tered tribes of Indians and Alaskan natives.
They live by hunting and fishing, and travel around by means of dog
sledges. But it's a dreary life. Me an' my partner had all we wanted
of it. An airship for mine!"

"I wonder what's become of Andy?" spoke Tom, that afternoon. "I
haven't sighted him, and I've been using the powerful telescope. I
can't pick him up, though he can't be so very far ahead of us."

"Let me try," suggested Ned. "Put her up a bit, Tom, where I can
look down. Andy won't dare go very high. Maybe I can sight him."

The RED CLOUD shot upward as the young inventor shifted the
elevation rudder, and the bank clerk, with the powerful glass to his
eye, swept the space below him. For half an hour he looked in vain.
Then, with a little start of surprise he handed the glass to his
chum.

"See what you make that out to be," suggested Ned. "It looks like a
big bird, yet I haven't seen any other birds to-day."

Tom looked. He peered earnestly through the telescope for a minute,
and then cried:

"It's Andy's airship! He's ahead of us! We must catch him! Ned, you
and Mr. Damon speed up the motor! The race is on!"

In a few minutes the great airship was hurling herself through
space, and, in less than ten minutes Andy's craft could be made out
plainly with the naked eye. Fifteen minutes more and the RED CLOUD
was almost up to her. Then those aboard the ANTHONY must have caught
sight of their pursuers, for there was a sudden increase in speed on
the part of the unscrupulous Foger crowd, who sought to steal a
march on Tom and his friends.

"The race is on!" repeated the young inventor grimly, as he pulled
the speed lever over another notch.

CHAPTER XVI

THE FALL OF THE ANTHONY

Had it not been for what was at stake, the race between the two big
airships would have been an inspiring one to those aboard Tom's
craft. As it was they were too anxious to overcome the unfair
advantage taken by Andy to look for any of the finer points in the
contest of the air.

"There's no denying that he's got a pretty good craft there,"
conceded Tom, as he watched the progress of his rival. "I never
thought Andy Foger could have done it."

"He didn't do very much of it," declared Ned. "He hired the best
part of that made. Andy hasn't any inventive ideas. He probably said
he wanted an airship, and his dad put up the money and hired men to
build it for him. Andy, Sam and Pete only tinkered around on it."

Later To