climbing. Then, thank Heaven! a crest and a stretch of up and down road,

whose only disadvantage was its pitiless exposure to the afternoon sun.

The tandem apparently dismounted at the hill, and did not appear against

the hot blue sky until they were already near some trees and a good mile

away.

We're gaining," said Mr. Hoopdriver, with a little Niagara of

perspiration dropping from brow to cheek. "That hill--"

But that was their only gleam of success. They were both nearly spent.

Hoopdriver, indeed, was quite spent, and only a feeling of shame

prolonged the liquidation of his bankrupt physique. From that point the

tandem grained upon them steadily. At the Rufus Stone, it was scarcely

a hundred yards behind. Then one desperate spurt, and they found

themselves upon a steady downhill stretch among thick pine woods.

Downhill nothing can beat a highly geared tandem bicycle. Automatically

Mr. Hoopdriver put up his feet, and Jessie slackened her pace. In

another moment they heard the swish of the fat pneumatics behind them,

and the tandem passed Hoopdriver and drew alongside Jessie. Hoopdriver

felt a mad impulse to collide with this abominable machine as it

passed him. His only consolation was to notice that its riders, riding

violently, were quite as dishevelled as himself and smothered in sandy

white dust.

Abruptly Jessie stopped and dismounted, and the tandem riders shot

panting past them downhill. "Brake," said Dangle, who was riding behind,

237

The Wheels of Chance