“I’m sure I don’t know.  One thing is certain:  The name of Pelter is not common.  Still, there may be other Pelters besides those related to that scoundrel of a broker.”

Arriving at the vicinity of the broken bridge, the boys found a farmer with a wagon there.  The countryman was placing some brushwood across the road.

“The blame bridge is busted down,” said the farmer, “and I thought I ought to put up some kind of a thing to warn folks of it.”

“That is what we came for,” answered Sam; and then he and his brother related some of the particulars of what had occurred.

“Gee, shoo!  You don’t mean to tell me that one of them automobiles is down in the river!” gasped the countryman.  “I don’t see nothin’ of it.”

“It most be down on the bottom, close to where that end of the bridge settled,” answered Sam “I suppose there will be a job here for somebody to haul it out.”

“If they want a man for that, I’m the feller to do it,” returned the countryman.  “Maybe I had better go down to the hotel and see about it.”

“Better wait till morning,” suggested Tom.  “The young man who owns the machine can’t see anyone now.”

“All right, just as you say.”

“Now that this bridge is down, how can we get over the river?” mused Sam.

“Where do you want to go?”

“We were on our way to Hope Seminary.  I suppose we can go around to the Upper Road, but it will be four or five miles out of our way.”

“It ain’t necessary to go that far.  You go down stream about half a mile on the Craberry Road, and you can cross The Shallows.”

“Isn’t it too deep for an automobile?” questioned Tom.

“No, not now.  It might be, though, in wet weather.”

“I don’t know about that,” said Sam, and shook his head.  “We don’t want any accident in the water, Tom.”

“Oh, come ahead, we can try it, anyway,” returned Tom, who, in spite of the recent happenings, was as anxious as ever to get to the seminary and see Nellie.

Leaving the countryman at his self-appointed task of putting a barrier across the road—­ and he had said that he would also, get over to the other side of the river somehow and put a barrier there—­ the Rover boys swung around once again in their touring car, and headed for the side road which had been mentioned to them.  Soon they reached what was known as “The Shallows,” a spot where the river broadened out, and was filled with loose stones and sandbars.

By the rays from the headlights, which they now turned on to their fullest extent, the car was guided into the water.  At the edge, they saw several tracks made, undoubtedly, by wagons, and one track evidently made by the anti-skid tires of an automobile.

“Well, if one auto got through, we ought to be able to make it,” remarked Tom, grimly.

“Better take it on low gear,” suggested his brother.  “We can’t see in this water, and we may go down in a hole before we know it.”