Mrs. James, Rachel and the five girls now gave chase to the pigs who had not yet found a way out of the barn yard. Consequently two of them were captured and thrust back inside the shed, but the third one was still at large.
Janet called advices to her companions: “You all form a circle about Seizer and we will close in gradually. When we get him in a close ring we will pounce on him and hold him until we carry him back to the pen.”
Because the pig had displayed such wisdom and diplomacy in other battles with his brethren and his owners, and also managed to seize the best of all the feed given the three of them, he had been named Seizer. While Janet was issuing these orders Seizer stood innocently staring from one scout to another. Finally he saw the circle closing in about him.
He seemed to ponder which might be the right spot to attack—for a chain is no stronger than its weakest link. Then he made a determined dash for Natalie.
Now Natalie had been watching Sam’s heroic efforts to calm the cow, and her eyes were not all for Seizer, so she was taken unawares. The pig ran head down right into her shins and she went down upon her knees, but the wily creature dodged the fall and doubled back to dash quickly against Janet.
But the stock scout was ready for the onslaught. She had braced her legs and planted her feet firmly apart when Seizer made his dive. She was stooping slightly forward in order to grasp his lean body. But the pig swerved when he was almost within reach of her fingers, and ran blindly for Mrs. James.
He met with the folds of a long skirt that were unfamiliar to him, so he gave that lady no opportunity to catch him but flew back at Janet again. These turns had all been so unexpected and sudden that the scouts forgot to close in as they had been told to do. But when the pig ran between Janet’s ankles hoping to run out that way, the scout spasmodically closed her feet together and caught Seizer. In another moment he would be away again, but in that moment four girls threw themselves upon him and the little pig was captured. He wriggled to no good, and he was soon penned in with his brothers.
During this by-play, Rachel tried to assist her nephew. But the cow thought otherwise. She broke loose and started running down the lane that led to the house.
“The cow’s gone! The cow’s running away!” shouted Natalie, who stood gently rubbing her shins while her companions took Seizer to the pen.
This dire news started every one flying like leaves on a March wind, down the lane after Sue. But the cow had no evil plan in mind. She remembered the sweet luscious grass on the front lawn and when she arrived there she stopped of her own free will and began grazing.