"Oh, dear," she said, "this back way will take us much longer to reach Red Gate."

The detour led through a woodland of tall trees. Daylight had been blotted out entirely, and even with the car's headlights on full, Nancy could barely see ahead. Again she was forced to slow down.

Suddenly a jagged streak of lightning hit a big oak a short distance from the car. It splintered the tree.

"Oh!" screamed Bess. "This is terrible!"

Nancy pretended to be calm, but she really was very much worried. She decided it would be safer to get away from the dangerous line of trees, any one of which might crash down on them!

"How long is this stretch of woods?" she asked Joanne.

"Oh, perhaps five hundred feet."

"We'll have to chance it." Nancy drove as quickly as she dared in the darkness. The girls breathed sighs of relief when open country was reached.

But Joanne's fears were not yet over. "Watch out!" she advised. "There's a sharp, treacherous curve very soon, just before we take the turnoff for the farm."

By now the brief storm had moved off to a distant sky and it was easier to see the boundaries of the slippery road. Nancy rounded a curve, but as the car took the turn, the wheels on the right side sank into the thick mud of a ditch, bringing the car to a lurching halt.

The unexpected mishap stunned the girls for a moment. Finally Bess found her voice. "Now what?"

Nancy endeavored to drive the car out of the ditch, but it was useless. "Well"-she sighed- "we may as well jump out and examine the car. Keep your fingers crossed."

They found the convertible at a lopsided angle. The right wheels, however, were firmly anchored by the mud. The four girls attempted to push the car, but without success.

"I'll look in the trunk," Nancy said, "to see if there's something to help us."

Nancy found two pieces of heavy burlap. Bess and George put them in front of the two back wheels for traction. Then they gathered and broke up some brush to make a mat for each tire.