Chapter IV.

When Jeff started off in his high-powered, low-geared, peak-priced “Tootlebeam,” he was as full of confidence as the tank was empty of motor spirit. Jeff, however, was not long in summing up the petrol position, and as he turned back for the purpose of filling the tank with petrol, he took the opportunity of prefacing page 19 the operation by filling the air with profanity.

So, as the slow train puffed and grunted up the incline, Jeff's “Tootlebeam” purred along the road in good style.

After purring for about five miles, however, the “Tootlebeam” developed “engine trouble.”

“Engine trouble,” it should be explained, is nothing more or less than the result of trying to make a slow car do a fast journey.

One motor in a hundred is built for speed. The other ninety-nine develop “engine trouble” attempting to head it.

It is impossible for one slow train to pass another slow train on a narrow line. Hundreds of motorists die in the attempt to prove that it is possible for one fast motor to pass another fast motor on a narrow road.