ngine
heated dangerously. Reluctantly, Charlie cut off the ignition, and
fell in a swift spiral to an open field.

"We're got to fix it!" he said. "Another hour gone! And we needed
every minute!"

"This new engine! It's powerful enough, but we should have had time to
overhaul it, and make those changes."

* * * * *

Charlie landed with his usual skill, and we fell to work in desperate
haste. A grizzled farmer, a wad of tobacco in his cheek and three
ragged urchins at his heels, stopped to watch us. He had just been to
his mailbox, and had a morning paper in his hand. Charlie questioned
him about the storm.

"Storm-center nears the American coast," he read in a nasal drawl.
"Greatest storm of year drives shipping upon west coast. Six vessels
reported lost. _S. S. Valhalla_, disabled, sends S. O. S.

"A thousand lives are the estimated toll to-night of the most terrific
storm of the year, which is sweeping toward the Pacific coast, driving
all shipping before it. Radiograms from the _Valhalla_ at 5 P. M.
report that she is disabled and in danger. It is doubtful that rescue
vessels can reach her through the storm."

We got the engine repaired, took off again. Charlie looked at the
little clock.

"Five minutes to ten. Eight hours and ten minutes left, and we've got
a darn long ways to go."

We had to stop at San Antonio, Texas, to replenish gasoline and oil.

"Ten minutes lost!" Charlie complained as we took off. "And that
monster--waiting in the future to drag Virginia to a hideous death!"

Two hours later the plane developed trouble in the ignition system.
The motor was new, with several radical changes that we had introduced
to increase power and lessen weight. As I had objected to Charlie, we
had not done enough experimental work on it to perfect it.

* * * * *

We limped into the field at El Paso and spent another priceless
half-hour at work. I got some sandwiches at a luncheon counter beside
the field, and listened a moment to a radio loudspeaker there.

"Many thousands are dead," came the crisp, metallic voice of the
announcer, "as a result of the storm now raging on the Pacific coast,
the worst in several years. The storm-center is spending its force on
the coastal regions to-day. Millions of dollars in damage are reported
in cities from San Francisco to Manzanillo, Mexico.

"The greatest disaster of the storm is the loss of the passeng