“That’s them!” cried Larry.

“Open her up!  Throw in the high gear!” yelled Fritsch, who was now as enthusiastic and as interested in the chase as were either of his companions.  “Let her rip!”

“Will she stand it?” asked Larry, shouting the words over his shoulder to Grace and Fritsch in the tonneau.

“Sure!”

There was a grinding noise as Larry threw in the high-speed gear.  The auto hung back for an instant because of the sudden change.  The motor seemed to groan at the unexpected load thrown on it.  Then, like a gallant horse responding to the call of its rider, the car leaped ahead.

“Hurrah!” cried Larry.  “She’ll do it!  We’ll catch ’em!”

The distance between the two cars was lessening.  Those in the green machine seemed unaware of the approach of their pursuers.

“Can you see your father?” asked the German of Grace.

“I’m not sure.  It looks like him!”

She stood up in the tonneau, holding to the back of the seat in front of her to steady herself against the swaying of the car.

Just then Larry blew a blast on the horn.  As the deep tone responded to his pressure on the big rubber bulb the men in the green machine looked back.  At the sight of one of the faces Grace cried.

“It’s father!  It’s father!”

Above the noise made by the two autos the millionaire heard his daughter’s voice.  He stood up and, leaning over the back of the seat, waved his hand to her.  Then one of the men sitting beside him forcibly drew the millionaire down.

“Oh!  We must get to him!” cried Grace.  “They may do him some harm!  Hurry, Larry!”

“Shove her over a few more notches!” cried Fritsch.  “She’ll take more gasolene!”

Larry obeyed the instructions of the German reporter.  The car seemed to feel new life and leaped ahead.  The distance from the other car was steadily growing less.  Fritsch’s confidence in his machine was not misplaced.  But the men in the green car were making efforts to escape.  The chauffeur had advanced his spark, and the car was taking the steep grade almost as well as was that of the pursuers.

“Can’t we catch them?” cried Grace, in an agony of doubt and fear.

Larry narrowly watched the green car.  He saw that in spite of the efforts of the driver it was losing speed.

“We’ll do it,” he said, quietly.

Then Larry tried a trick which had come into his mind almost at the last moment.  Keeping his car going as fast as possible he steered it so as to pass the other auto.  He knew he had speed enough to do it, and realized that he must act quickly, as they were almost at the summit of the hill.

Closer and closer the two cars came together, that driven by the young reporter gaining.  Now the front wheels overlapped the rear ones of the green machine—­now they were at the side door of the tonneau—­now the two tonneaus were even!  This was what Larry wanted.