Thus the strange man was obliged to turn to one side and, unluckily for him, but luckily for Sandy, there was a roadside ditch at that point. Into this the wheels of the auto went and as it was sticky and soft the car came to such a sudden stop that the man was pitched out over the glass wind-shield, landing in the ditch.
"Now I've got you!" cried Sandy, and clapping his heels to the sides of his panting horse the young farmer rode up alongside the prostrate man.
"I've got you! Surrender!" commanded the young farmer, leaping down, and grabbing the man, who was now sitting up a dazed look on his face. "I've got you, and I arrest you in th' name of th' law!"
"Yes, I see you've got me," replied the man, slowly. "But on what charge do you arrest me?"
Sandy was puzzled for a moment, and scratched his head. He had not thought of this.
"You have no right to arrest me," the man went on. "I have done nothing to you."
"I don't know whether you have or not," Sandy said. "I think you've been tryin' to, but couldn't do it. I'm suspicious of you. That's it--I arrest you on suspicion!"
"That's no charge," cried the man, struggling to his feet and trying to break away. But Sandy held him firmly. "Besides, you are not an officer, and have no warrant."
"I don't need any!" cried Sandy, who had that point clear enough in his mind. "Any citizen of the United States can make an arrest if he wants to, and I'm a citizen. So I arrest you, whatever your name is, on suspicion."
"I don't just know," he confessed. "I'll leave that to Squire Blasdell. He's th' law-court around here--and he's a hard one, too. I'll take you afore him. So come along. You've been trespassin' on our place, anyhow, and I can make that a charge if I can't any other. Come along."
Sandy was young, strong and vigorous, and the man, though almost his equal, was tired out from his long run before he had taken to the auto. Besides he was badly jolted up by the sudden and unceremonious manner in which he left the car.
"All right, I s'pose I've got to come," the man admitted in a sullen manner.
"You'd better," observed Sandy, grimly. "And there's another charge, too. You took th' doctor's automobile."
To this the man answered nothing. He probably knew that this was a serious enough charge on which to hold him.