The clouds of smoke, rolling upward, were streaked with vivid flashes of flame. Tim chilled as he thought of the fate that would be theirs if their plane failed to respond to the controls. He forced the thought from his mind and took a fresh grip on the stick.
Ralph glanced back and smiled. Tim motioned to his own safety belt and directed Ralph to strap himself into the plane. No telling what might happen in the next smoky-flame seared seconds.
Tim pushed the Good News into several tight banks while Ralph strapped himself into the plane. Then they were ready for their picture making dash.
Ralph trained his camera and glued his eyes to the sight. It would be a great action picture, awe inspiring in its power, if they could get it.
Tim, one hand on the stick and the other on the throttle, watched his air speed. It was increasing rapidly. Half a mile from the burning tanks they were going one hundred and fifty miles an hour. A quarter of a mile away and their speed had increased to one hundred and seventy-five. Then there was no more time to check the air speed. They were going fast enough and Tim knew his motor had plenty of reserve power for any emergency.
Ralph, in the forward cockpit, was busy with his camera. Two exposures of the rolling, mass of smoke and flame were made in the split seconds before Tim threw the Good News into a steep zoom.
The towering pillar of smoke was less than five hundred feet ahead of their propeller when Tim put the pressure on the stick. The nose shot skyward and the Good News danced upward along the outer rim of smoke.
Ralph was ready for the final exposure when a terrific explosion and a wave of rag flame and heat tore the heavens asunder. The Good News leaped upward, bucking like a wild horse. Tim, his eyebrows singed and lungs burning from the scorching heat, fought the controls.
Up, up, up pitched the Good News, tossing wildly on the edge of the inferno of flame and smoke. The noise of the explosion had deadened their ears and neither Ralph nor Tim could hear the laboring of the motor as Tim gave it full throttle.
The new paint on the wings and fuselage curled and darkened in the heat and for a second Tim thought the gasoline tank might explode.