Jerry jammed down the brakes, and only just in time, for their bobsled seemed suddenly to acquire new speed, and it almost crashed into the one ahead.
There was a scraping in the hard snow, which flew up in a shower behind, and several of the girls screamed. Then Ned cried:
“All right! Off brakes! Now we’ll beat him!”
For Ned saw on the course Frank had chosen to abandon, a long stretch of hard, icy snow, and he knew that his vehicle could acquire speed and momentum over there.
In a moment he steered for it, so that the positions of the sleds were reversed, Ned’s being on the right hand side going down.
On and on raced the sleds. That of the three chums was rapidly overtaking the rival coaster.
“Frank thought he’d get on an icier place by cutting across that way,” said Ned to Bob. “But he missed his guess. We’re going to win now.”
“I wish I could think so.”
“We are; you watch!”