“Look out!” cried Ned. “Noddy may foul us!”
Jerry nodded. He threw over the throttle to the end notch. The Comet shot ahead like a fox making a last desperate spurt to get away from the dogs. The finish balloon was but a few hundred feet farther on.
Suddenly the motor of the Comet ceased working. The silence was more ominous than a terrific explosion could have been.
“We’re done for!” cried Ned.
“It’s all up!” predicted Bob.
“No!” fairly shouted Jerry. “We’ll volplane the rest of the way!”
He tilted the deflecting lever. Instantly the nose of the Comet pointed earthward. There was a shout of dismay from the spectators, and a yell of triumph from Noddy Nixon.
But he had reckoned without his host. With the terrific speed at which she had been running to urge her on, and aided by the force of gravitation and her momentum, the Comet shot forward. Then, when still a good distance from the earth Jerry sent her up on a sharp slant.
Forward she shot, like an arrow from the bow, and an instant later, with her engine “dead” she crossed the line a winner, two lengths in advance of the Nixon machine, which was second.
“Wow! We did it!” cried Bob in delight.