He ran to it,
glanced at its levers, wheel, and clutch, recognized the one type he
had coveted, and hurled himself into the seat.

"Here! You!" yelled the owner, fighting through the crowd, but three
big miners fell upon him and bore him to the earth. They hoped to see
a race.

They saw it begin with a promptness incredible.

One--two changes of the snarling gears they heard before the deafening
cut-out belched its explosions. Then down the street, in pursuit of
the first, the second machine was fired.

The buildings, to Van, were blended in grayish streaks, on either side,
as his gaze was fastened on the vanishing car ahead. He shoved up his
spark, gave her all the gas, froze to the wheel like a man of
steel--and swooped like a ground-skimming comet out upon the world.

The road for a distance of fully five miles was comparatively level.
It was rutted by the wheels of heavy traffic, but with tires in the
dusty ruts a car ran unimpeded.

Both, for a time were in the road, flaying up a cloud of smoke like a
cyclone ripping out its path.

Searle had not only gained a half-mile lead, but his car was apparently
swifter. He knew its every trick and ounce of power. He drove
superbly. He was reckless now, for he had not missed the knowledge
that behind him was a meteor burning up his trail.

Like a leaping beast--a road-devouring minotaur--the car with Van shot
roaringly through space. He could not tell that Searle, ahead, was
slipping yet further in the lead. He only knew that, come what might,
till the mechanism burst, or the earth should split, he would chase his
man across the desert. The dust in the air from Bostwick's car drove
blindingly upon him. Far, far away, a mere speck on the road, he
beheld a freight-team approaching--a team of twenty animals at least,
that he and Bostwick must encounter.

A sudden memory of road conditions decided him to move. The ruts where
he was were bad enough--they were worse where the team must be passed.

He did not reduce his speed to take to the brush. The car beneath him
flung clean off the ground as he swung to climb out of the grooves. It
landed with all four wheels a-spin, but only struck on two. A sudden
swerve, far out of the course, and the monster righted abruptly.
Another sharp turn, and away it went again, crushing the brush and
flinging up the sand in a track of its own that paralleled the road,
but rougher though free from the ruts.

The brush w