If he had been seen, however, he could not hope to escape by running.

He was too tired, for one thing, after the strenuous experience of the previous night, and for another, he was almost certain to be seen, for after he had traversed a space that was covered with shrubs and young trees, he would be in the open.

And a bullet could travel faster than he could.
And so, after making his dash, he stopped running and threw himself down, facing the road, to watch and to listen.

At first he thought he was safe, for the car roared by.

But in a moment his ear caught a different note in the sound of the motor, and then the engine stopped.
It started again in a moment, but now the headlight was coming toward him again! The car had been turned around.