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

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68 CHAPTER 14. THE GREAT TESTadvanced the spark. <strong>The</strong> great test was on!<strong>The</strong> Humming-Bird trembled <strong>and</strong> throbbed with the awful speed of themot<strong>or</strong>, like a thing alive. She seemed to rush f<strong>or</strong>ward as an eagle droppingdown from a dizzy height upon some hapless prey.“Faster yet!” murmured <strong>Tom</strong>. “We must go faster yet!”<strong>The</strong> mot<strong>or</strong> was warming up. Streaks of fire came from it. <strong>The</strong> exhaust ofthe explosions was a continuous roar. Faster <strong>and</strong> faster flew the frail craft.Around <strong>and</strong> around the air course she circled. <strong>The</strong> wind appeared to berushing beneath the planes <strong>and</strong> rudders with the velocity of a hurricane. Hadit not been f<strong>or</strong> the face protect<strong>or</strong>s they w<strong>or</strong>e, <strong>Tom</strong> <strong>and</strong> Mr. Damon could nothave breathed. F<strong>or</strong> ten minutes this fearful speed was kept up. <strong>The</strong>n <strong>Tom</strong>,knowing he had run the mot<strong>or</strong> to the limit, slowed it down. Next he shut itoff completely, <strong>and</strong> prepared to volplane back to earth. <strong>The</strong> silence after theterrific racket was almost startling. F<strong>or</strong> a moment neither of the aviat<strong>or</strong>s spoke.<strong>The</strong>n Mr. Damon said:“Do you think you did it, <strong>Tom</strong>?”“I don’t know. We’ll soon find out. <strong>The</strong>y’ll have the rec<strong>or</strong>d.” And hemotioned toward the earth, which they were rapidly nearing.
Chapter 15A Noise in the Night“Well, did I make it? Make any kind of a rec<strong>or</strong>d?” asked <strong>Tom</strong> eagerly, as hebrought the trim little craft to a stop, after it had rolled along the ground onthe bicycle wheels.“What do you think you did?” asked Mr. Jackson, who had been busyfiguring on a slip of paper.“Did I get her up to ninety miles an hour?” inquired <strong>Tom</strong> eagerly. “If I did,I know when the mot<strong>or</strong> wears down a bit smoother that I can make her hit ahundred in the race, easily. Did I touch ninety, Mr. Jackson?”“Better than that, <strong>Tom</strong>! Better than that!” cried his father.“Yes,” joined in Mr. Jackson. “Allowing f<strong>or</strong> the difference in our watches,<strong>Tom</strong>, your father <strong>and</strong> I figure that you did the course at the rate of one hundred<strong>and</strong> twelve miles an hour!”“One hundred <strong>and</strong> twelve!” gasped the young invent<strong>or</strong>, hardly able to believeit.“I made it a hundred <strong>and</strong> fifteen,” said Mr. <strong>Swift</strong>, who was almost as pleasedas was his son, “<strong>and</strong> Mr. Jackson made it one hundred <strong>and</strong> eleven; so we splitthe difference, so to speak. You certainly have a sky racer, <strong>Tom</strong>, my boy!”“And I’ll need it, too, dad, if I’m to compete with Andy Foger, who mayhave a machine almost like mine.”“But I thought you were going to object to him if he has,” said Mr. Damon,who had hardly recovered from the speedy flight through space.“Well, I was just providing f<strong>or</strong> a contingency, in case my protest was overruled,”remarked <strong>Tom</strong>. “But I’m glad the Humming-Bird did so well on herfirst trial. I know she’ll do better the m<strong>or</strong>e I run her. Now we’ll get her back inher ’nest,’ <strong>and</strong> I’ll look her over, when she cools down, <strong>and</strong> see if anything hasw<strong>or</strong>ked loose.”But the trim little craft needed only slight adjustments after her tryout, f<strong>or</strong><strong>Tom</strong> had built her to st<strong>and</strong> up under a terrific strain.“We’ll soon be in shape f<strong>or</strong> the big race,” he announced, “<strong>and</strong> when I bringhome that ten thous<strong>and</strong> dollars I’m going to ab<strong>and</strong>on this sky-scraping business,except f<strong>or</strong> occasional trips.”69
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Tom Swift<
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4 CONTENTS20 Just in Time 8921 “W
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6 CHAPTER 1. THE PRIZE OFFER“It
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8 CHAPTER 1. THE PRIZE OFFERHe star
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10 CHAPTER 2. MR. SWIFT IS ILL“<s
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Chapter 3The Plans
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Tom followed him,
Page 17 and 18: that the screen was also unhooked,
Page 19 and 20: Chapter 4Anxious DaysPeering on all
Page 21 and 22: 21about him. He may have been sneak
Page 23 and 24: Chapter 5Building the Sky</
Page 25 and 26: 25“Why, then this heavy beard of
Page 27 and 28: Who had them? Was some one making a
Page 29 and 30: Chapter 6Andy Foger Will ContestOne
Page 31 and 32: 31“Then you go o
Page 33 and 34: near you were ready, and</s
Page 35 and 36: Chapter 7Seeking a ClueJohn Sharp w
Page 37 and 38: 37“Well, because it will add to t
Page 39 and 40: Chapter 8The Empty
Page 41 and 42: He left the house by a side do<stro
Page 43 and 44: Chapter 9A Trial Flight</st
Page 45 and 46: emained much to do on it. It was no
Page 47 and 48: Chapter 10A Midnight Intruder<stron
Page 49 and 50: must do his very best, and<
Page 51 and 52: Chapter 11Tom Is H
Page 53 and 54: He did not intend to shoot at the m
Page 55 and 56: Chapter 12Miss Nestor</stro
Page 57 and 58: 57“It’s possible,” agreed the
Page 59 and 60: Chapter 13A Clash with Andy
Page 61 and 62: 61“It’s glorio
Page 63 and 64: 63Cautiously they entered the enclo
Page 65 and 66: Chapter 14The Grea
Page 67: “To-morrow, if I
Page 71 and 72: 71“Oh, we’ll take good care of
Page 73 and 74: Chapter 16A Mysterious FireF<strong
Page 75 and 76: Tom looked out. Fl
Page 77 and 78: Chapter 17Mr. Swift</strong
Page 79 and 80: above that the flames were now on t
Page 81 and 82: Chapter 18The Brok
Page 83 and 84: 83By daylight it was seen that quit
Page 85 and 86: Chapter 19A Nervy Specialist<strong
Page 87 and 88: was so absorbed in
Page 89 and 90: Chapter 20Just in TimeWhile Dr. Hen
Page 91 and 92: 91Humming-Bird gave a dangerous <st
Page 93 and 94: Chapter 21“Will He Live?”Soon t
Page 95 and 96: Chapter 22Off to the MeetSoftly <st
Page 97 and 98: There was a wirele
Page 99 and 100: Chapter 23The Grea
Page 101 and 102: 101“Don’t worr
Page 103 and 104: 103“I’m going to beat you!” t
Page 105 and 106: Chapter 24Won by a LengthRising upw
Page 107 and 108: 107he would wait until five miles f
Page 109 and 110: Chapter 25Home Again—ConclusionMr
Page 111 and 112: 111But Tom almost
Page 113 and 114: 113“Indeed I did. But you helped
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Tom Swift and His Sky Racer or The Quickest Flight on ... - Fourmilab

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