In Le Loup, Trueman had placed a supply of gasoline. Matt halted to replenish his tank. Sercomb passed, but Mings, for some reason, did not show up.
Shortly after leaving Le Loup the governor went wrong again.
"Don't stop, Matt!" counseled Chub; "we can't waste any more time. I'll switch off at the corners and see if that won't help."
Chub, by switching off at the corners and then switching on again when they got round, enabled Matt to take the turns with the clutch out. For some time they kept up this rough method of driving, and, while engaged in it, they got by Sercomb again.
The Stark-Frisbie machine was at a standstill, and Sercomb and his mechanic were working like beavers.
"Oh, I don't know, pard," laughed Chub. "There's others. I wonder what's become of Mings?"
"Perhaps he's had an accident. We can tell on the next round."
"If we don't have anything worse than what we've got already to buck against, we'll do well enough. I'm satisfied that——"
Just then a very serious accident happened. They were taking the corner that led to the track, clutch out and switch off; the switch went on a fraction of a second too soon, and as the engine, racing tremendously, was dropped into gear on the third speed, there was a loud crash in the gear-box.
"Jumpin' horned-toads!" yelled Chub; "what's was that, Matt?"