east--he looked at me with fierce resolve in
his eyes.

"Hammond, that gives us over twelve hours to get to Virginia!"

"You mean to go? But just twelve hours! That's better than the
transcontinental record--to say nothing of the time it would take to
find a little rock in the Pacific!"

"We have the _Golden Gull_! She's as fast as any ship we've ever
flown."

"But we can't take the _Gull_! Those alterations haven't been made.
And that new engine! A bear-cat for power, but it may go dead any
second. The _Gull_ can fly, but she isn't safe!"

"Safety be damned! I've got to get to Virginia, and get there in the
next twelve hours!"

"The _Gull_ will fly, but--"

"All right. Please help me get off!"

"Help you off? It's a fool thing to do! But if you go, I do!"

"Thanks, Hammond. Awfully!" He gripped my hand. "We've got to make
it!"

* * * * *

With a last glance into the gaping pit from which we had dug the
marvelous stone, we turned and ran across to the hangars. As we ran
the sun came above the sea in the east: its first rays struck us like
a fiery lance. The mechanics had not yet appeared. Charlie pushed the
doors back, and we ran out the trim little _Golden Gull_, beautiful
with her slender wing and her graceful, tapering lines.

I seized the starting crank and Charlie sprang into the cockpit. I
cranked until the mechanism was droning dismally, and pulled the lever
that engaged it with the engine. I had been in too much haste to get
up the proper speed, and the powerful new engine failed to fire.
Charlie almost cried with vexation while I was cranking again.

This time the motor coughed and fell into a steady, vibrant roar. With
the wind from the propeller screaming about me, I disengaged the crank
and stood waiting while the motor warmed. Charlie gave it scant time
to do so before he motioned me to kick out the blocks. I tumbled into
the enclosed cockpit beside him, he gave the ship the gun, and we
roared across the field.

In five minutes we were flying west, at a speed just under three
hundred miles per hour. Charlie was crouched over the stick, scanning
the instrument board, and flying the _Gull_ almost at her top speed.
Again and again his eyes went to the little clock on the panel.

"Twelve hours and forty minutes," he said. "And an hour gone already!
We're got to be there by five minutes after six."

We were flying over Louisiana when the oil line clogged. The e