About an hour before the boys reached Advantage Falls, they stopped at a service station so they could refill their gas tank with petroleum. While Joe manned the pumps, Frank went inside to pay. Chet and Biff followed him.

"I'm not sure where the place is exactly," remarked Frank. "I know the general area, but I'm not so sure about the exact location."

"I've got an idea!" Biff suggested that they buy a road map. "You know these stores carry them. I think it's a law."

The two boys glanced around the service station. They searched up and down every isle and every shelf. They simply couldn’t find the road maps anywhere! About the time they were ready to give up, a faint voice rang through the air. "Look, Grace. There's the maps, over there!"

The voice had come from one of two elderly ladies who had just walked inside the building. The ladies, who were sisters, were in the middle of a cross-country trip.

"Grace, do you think this map will be any better than the one you already have?" the first lady asked, skeptically.

"I don't know, Allison," the one called Grace replied. "It's just an atlas like the one we already have."

"Are you sure we don't need it?" Allison peered at her sister over the rim of her glasses. "We need to know for sure, before we can continue our trip to Montana."

"I am quite sure, Allison," Grace replied, confidently.

"Well, if you're sure then," Allison remarked, unconvinced. "We might as well pay for our gasoline and go."

After the two elderly ladies had gone, Frank and Biff made their way towards the place where they had been.

"Imagine two old ladies like the two of them taking a cross-country trip, at their age." Biff remarked, in a surprised tone.

"I know," replied Frank, equally surprised. "I couldn't imagine Mom and Aunt Gertrude driving off together on a road trip. And they're a lot younger than those two ladies," Frank paused and thought for a moment. "At least Mom is."

After rendezvousing with Chet at the front counter, Frank paid for their gasoline and the map. Then they were once again on their way.

As the others were piling into the car, Jerry glanced at Chet. "What's that?"

The plump lad was carrying a book in his right hand and a candy-bar in his left.

"It's a candy-bar," replied Chet, as he took a bite.

"Not that!" Jerry laughed. "The other hand."

"Oh that!" Chet replied simply. "It's a book."

"I can see that," Jerry retorted. "But what kind is it?"

"It's the kind you read," Chet laughed. He loved teasing his friends. Next, he took on the distinction of a college professor that was giving a lesson to rather dimwitted students. He was known to do this quite often. "You see a book is an object which contains many pages. On these pages you will find many words. These words are used to form sentences. In turn, sentences are used to form paragraphs. From paragraphs come stories and other types of useful information."

He paused long enough to clear his throat. "But that's something only the truly intellectual, such as myself, can really appreciate."

Jerry listened intently the whole time that Chet was speaking. But as soon as he was finished, Jerry quietly leaned over the front seat and grinned. "Let's leave him here!"

Frank, who was behind the wheel, glanced at Chet. "I don't guess we should," he smiled. "Knowing Chet, he'll find some way to get there ahead of us." The boys all howled with laughter as the convertible drove away from the convenience store.

"According to this, Advantage Falls is only forty-five miles from here," Joe remarked, as he glanced over the new map. "But we're on the wrong road. We turned left twenty miles back and we should have turned right!"

"Are we going to have to go all the way back?" asked Jerry, who was sitting in the back seat between Chet and Biff.

"No, we can make a right turn about five miles down the road onto Highway 7." Joe studied the map intensely. "That will take us back out onto Route 29. And that’s where we want to be."

"Where does this road take you?" Chet asked curiously, as he munched on his candy-bar.

"According to the map," replied Joe, "It dead ends at Cedar Ravine, with a five hundred foot drop off."

"Wow!" exclaimed Biff.

"I sure wouldn't want to take a trip out there," Chet grinned. "Even if it was in the fall of the year." The boys all chuckled over Chet's play on words.

About forty-five minutes later, the boys arrived at the Advantage Falls Livery Stable.

"What are we doing here?" Jerry asked, puzzled.

"We’re going to have to leave the car here," replied Frank. "We’ll rent some horses and ride the rest of the way, because you can't get an automobile to where we’re going."

"Oh, I see," replied Jerry. "But, what about our gear?" He asked, puzzled. "How are we going to take it with us?"

"We'll rent a couple of pack mules," replied Joe.

After the boys had parked their car, they made their way inside the old building.

The Advantage Falls Livery Stable was an old wooden structure that looked much like a large barn. It had many stalls with many horses.

"I hope I get a horse with a lot of spirit!" Chet boasted. "A professional like myself can only be truly satisfied with a real lively stead."

Just then, Joe spotted a horse in the back of the stable. Glancing at the chubby youth, he laughed. "I've got just the horse for you. It's just your speed."

The other boys howled with laughter when they realized the horse Joe referred to was a tiny Shetland pony.

"Oh, cut it out," Chet laughed, good-naturedly.

Just then, a middle-aged man in faded blue jeans walked up. "Howdy, young fellers!" he drawled. "Can I help you?"

"We spoke with you earlier," replied Frank. "You’re supposed to be holding some horses for us. My name is Frank Hardy."

"You've probably heard of us before," Joe Hardy spoke up. "Our father, Fenton Hardy, is a very famous detective. And we've solved a few baffling cases ourselves," He continued, with pride.

The older man stood in thought for a moment. Then he finally replied, "Nope! I can't say that I have."

Joe was more than surprised and a little offended over the man's lack of recognition. "But, we've been in all the papers!" he retorted. "Surely, you've read about some of our cases."

The man thought about it some more, then he replied, "I am sorry, son, but I don't believe I have." Then he turned and walked towards the rear of the stable. "I'll be right back," he called to them.

Noticing Joe's frustration, Chet slapped him on the back. "Don't worry, Joe, just because he didn't recognize you. Why, now that you've told him who you are, he's probably gone right now for a pen and some paper, just so he can ask for your autograph!"

As Chet spoke, all the boys howled with laughter.

In a few minutes, the man returned. "If y'all will come on, your horses are waiting out back," he informed them.

After the boys had walked around to the back of the stable, they found five beautiful horses and two pack mules waiting for them. Of the horses, there were two Quarter Horses, two Paints and a beautiful Palomino.

As Frank paid the man for the horses, Jerry and Biff volunteered to go and get their gear from the car. After placing everything onto the mules, they saddled their horses and prepared to leave. Just as they were starting off, the man who ran the stable stopped them. "I just need you to sign this standard form," he requested, handing a clipboard to Joe Hardy.

Chet Morton grinned and whispered, "I told you he'd ask for your autograph!"

Joe laughed. Then glancing at the man, he asked, "What’s this for?"

"It's just a standard consent form," the older man replied. "In case your horse runs off and strands you out in the middle of nowhere. If the animal throws you off and stomps on you or any other little mishap like that happens. It just says, ‘We are not responsible!’"

"Oh, I see," Joe replied, as he signed the form.

As they started ridding off into the wilderness, the older man waved to them. "So long and have a fun trip! Don't get eaten by any bears or get lost in the woods. And remember these words - WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE!"

The boys exchanged knowing glances with each other. "Wow! What a send off!" Biff muttered with a slight smile.

"He's almost as bad as Aunt Gertrude!" Joe added with a mischievous grin.

After the boys had been riding along the designated trail for about a half an hour, Chet and Jerry began to grow tired of the slow pace they had been taking. The boys had been having to travel slowly because of the pack mules.

Chet and Jerry decided to have a race. Jerry was on one of the Quarter Horses and Chet was on the Palomino. After they had gotten away from the group, they motioned to each other and took off! It was a grand race. They started neck and neck. However, Jerry's horse quickly took the lead. But this lead didn't last very long. After the first quarter of a mile, Jerry's horse started losing ground to Chet's steed.

For those who don’t know, a Quarter Horse is an animal that can have terrific speed for a short distance. However, after a distance of about a quarter of a mile, it will begin to slow down. It simply can't keep the same pace that it started with. This is where the horse got its name.

Naturally, Chet started taking the lead. His horse was running along at such an even gate, it hardly felt like it hooves were even touching the ground. Chet, who was so beside himself with excitement, didn't realize the leather strap that was holding his saddle into place was worn through.

Before he could realize what was happening, the strap broke in half. Chet didn't even know that he and the saddle both had left the horse's back until he glanced above his head and saw the ground rushing toward him at a terrific speed. The plump youth gasped as it dawned on him what was happening.

"Help!"