felt that he could do it. He was half a lap ahead of them all now.
But he saw Andy Foger's machine pulling away from the bunch.

"He's going to try to catch me!" exulted Tom.

Then something happened. The motor of the Humming-Bird suddenly
slackened its speed, it missed explosions, and the trim little craft
began to drop behind.

"What's the matter?" cried Mr. Damon.

"Three of the cylinders are out of business!" yelled Tom. "We're done
for, I guess."

On came the other machines, Andy in the lead, then the Santos-Dumont,
then the Farman, and lastly the Wright. They saw the plight of the
Humming-Bird and determined to beat her. Tom cast a despairing look up
at the motor. There was nothing to be done. He could not reach it In
mid-air. He could only keep on, crippled as he was, and trust to luck.

Andy passed by his rival with an evil smile on his ugly face. Then the
Antoinette flashed by. In turn all the others left Tom in the rear Toms
heart was like lead. Mr. Damon gazed blankly forward. They were beaten.
It did not seem possible.

There was but a single chance. If Tom shut off all power, coasted for a
moment, and then, ere the propeller had ceased revolving, if he could
start the motor on the spark, the silent cylinders might pick up, with
the others, and begin again. He would try it. They could be no worse
off than they were.

"A mile behind!" gasped Tom. "It's a long chance, but I'll take it."

He shut off the power. The motor was silent, the Humming-Bird began to
fall. But ere she had gone down ten feet Tom suddenly switched on the
batteries. There was a moment of silence, and then came the welcome
roar that told of the rekindled motor. And such a roar as it was! Every
cylinder was exploding as though none of them had ever stopped!

"We did it!" yelled Tom. Opening up at full speed, he sent the sky
racer on the course to overtake and pass his rivals.

Slowly he crept on them. They looked back and saw him coming. They
tried to put on more speed, but it was impossible. Andy Foger was in
the lead. He was being slowly overhauled by the Santos-Dumont, with
the queer tail-rudders.

"I'll get him!" muttered Tom. "I'll pass 'em all!"

And he did. With a wonderful burst of speed the little Humming-Bird
overtook one after another of her larger rivals, and passed them. Then
she crept up on Andy's Slugger.

In an instant more it was done, and, a good length in advance of the
Foger craft, Tom shot over the fini