Tom Swift and His Sky Racer or The Quickest Flight on ... - Fourmilab

108 CHAPTER 24. WON BY A LENGTH<strong>The</strong>re was nothing to be done. He could not reach it In mid-air. He could onlykeep on, crippled as he was, <strong>and</strong> trust to luck.Andy passed by his rival with an evil smile on his ugly face. <strong>The</strong>n theAntoinette flashed by. In turn all the others left <strong>Tom</strong> in the rear. <strong>Tom</strong>’s heartwas like lead. Mr. Damon gazed blankly f<strong>or</strong>ward. <strong>The</strong>y were beaten. It did notseem possible.<strong>The</strong>re was but a single chance. If <strong>Tom</strong> shut off all power, coasted f<strong>or</strong> amoment, <strong>and</strong> then, ere the propeller had ceased revolving, if he could start themot<strong>or</strong> on the spark, the silent cylinders might pick up, with the others, <strong>and</strong>begin again. He would try it. <strong>The</strong>y could be no w<strong>or</strong>se off than they were.“A mile behind!” gasped <strong>Tom</strong>. “It’s a long chance, but I’ll take it.”He shut off the power. <strong>The</strong> mot<strong>or</strong> was silent. the Humming-Bird beganto fall. But ere she had gone down ten feet <strong>Tom</strong> suddenly switched on thebatteries. <strong>The</strong>re was a moment of silence, <strong>and</strong> then came the welcome roar thattold of the rekindled mot<strong>or</strong>. And such a roar as it was! Every cylinder wasexploding as though none of them had ever stopped!“We did it!” yelled <strong>Tom</strong>. Opening up at full speed, he sent the sky racer onthe course to overtake <strong>and</strong> pass his rivals.Slowly he crept on them. <strong>The</strong>y looked back <strong>and</strong> saw him coming. <strong>The</strong>y triedto put on m<strong>or</strong>e speed, but it was impossible. Andy Foger was in the lead. Hewas being slowly overhauled by the Santos-Dumont, with the queer tail-rudders.“I’ll get him!” muttered <strong>Tom</strong>. “I’ll pass ’em all!”And he did. With a wonderful burst of speed the little Humming-Birdovertook one after another of her larger rivals, <strong>and</strong> passed them. <strong>The</strong>n shecrept up on Andy’s Slugger.In an instant m<strong>or</strong>e it was done, <strong>and</strong>, a good length in advance of the Fogercraft, <strong>Tom</strong> shot over the finish line a winner, richer by ten thous<strong>and</strong> dollars,<strong>and</strong>, not only that, but he had picked up a mile that had been lost, <strong>and</strong> hadsnatched vict<strong>or</strong>y from almost certain defeat.<strong>The</strong>re was a succession of thundering cheers as he shut off the mot<strong>or</strong>, <strong>and</strong>volplaned to earth, but he paid little attention to them. He brought his craft toa stop just as the wireless on it buzzed again.He listened with a look of pain on his face.“My father is dying,” he said simply. “I must go to him. Mr. Damon, willyou fill the tanks with oil <strong>and</strong> gasoline, while I send off a message?”“Oil <strong>and</strong> gasoline,” murmured the odd man, while hundreds pressed up tocongratulate <strong>Tom</strong> <strong>Swift</strong> “What are you going to do?”“I’m going to my father in the Humming-Bird, said <strong>Tom</strong>. ”It’s the only wayI can see him alive,“ <strong>and</strong> he began to click off a message to Mr. Jackson, statingthat he had won the race <strong>and</strong> was going to fly to Shopton, while Mr. Damon<strong>and</strong> several others replenished the fuel <strong>and</strong> oil of the aeroplane.<strong>Tom</strong> <strong>Swift</strong> had won one race. Could he win the other?