Rodolphus, running to it, said,
"Quick, Annie, quick! climb up on this stump."

Rodolphus climbed up on the stump, and then helped Annie up after him.
They had, however, but just got their footing upon it, when Rodolphus
looked down at his feet and saw a hornet crawling out of a crevice in the
side of the stump. "Ah, Annie, Annie! a hornet's nest! a hornet's nest!"
exclaimed Rodolphus; "we must run."

So saying, Rodolphus climbed down from the stump, on the side opposite to
where he had seen the hornet come out, and then helped Annie down.

"We must run across to the other side of the road," said he.

So saying, he hurried back into the road again, leading Annie by the hand.
They found, however, that they were too late to gain the fence on the
other side, for several of the cattle had advanced along by the green bank
on that side so far that the fence was lined with them, and Rodolphus saw
at a glance, that he could not get near it.

"Never mind, Annie," said Rodolphus, "we will stay here, right in the
middle of the road. Stand behind me, and I will keep the cattle off with
my basket."

So Annie took her stand behind Rodolphus, in the middle of the road, while
Rodolphus, by swinging his basket to and fro, toward the cattle as they
came on, made them separate to the right and left, and pass by on each
side. Rodolphus, besides waving his basket at the cattle, shouted to them
in a very stern and authoritative manner, saying, "Hie! Whoh! Hie-up,
there! Ho!" The cattle were slow to turn out--but they did turn out, just
before they came to where Rodolphus and Annie were standing--crowding and
jamming each other in great confusion. The herd closed together again as
soon as they had passed the children, so that for a time Rodolphus and
Annie stood in a little space in the road, with the monstrous oxen all
around them.

At length the herd all passed safely by, and then Rodolphus and Annie went
on. After walking along a little farther, they came to the bank of a
river. The road lay along the bank of this river. There was a smooth sandy
beach down by the water. Rodolphus and Annie went down there a few minutes
to ploy. There was an old raft there. It was floating in the water, but
was fastened by a rope to a stake in the sand.

"Ah, here is a raft, Annie," said Rodolphus. "I'll tell you what we will
do. We will go the rest of the way by water, on this raft. I'm tired of
walking so far."

"Oh, no," said Annie, "I'm afrai