CHAPTER XXII.
THE CHASE.
Bob and Jack were a few feet ahead of the others, when the formersuddenly stopped.
"Don't you hear that motor, Jack?"
"I do now, and I believe it's a car coming out that woods road."
The rest of the party had now joined the boys, and the sound of theapproaching car was plainly audible.
"That must be them," said Bob in a low voice. "Now what'd we betterdo?"
"We'll hide in the bushes on each side of the road," proposed Mr.Switzer, "and when they come along, we'll jump out and stop 'em. Youall got guns?"
It turned out that only the policemen had revolvers, so the chief, Mr.Golden and Uncle Ben hid on one side of the woods road, while theother two policemen and the boys concealed themselves on the other.
"Now," whispered the chief, "don't make a sound till I tell 'em tostop, then you cover 'em with your guns and if they try to get away,let 'em have it, but don't shoot to kill if you can help it 'cause wewant to get those fellows alive if we can."
Nothing more was said and in a few minutes the car was near at hand,as they could tell by the sound, and, peering through the bushes, Bobspied a large car coming slowly along the road. Two men were on thefront seat.
"I believe that's King driving," whispered Bob, "though he's shavedoff his beard."
At that instant, Chief Switzer sprang out into the middle of the roadin front of the car, closely followed by Mr. Golden and Uncle Ben,while the other policemen and the boys followed suit from their side.
"Halt, in the name of the law," shouted the chief, flourishing hisrevolver.
The car was about ten feet from them as the order was given, andinstead of obeying, the driver suddenly put on high speed and the carshot toward them. So quickly was it done that they had barely time tosave themselves from being run down by jumping to one side as the carshot by and turned into the main road heading toward Oakland.
"Gosh, they'll get away sure as thunder," shouted Switzer, as he firedhis revolver after the vanishing car. "Come on, we've got to chasethem."
It took them but an instant to reach the road and, to their delight,they found that Sandy, seeing the car come out, had brought theirmachine up.
"Pile in, quick," shouted the chief, but although they obeyed asquickly as possible, the fugitives were nearly a half mile ahead whenthey started.
The boys rushed to where they had left their wheels, about a hundredfeet away, and by the time they reached them and mounted they werequite a distance in the rear.
"Now, let 'em out," shouted Jack, as he sprang into the saddle, andturning on the power, fairly flew down the road closely followed byBob, and before they had gone a mile, they were up with their father'scar.
"I'm afraid we're going to lose 'em," they heard the chief say, asthey drew up, one on each side of the car. "We're not gaining an inch.Getting all the speed you can out of her, Sandy?"
"I've got her wide open," was the reply.
Bob knew that there was a long, steep hill to ascend a little fartheron and hoped that they would gain on them there, as his father's carwas a splendid hill climber and he had a few weeks before taken thatsame hill on high gear. A moment later, as they swung round a curve,the hill was at hand, and Bob shouted to Sandy telling him not toshift.
They could see the robber's car about half way up the hill, and goingslowly, evidently on low gear. Sandy hit the foot of the hill at aterrific pace and, as the car went up on high gear, they could seethat they were gaining rapidly. But the robbers had too great a startand reached the top several hundred yards ahead. The road was nowslightly down hill for a mile or more, and they could see that, underthe reckless driving of the robber, whose car must have been makingnearly seventy miles an hour, they were rapidly losing ground, for Mr.Golden had told Sandy not to go faster than he considered safe.
"I want to catch them as badly as any one, but I'm not going to riskkilling all of us to do it," he declared.
"He'll wreck his car and break their necks, sure as fate, if he don'tslow up," thought Bob.
But the robbers reached the foot of the hill in safety and had gainedall the ground they had lost in climbing the hill. For a number ofmiles now, the road was fairly level and the race continued withoutmuch change in their relative distance.
The two boys were now riding a little behind the car, and suddenlyJack turned to Bob, saying:
"I say, Bob, we're never going to catch 'em at this rate."
"Don't look like it. They've sure got some speedy car, and of coursethey're reckless about driving."
Just then they reached the outskirts of Oakland, and, as they had tostop to inquire which way the robbers had gone, they lost still moreground. Quickly learning, however, that they had taken a road whichwould probably lead them, by a round-about way to Portland, they toldtheir informant to tell the police to telephone to the latter city tobe on the watch for them, and again took up in the chase.
As they started off, Bob said to Jack:
"Say, Jack, we could catch 'em easily on these wheels."
"Sure we could, we've been running only about half speed, but whatgood would it do? We couldn't stop 'em, could we?"
"Perhaps not, but my idea is this. Let's get a couple of revolversfrom the policemen and ride up behind them and see if we can't put ahole in one of their tires."
"Good," shouted Jack, "Come on, let's go get em."
Putting on more power, as they had lagged behind a little, while theywere talking, they quickly overtook the car.
"Hey, there," shouted Jack, as they rode up along side, "Give us acouple of your revolvers and we'll try to shoot a hole in their tire."
"Think you can do it?" asked the chief, leaning out of the car.
"Don't know, but we can try it. You'll never catch 'em at this rateand it's the only chance I see."
"All right, here you are," answered the chief, leaning out and handingeach of the boys a revolver. "Go get 'em. But you look sharp, now.Those fellows are probably armed and won't hesitate to shoot if theyare cornered."
"Yes, boys," joined in Mr. Golden, "don't you get too close to them."
"We'll be careful," replied Bob. "Come on, Jack, now let her out andwe'll show them some real speed," and as they turned on the power,they rapidly left the car behind.
But they had lost more ground than they thought, and they rode forfully six miles before catching sight of the robbers, and had begun tofear that they had lost them. But, finally they caught sight of thecar about a half mile ahead, and giving the motors a little morecurrent, they rapidly crept up till they were within two hundred yardsof them.
Suddenly, they saw the man who was not driving, turn his head, and ashe saw them, he said something to his companion, and then, turning inhis seat, he drew his revolver.
"He is going to shoot," shouted Jack, and the next instant a shot rangout followed by several others. But, the swaying car made accurateshooting impossible, and he emptied the chamber without doing anyharm, although Bob heard one bullet whiz past his head.
"He couldn't hit a barn at the rate he's going," shouted Jack. "Comeon, let's get a little nearer and then we'll try our hand at it."
They waited till they were within about one hundred and fifty feet andthen Bob fired, followed a moment later by Jack. They were both goodshots with the revolver, but, under the condition, they knew that itwould be more good luck than anything else if they succeeded inhitting a tire. By this time, the man they supposed to be Reed,although he now wore a mustache, had his gun loaded again and beganfiring, but, fortunately, with no effect.
Jack had but one shot left when a ball from Reed's revolver passedthrough his hat.
"Gee, that's getting a little too close for comfort," he muttered.
Taking careful aim, he slowly pressed the trigger and this time a loudreport followed the bark of the revolver.
"Got 'em," he shouted as both turned off the power and pressed on thebrakes.
He had indeed got 'em more thor
oughly than he supposed, for as the airleft one of the rear tires, they saw the car suddenly swerve to theright, and before the driver could regain control, it had turnedturtle into the ditch by the road side.
"Gracious, I guess that ends them," cried Bob, as they brought theirwheels to a standstill not more than seventy feet from the overturnedcar.