CHAPTER XXIII
THE CHASE
Instantly all was excitement at Double X ranch. The word quickly went round of what had happened, and a number of cowboys, and men that worked on the farm part of the land, gathered at the stables, anxious to mount their horses and begin the chase.
"That paper stolen!" cried Billy. "That undoes all the work I accomplished in the East. Oh, if I could only lay hands on that slick twin brother of Sam Shackmiller!"
"Do you think he told the truth when he said he was a twin brother?" asked Andy.
"I don't know," replied the ranch boy. "But he surely looked enough like him to be Sam himself. Only the limp was different."
"He wasn't much different from him in character," declared Frank, "not if he stole that paper."
"And he did steal it as sure as guns!" exclaimed Billy. "We never should have trusted him. He was too slick for us."
"But his story sounded reasonable," put in Andy.
"Yes, so it did. Well, let's go down and talk to Uncle Richfield about it. I hope he'll let us join in the chase."
"So do I," chorused the Racer boys.
They found Mr. Thornton busily engaged in going over the papers in his desk, hoping against hope that he might have overlooked the most valuable one. But it was not there.
"What time did he skip out?" asked Billy. "When did you miss him—I mean Shackmiller?"
"Just now, when Sing Lee went to give him some coffee your aunt sent in to him," replied the ranchman. "He must have been waiting for just this opportunity. Maybe he was on his way to the ranch to do this very thing when the storm overtook him. Oh, why wasn't I more suspicious?"
"Do you think you can catch him?" asked Frank.
"I hope so. We're going to make a big try, anyhow. Do you boys want to come along?"
"Do we?" chorused the three, and that was answer enough.
"Now you will be careful; won't you?" pleaded Billy's aunt.
"Of course," he promised. "Let's have breakfast in a jiffy, and get on the trail. Have you any idea what time he left, Uncle?"
"It must have been after midnight, for I sat up until nearly twelve going over my papers."
They made some inquiries, but no one had seen or heard anything of the missing man after he went to his room. Nor had there been any suspicious sounds during the night. Shackmiller, if that really was his name, had slipped out quietly, secured the valuable paper, and made off with it. At least that was the way all signs pointed.
There was nothing in his room that would lead to any clue. His bed had been slept in—or at least the man had stretched out on it—for the clothes were tumbled. None of the locks on the outer doors were forced, showing that the man had either escaped by a window, or had used a false key, since the ones that locked the doors were always taken in charge by Mrs. Thornton each night.
"Then he's got at least six hours start of us," said Billy, as he and the Racer boys ate a hurried breakfast. "It's going to be hard to capture him."
"Oh, I don't know," said his uncle, thoughtfully. "He didn't have a horse."
"How do you know?" his wife inquired.
"Because none of ours is missing, and he had no horse when he came here."
"Then if he's afoot it ought to be easy to run him down," declared Andy.
"If we can pick up his trail," spoke Mr. Thornton. "Well, boys, are you ready?"
"We sure are!" exclaimed Frank. He and his brother would have gone without breakfast for the sake of taking part in the chase.
The cowboys and others had been saddling their horses, looking to girths, lariats and stirrups, and to their guns.
"I'd like to get a chance to rope the fellow!" exclaimed Archie, vindictively. "He won't get away once I get my rope on him," and he swung the lariat around his head.
"Scatter, boys, and look for signs," commanded the owner of Double X ranch. "He may have headed for town, or he may be going to cross the line and get into Colorado. If he gets among the mountains we might as well give up."
The men, experienced at reading signs on the ground where a tenderfoot could see nothing, were soon looking to pick up the trail of the missing man. They scattered about, and, because of the fact of the rain, it was easier than otherwise to notice marks in the soil.
Suddenly a cry from Matt Boyle called the others to him.
"What is it?" asked Mr. Thornton.
"Here's where a strange pony has been tethered," was the answer. "See, those shoes are none of ours," and he pointed to the hoof-marks in the soft ground.
"That's right," admitted Mr. Thornton. "And here's where a man has come along and mounted him," he went on. "I see it now. That fellow rode up here, and picketed out his horse. Then the storm came and he was hurt. He thought he saw a chance to get that paper and he took it. He waited until we were all asleep and took it out of my desk. Then he sneaked out, got his horse, and rode off."
"That's it!" cried Billy.
"On the trail, boys!" shouted the ranchman. "I'll give a hundred dollars to the one who first sights that fellow!"
"Whoop-ee!" yelled the cowboys, flinging their hats in the air. One or two fired off their big revolvers, and several swung their lariats. Then, amid shouts and yells, and with a clatter of hoofs, the cavalcade started off on the chase.
"We'll stick together!" called Billy, to his two chums.
"Oh! I hope we can get that fellow!" cried Frank.
"If we don't find him in this direction I know where we ought to look for him," said Andy, for the trail was leading toward town.
"Where?" asked Billy.
"At Golden Peak," replied the younger Racer lad. "I believe he'll head for there, to join the others of his gang."
"If he does," said Billy solemnly, "it's good-bye to Uncle Richfield's dam. Those fellows will have the upper hand!"