For the first few minutes the boys were so excited that they did not know whether they had a chance to win or not. They kept pace with the five boats in the company of which they started. Jerry called to Bob and Ned to oil the engine more, and then he put on a little additional speed.
The Dartaway seemed to leap forward, and left the four boats behind. Seeing this their owners increased their speeds, but Jerry, once he found his craft was behaving finely, shoved the lever over another notch or two, and soon was two lengths ahead of the nearest of the four.
“Now to overhaul some of those ahead,” spoke Bob.
“I’m afraid we can’t,” remarked Ned.
But the boys found they were slowly but surely coming up to the leaders. Gradually they lessened the space between them until the Dartaway was in line with the first boat that got away.
But during this time the Giant and Tortoise had not been idle. With their powerful engines they were slowly cutting down the Dartaway’s lead. For a while the two larger craft were in line, but the Giant, finding the load too much for her motors, dropped slowly to the rear.
Not so the Tortoise. In a smother of foam she came on, the explosions roaring like a blast furnace.
“He’s going to catch us,” shouted Ned, for one had to yell to be heard above the roar of the Dartaway’s engine which had been cut off from the muffler to give a little more power.
“The race isn’t over yet,” called back Jerry, shoving the levers over almost to the last notch.