Templeton occupied the driver’s seat; Eves stood on a rail above the fixed brushes behind, holding on to the framework.  The machine ran steadily up the road, but when Templeton slowed down and turned upon the pivot which was to bring into action the steering-gear at the rear, the vehicle, instead of moving straight hi the opposite direction, showed a tendency to sheer off to one side. Moreover, it turned out that the gear which raised the brushes clear of the road was out of order.  Every now and then the brushes dropped, and the machine reverted to its original use.  At these times Eves’s boots and puttees received a generous bespattering of mud and water, and when the brushes began to "race," sending a spray of mud not merely across the road, but into his face, he protested loudly.