"I'm going to risk it," was the quick answer.
The House slowly began to draw ahead and there was no replying response on the part of the locomotive. Foot by foot Tom and Ned drew away. They had a glimpse of the fireman desperately shoveling coal, but to no purpose.
Gradually the gap that separated the two widened, and though brakemen on top of the cars yelled and seemed to urge their mates to greater efforts, it was not to be.
Tom Swift pulled away and won the race by a good margin. Not much too soon, either, for when he was several lengths ahead the railroad branched away from the highway it had been paralleling for several miles and disappeared into the woods.
In recognition of the beating by a better rival, the engineer saluted with three long blasts, to which Tom responded with like signals from his horn.
"Well, that's that!" remarked Ned, as they slowed down, for they were approaching another steep hill.
"Yes," assented Tom. "It's all over and I'm satisfied. The House on Wheels couldn't have done better. Not a strain and not a bearing overheated," he added, as he brought the machine to a gradual stop and made a hasty examination.
"Going to take the hill?" asked Ned.
"No, we'll give her a rest and drift back," was the answer. "She has done her duty and there's no use putting on too much strain."
"That's right," agreed Ned.