And now began a high and piercing symphony which mingled and harmonized with a blood-curdling melody from Main Street. Norris, like the great Cæsar, was everywhere at one time. His methods were very interesting. He had persuasive powers with his big boots which caused a hog to point to the sky with four feet at a time. He was very dexterous in seizing a hog by a hind-leg and casting it out of a flower-bed into the road. And just as an enormous hog was about to root up Miss Placentia Hannum's rose-bush, Norris calmly took the animal by the ear, and led it squealing to the street.
At last the hogs were beaten back and driven across to Main Street. There they mingled with the others slowly retreating before Julian Ross and Harry Burton and their followers. The boys were nearly exhausted, but Harry encouraged them by shouting, "Charge, Chester, charge! On, Stanley on!" and like historic exhortations.
The hogs were now all brought together, filling the street in a solid mass. And there they stuck in spite of every effort to induce them to move on. Gran'sir Pease advised Norris to "slarter 'em" where they stood. It was time for a stroke of Napoleonic genius or the day would be lost.
Norris unhitched his horse and jumped into the wagon. "Boys!" he cried, "hold 'em right where they are till you see me again. Go on, Bill." And he galloped away up Depot Street, and disappeared under the small railroad bridge.
Ten long minutes the boys waited and shouted and fought the obstinate hogs. Then Norris was seen coming far up Main Street. He drove down to the hogs and turned his cart around. In the wagon was a box, and out of it Norris shovelled some yellow stuff into the road. The hogs nearest to him saw, smelled, hustled, and gobbled. In an instant others followed, pushing and upsetting each other. Norris drove on and cast out more meal, and in a minute the whole rushing, squirming, squealing herd glided away like the mill-pond when the dam broke. They followed the trail of corn meal up the street, and in a short time they were all safely enclosed in Norris's cattle-yard.
Then the boys carried their sticks right shoulder shift, and came down the street singing, "When Johnny comes marching home again."