A minute later the Air Monarch rose.
CHAPTER XXV
ACROSS THE CONTINENT
“Well, Tom, what do you make it?”
The young inventor and his chum were in the snug cabin of the Air Monarch which was speeding over the last few hundred miles of the Pacific that lay between her and the Golden Gate. Tom was poring over a chart and making some calculations.
“If we reach San Francisco by night, and we ought to do it at the rate we’re traveling, we’ll have used up nearly eighteen days of the twenty.”
“That leaves you one day to cross the continent,” remarked Ned.
“Correct,” agreed Tom. “But we’ll have to stop in Frisco to take on more gas and oil. After that we’ll have a straight-away run to New York.”
“And victory,” added Ned.
“That remains to be seen,” replied Tom.
It was the day after the sensational escape in Honolulu from the trumped-up charges of Kilborn. The Air Monarch had got away to a flying start, though what Kilborn had done remained a matter of conjecture. Doubtless, tricked by Tom’s quick action, the Red Arrow pilot had also completed his repairs and was racing after his most dangerous rival.