。
The hound went off into the forest.
Literal
Hunting-dog [subject-が] forest [of-の] direction [to-に] went.
~のほう ('direction of, toward') is a soft directional phrase. ほう (方) is the noun for 'side, direction.' 森のほうに行く ('go in the direction of the forest') is vaguer than 森に行く ('go to the forest').