than on another railroad. But we're
going some."

"Bless my railroad stock!" shouted Mr. Damon, "I should say we were."

The electric locomotive and the private car were hurled toward the Pas
Alos Range at a speed that almost frightened some of the guests.

"Three-quarters of an hour!" gasped one man as they began to see the
outskirts of Hammon. "And ninety-six miles? Great Scott, Bartholomew!
that's over two miles a minute!"

"That is the speed we set out to get," Mr. Richard Bartholomew said,
with quite as much pride as though he had done it all himself.

But it had been his suggestion and his money that had accomplished this
wonder. Tom Swift was willing to give the railroad president his share
of the fame.

The train scarcely slackened speed at Hammon, for Tom got the signal
announcing a clear track ahead, and he bucked the grade with all the
power he could get from the feed wires. This hill, so well known to him
now, was surmounted at a slightly decreased speed; but it was a
wonderful display of power after all.

They went down the other side to Panboro and there linked up with an
eastbound freight that the Hercules 0001 snatched over the mountain to
Hammon at a pace slightly exceeding forty-five miles an hour--at least
twice the speed that any two oil-burning locomotives could attain. As
for the Jandels, they were not in the same class at all with Tom
Swift's locomotive!

"Bless my speedometer!" exclaimed Mr. Damon, when the train pulled down
and stopped again at the Hendrickton terminal. "This is the greatest
test of speed and power I ever heard of. Why, a coal burner or an oil
burner isn't in it with this Hercules locomotive! What do you say, Mr.
Bartholomew?"

"I'll say I am satisfied--completely and thoroughly satisfied, Mr.
Damon," said the president of the Hendrickton & Pas Alos Railroad
frankly. "Mr. Swift has fulfilled his contract in every particular."

An hour later the young inventor and his two friends were in conference
with Mr. Bartholomew over a new contract. The bonus of a hundred
thousand dollars would be paid at once to the Swift Construction
Company. But as the elder Swift's name would be needed on the new
contract for the building of other Hercules locomotives, Tom had an
idea.

"We won't send the papers East for father to sign," he said. "I want
him to see the locomotive in real action. And I know where he can
borrow a private car and come out here in comfort. Rad can come with