“No. There were watchmen at the stables. I saw to that.”
“Chance was up and out mighty early,” said the unconvinced Billy.
“If he’d done anything to the mechanism it would have shown up before now,” declared Dan.
But that there was something wrong there could be no doubt. They were stalled for fifteen minutes, and then one of the other racing cars went by.
“Get a horse!” the chauffeur yelled at them.
Billy was getting anxious. But that would not help them. For some reason the engine would not work. They were stalled between towns and—as far as the Speedwell brothers could see—there was something the matter with their car that they could not correct.
“We might as well kiss our show for the gold cup ‘good-by’!” wailed Billy. “And that Chance Avery will have the laugh on us. Did you see him grin as he sailed by?”
Dan was thoughtful. He began to pay more attention to his brother’s suspicion of Avery. The fellow did go by them as though he had expected the breakdown and knew it would be a fatal one!
And Chance had held back in starting. It seemed that he wanted to be behind the Speedwells and so overtake and enjoy their discomfiture. Dan was not sure but that Billy was right.
What could Chance have done to the machine? Nothing! Dan was positive of that. Not alone were there watchmen in the stableyard, but the young fellow knew from his own examination that no part of the mechanism of the car had been tampered with.