The Master of the World

t was known only to the future. And was the solution a matter of the first importance? That w

ttention was wholly distracted from this problem by ano

om Philadelphia, the chief city, there circulated an extraordinary vehicle, of which no one could describe the form, or the nature, or even the size, so rapidly did it rush past. It wa

more than sixty miles an hour, a speed that the railroads, with their most rapid expresses, scarce exceed on the best lin

g like a thunder-bolt, preceded by a formidable rumbling, caused a whirlwind, which tore the branches from the trees along the road, terrified the animals b

y the wheels of the apparition, which left behind it no such ruts as are usually made by heavy vehicles. At most there was a li

Fork Herald, "that the extreme rap

in its passage, equipages and people. But how could it be stopped? No one knew to whom the vehicle belonged, nor whence it came, nor whither it went. It was see

moke, no steam, no odor of gasoline, or any other oil. It seemed probable, therefore, that the vehic

ral car. It was driven by a specter, by one of the chauffeurs of hell, a goblin from another world, a monster escaped from some mythological

number on his car, and without a regular license. And it was certain that not a single municipality had given him permission to

lice reported his appearance in other states; in Kentucky near Frankfort; in Ohio near Columbus; in Tenn

even to halt an apparition moving at such speed was scarcely practicable. A better way would be to erect across the road

s. "This madman would know well how

others, "the machine wou

as a former angel, presumably preserved

ing of Hades possessed a pair of wings, why did he obstinately persist in running around on the earth at the r

t the United States was indeed helpless in the hands of some unapproachable monster. And after the New

the newspapers of the Union, and with what

e on the borders of Lake Michigan. Except for the Japanese road between Nikko and Namode, bordered by giant cypresses, there is no better track in the world than this of Wisconsin. It runs straight and level as an arrow for sometimes fifty miles at a stretch. Many and noted were the machines entered for this g

st about three hours. And, to avoid all danger, the state authorities of Wisconsin had forbidden all other traffic between Prairie-du-chien and Mil

ndiana, and even from New York. Among the sportsmen assembled were many foreigners, English, French, Germans and Austrians, each nationality, of course, supporting the

the accidents which must result from it, the automobiles were to follow each other

wenty minutes past. Unless there was some disastrous accident, some of these machi

a machine of Renault brothers, four cylindered, of twenty horsepower, and with Michelin tires. It was closely followed by a Harvard-Watson car and by a Dion-Bouton. Some accidents had already occurred, other machines were hopelessly behind. N

o'clock it was evident, that the first prize, twenty thousand dollars, lay between five machines, two American, two French, and one English. Imagine, therefore, the fury with which bets were being made under the infl

o on the D

ey on the

e of spectators at each new an

d that town was heard a tremendous noise and rumbling which proceeded from the mi

s of victims. The cloud swept by like a hurricane. No one could distinguish what it was that passed with su

d a train of smoke. Evidently it was an automobile with a most extraordinary motor. If it maintained this arrow-like speed, it would rea

an uproar, as soon as the spec

t infernal

e the police

been heard of

be done for, destr

driven by hellfire, an

machine? At least it was beyond doubt that this was the same machine which had already attracted so much attention. If the police believed t

he telephones to warn those further along the route of the danger which men

an avalanche they would be smashed to p

le his machine with such perfection of eye and hand, that he knew, no doubt, how to escape from every situation. Fortunately the Wisconsin aut

g at least one hundred and thirty miles an hour. Fast as was their speed, it shot by them at such a rate that they could hardly make out even the shape of the machine, a sort of lengt

had been quite invisible. He remained as unknown as when he h

cross its route an obstacle against which it would smash into a thousand pieces. But was there time? Would not the machine appear at any moment? And what need was there, since

n those who would not admit that the mysterious chauffeur must be Satan in person allo

nutes to wait. Any second might

e track, and the dust rose in violent whirlwinds. Harsh whistlings

ile beyond, and the machine must certainly be hurled into the water! C

icle flashed through Milwaukee. When it had passed the city, wou

t a slight bend in the road no tr