you make the journey within these ten days."

"Five thousand dollars!" cried our friends in unison, while Bob
exploded: "But, dad, just how do you figure this out?"

"Mr. Wrenn and I will exploit this contest in our newspapers--let the
whole universe know that it is coming off; advise the people that the
aviators are to be provided with the most modern airplanes, and
equipped with wireless by means of which they will keep us informed
frequently of their whereabouts; that they will have cameras and send
us pictures; that these bulletins shall be issued in extra editions of
our newspapers at least three or four times a day; and to cap the
climax, we will put up large bulletin boards in front of our buildings,
on which there will be painted a chart of the trip, showing every
scheduled stop, country, and ocean crossed. This will be electrically
lighted at night, and as you boys fly in your machine away off in some
distant part of the world, our bulletin board operators will follow
your course on their huge charts, and represent you with a miniature
airplane. In fact, I plan to get the _Clarion_ to 'phone over reports
of their crew as fast as received, I doing likewise with them, and then
we can have two dummy airplanes on each of our boards, showing the race
in earnest at all stages of the journey. This would cause great
excitement to the street onlookers. All in all, it would make our
newspapers the most talked about in the whole country, we would gain
thousands of new subscribers, millions of extras would be sold,
thousands of dollars' worth of new advertising contracts could be made,
and our present rates increased on account of our new prestige. Now,
you see, it will be up to you young men to keep our office supplied
with your whereabouts as often as you can. Do that, and beat our rival
crew, and I shall be pretty well satisfied if you don't quite make the
trip in ten days."

"We will do our part, sir," responded John, speaking for all.

There was a little further talk; and then they took their leave, well
satisfied with the turn of events, and each determined to win his five
thousand dollar trophy if it were at all possible.

CHAPTER XI

OFF FOR PANAMA

That same afternoon Mr. Giddings called upon his business rival, Mr.
Wrenn, of the _Clarion_, and presented to him the tentative program for
the great race around the world's girdle, as the _Daily Independent_
had planned it. Mr. Wrenn declared tha