“That’s an old trick of that young tough,” rejoined the deputy sheriff.  “That’s how the boy got the nickname of ‘tag.’  He won’t work, and lives on other people’s work.  Anything that he can say ‘tag’ to he thinks belongs to him.”

“Then, in other words, sir,” asked Dave Darrin, “Tag Mosher is just a plain thief?”

“A good deal that way,” replied the deputy.  “But with this difference:  Up to date Tag never stole anything except what he needed at the moment for his own comfort.  He never robbed people to enrich himself, but just to save himself the trouble of working.  Now, however, we’ve a more serious charge against him.”

“What?” asked Dick,

“I don’t know whether the courts will call it felonious assault,” replied the deputy.  “But Tag stole two chickens out of the chicken coop of Henry Leigh, a new farmer in these parts.  Leigh trailed Tag to the woods and found him cooking the chickens.  Leigh tried to grab Tag, but Tag caught up a big stone and just slammed it against Leigh’s head.  Leigh is now in bed at home, with a fractured skull, and likely to die.  He described Tag to us, and we’re after him.  The county has put a reward of two hundred and fifty dollars on Tag’s head.  After we’ve come up with him I guess it will be many a year before Tag Mosher will have a chance to do any more stealing or fighting.  But if you haven’t seen him here in three days we may as well be moving on.  Thank you.  Of course, if you see Tag, you won’t tell him anything about our being here?”

“Certainly not, sir,” Dick answered.  “By the way, do you want any help?”

“Meaning some of you boys?” asked the deputy.

“Some of us will help you, if we can,” Dick assured him.

“How many?”

“We ought to leave half our number to guard the camp, for Tag may show up here and wreck things.  Three of us can go with you.”

“You may run into some ugly fighting, if you go with us,” warned the deputy.  “Tag Mosher is no coward!”

“We’re not afraid of fighting, when we’re in the right,” Prescott replied promptly.

“Besides, we’ve got a grudge of our own against Tag Mosher, anyway,” Dave said.

“Not a grudge, I hope,” Dick rebuked his chum.  “But we’ll stand by to help the law, if we get a chance.”

“I reckon maybe we could use three of you,” meditated the deputy aloud.  “Boys can beat up woods as well as men.  But we may not be able to get you back here before to-morrow noon.

“That will be all right,” Dick assured him.  “Dave and Greg, you’ll join me in going with the officers, won’t you?”

Darry and Holmes both assented eagerly.

“If you’ve any extra grub, then, put it up and come along,” urged the deputy.  “There’s room for five in the automobile we’re using.”

“How did you men know that we were here?” Reade inquired, while Dick and Greg made haste to get food together for the trip.