Which is the shortest way back to Bedford ?" "The first road to your right," said Jimmie.
"Is it far ?" asked the stranger anxiously.

That he was very hungry was evident.
"It's a half-hour's walk," said Jimmie "If I live that long," corrected the young man; and stepped out briskly.
Jimmie knew that within a hundred yards a turn in the road would shut him from sight.

So, he gave the stranger time to walk that distance, and, then, diving into the wood that lined the road, "stalked" him.

From behind a tree he saw the stranger turn and look back, and seeing no one in the road behind him, also leave it and plunge into the woods.
He had not turned toward Bedford; he had turned to the left.

Like a runner stealing bases, Jimmie slipped from tree to tree.