled the general utility man, and walked off. Then he turned to gaze at the cadets. "You do anything like that again an' I'll tell Captain Putnam on ye, see if I don't. I ain't going to be no merry-go-'round, or spinnin' top fer nobody!" And then he hurried for the stables and disappeared.