"What was he after?" asked Pepper.
"I don't know exactly," replied Jack; "but it was papers of some kind."
"Well, it does look as if you were right," conceded Donald; "but you haven't got any proof."
"No," admitted Jack; "but I have given the officer the tip, and told him about the shack in the woods where Pepper saw Rae. They are going to make a raid on it tomorrow, and perhaps they will find some of the stolen property in their possession; then we have the impression of a hand on this paper, and we can get one of Monkey's hands and see if they aren't the same."
"Faith, hunting is wan thing and finding's anither," commented
Gerald.
Which proved to be quite true in this case, for when the officers reached the cabin in the woods they found it deserted and dismantled. The occupants had evidently taken alarm and disappeared, leaving no trace, although the boys were destined to meet them again under decidedly unpleasant circumstances.
CHAPTER XXII
THE RACE
The race had been set for 9 o'clock in the morning, but, with the sun, there had come up a strong breeze from the west that had stirred up the water into such a lumpy condition that any kind of time would be impossible, and the advantage would be all on the side of the Altons. So the race was put off from time to time in the hope that the wind would die down so as to equalize the chances, and it was not until late in the afternoon that the committee decided to have it rowed, although the wind was still blowing and the water rough.
The course, as agreed upon, was a straight-away three miles over a clear stretch of the river from off the Creston landing.