A sight met his gaze which caused his heart to jump. A man was crossing the dooryard and coming toward the barn!
"It must be Uncle Abner!" he thought. "Perhaps he heard me leave after all!"
He looked back again, but could not see the man now, and then broke into a run. Soon a row of trees in the orchard hid both the barn and the house from view. He continued to run, however, and did not slacken his pace until he reached the pasture where the cows were at rest.
Jennie did not relish having her rest disturbed and had to be prodded several times before she would arise and move in the direction he desired. Some of the other cows wished to follow, but he drove them back.
"I only want my own," he murmured half aloud. "I don't want a thing that belongs to Uncle Abner."
Nat had expected to take to the highway which ran directly beside the house. But he was afraid that his uncle was watching for him from the barn, and so he drove Jennie along a back road, leading to another highway which was but little traveled and which had along it only a handful of farmhouses.
"He shan't catch me if I can help it," the boy told himself. "Now I've left I'm going to stay away."
Nat was still very much agitated in his mind, so no thought of sleep came to him as he trudged along, mile after mile, driving the tired cow before him. He met not a soul; and thus he progressed until three o'clock in the morning.
Boy and cow had now been on the road six hours and Jennie refused to go further. Seeing this, he turned into a small patch of woods and there tied the creature to a tree. Then, finding a sheltered nook, he threw himself down to rest and was soon fast asleep.
"Hullo, there, what are you doing here?"