If he could only reach a part of the forest that was much roughened by outcroppings of rock or gulleyed by rains, he felt that his chance of escape would almost turn into a certainty.

He presently came to one such gulley or ravine, and as he crossed it he felt that he had made a distinct gain.

The horsemen would secure a passage lower down or higher up, but it gave him an advantage of two hundred yards at least.
Part of the gain he utilized for another rest, lying down this time behind a rocky ridge until he heard the cavalrymen calling to one another.

Then he rose and ran forward again, slipping as quietly as he could among the trees and bushes.

He still had the feeling of being the fox, with the hounds hot on his trail, but he was no longer making a random rush.