"Yes," agreed Joe. "He wants to make good."

Several times after this Mr. Alcando went off, by himself for more or less prolonged absences. Each time he took a camera with him.

It was a small machine, made more for amateurs than for professionals, but it gave good practice.

"How are you coming on?" asked Blake one day, when Mr. Alcando returned after a trip which, he said, had taken him to Gatun Dam.

"Oh, pretty well, I think," was the answer, as the Spaniard set down his camera and carrying case. "I got some good scenes, I believe. When are you going to make the last of the spillway views?"

Blake did not answer. He was listening to a curious sound. It was a ticking, like that of an alarm clock, and it came from the interior of the carrying case that held extra reels of film for the little camera Mr. Alcando had.

Blake felt himself staring at the black box.

CHAPTER XXII

A WARNING

"What is the matter?" asked Mr. Alcando, as he noted Blake's intent look. "Is something--?" He did not finish.

"That sound--in the film-case--" began Blake.

"Oh, my alarm clock--yes!" exclaimed the Spaniard. "I take it out with me on my trips. Often, when I have finished taking pictures, I try to do a little work on it. There is one feature I can't seem to perfect, and I hope some day to stumble on it. Without it the clock is a failure. I had it with me to-day, but I could make no progress--none at all. I think I shall put it away again," and taking with him the case, from which came that curious ticking noise, he went to his stateroom.

Blake shook his head. He did not know what to think.

"He'll never make a good moving picture operator," he said to himself. "You've got to give your whole mind to it, and not be monkeying with inventions when you set out to get views. An alarm clock!

"Suppose he does perfect it? There are enough on the market now, and I don't believe there's a fortune in any of 'em. He might much better stick to what he set out to learn. Well, it isn't any of my business, I suppose. Joe and I have done all we can."

Several times after this the Spaniard went off by himself, to make simple moving picture views with the little camera. But, whether or not he took along the curious bra.s.s-bound box, with the metal projections, which he said was an alarm clock, was something Blake or Joe could not discover. For Blake had told Joe of Alcando's confession.

Certainly if Alcando did take his model with him, he did not wind it up until leaving the boys, for no ticking sound came from the case.

The Ca.n.a.l was now as it had been before the big slide. Vessels were pa.s.sing to and fro, though in some parts of the waterway much finishing work remained to be done. Blake and Joe took some views of this, and also "filmed" the pa.s.sage of the various ships to make their pictures of wider appeal when they would be shown at the Panama Exposition. Mr. Alcando did his share, and, for a time seemed to show a great interest in his work, so that Blake had hopes the Spaniard would really become a good operator. But something was always lacking, and it was not altogether effort on the part of the pupil.

The time was approaching when Blake and Joe must bring their work to an end. They had accomplished what they set out to do, and word came back from New York, where their films had been sent for development, that they were among the best the boys had ever taken.

"Well, I will soon be leaving you," said Mr. Alcando to the chums, one day. "I have heard from my railroad firm, and they are anxious for me to come back and begin making pictures there."

"His friends are going to be sadly disappointed in him," thought Blake. "It's too bad. He'll make a failure of those views. Well, if he does they may send for Joe and me, and that will be so much more business for us, though I'm sorry to see him make a fizzle of it."

But Mr. Alcando appeared to have no fears on his own account. He was cheerfully optimistic.

"I shall want several cameras, of different kinds," he said to the boys. "Perhaps you can recommend to me where to get some."

"Yes," spoke Joe. "We'll help you pick them out if you are going back to New York."

"I am not so sure of that," the Spaniard said. "I will know in a few days when I hear from my railroad friends. I expect a letter shortly."

There was some little delay in getting the pictures Blake wanted of the Gatun Dam. Certain work had to be done, and Blake wanted to show the complete and finished structure. So he decided to wait.

About a week after the above conversation with Mr. Alcando, the Spaniard came to the boys, waving an open letter in his hand. The mail had just come in, bringing missives to Blake and Joe. Some were of a business nature, but for each boy there was an envelope, square and of delicate tint--such stationery as no business man uses. But we need not concern ourselves with that. We all have our secrets.

"I have my marching orders," laughed the Spaniard. "I leave you this week, for my own particular jungle. Now I must arrange to get my cameras."

"We'll help you," offered Joe, and then, with the catalogue of a moving picture supply house before them, the boys sat down to plan what sort of an outfit would best be suited to the needs of Mr.

Alcando. He was not limited as to money, it was evident, for he picked out the most expensive cameras possible to buy.

"I wish you boys would come and see me, when I get to work taking views along our railroad line," he said. "It isn't altogether a selfish invitation," he added with a laugh, "for I expect you could give me good advice, and correct some of my mistakes."

"I'm afraid we won't get a chance to go to South America," Blake answered.

With a tentative list of what he needed, Mr. Alcando went to write a letter to his railroad officials, asking them to order his outfit for him.

As Blake pushed back his chair, intending to leave the cabin to seek his own stateroom, he saw, on the floor, a piece of paper.

Idly he picked it up, and, as he saw it was part of a letter to the Spaniard he folded it, to hand to him. But, as he did so he caught sight of a few words on it. And those words made him stare in wonder. For Blake read:

"Stuff is all ready for you. You had better do the job and get away. There is some fine scenery in Europe."

Saying nothing to his chum about it, Blake went with the letter toward the Spaniard's stateroom. He was not in, but Blake put the paper on a desk, with some others, and came out hastily.

"I wonder what that meant?" he thought to himself. "That must have been his orders to come back to Brazil and make the pictures.

But if he goes at it that way--just to do the job and get away, he won't have much success. And to think of going to make films of European scenery when he isn't really capable of it."

"Well, some of these foreigners think they know it all when they have only a smattering of it," mused Blake. "Though Alcando isn't as bad that way as lots of others. Well, we've done our best with him. And how unjust all our suspicions were--Joe's and mine. I wonder what he really did think he was up to, anyhow?"

The next day Blake and Joe were busy making many important views of the big dam, which held back the waters of the Chagres River, creating Gatun Lake. The Spaniard, too, was busy with his preparations for leaving. He was away from the boys nearly all day, coming back to the boat, which they made their headquarters, in the evening.

"Get any pictures?" asked Blake. "If you have we'll pack up your reel and send it to New York with ours. Where's the little camera and case?"

Mr. Alcando stopped short, as though struck.

"By Jove!" he cried. "I left it out at the dam. I was making some views there, and used up all the film. Then I got to working on my alarm clock, and forgot all about the camera and film case. I left them out there, and my clock, too. I'll go right back and get them!"

He turned to leave the cabin, but, as he did so, Captain Wiltsey entered. He paid no attention to the Spaniard, but, addressing Blake and Joe said:

"Boys, I have a little task for you. Have you any flash-light powder?"

"Flash-light powder? Yes, we have some," Blake said. "But we can't use it for moving pictures. It doesn't last long enough."

"Perhaps it will last long enough for what I want," the captain said.

"If you'll excuse me, I'll go back and get the camera I was so careless as to leave out," spoke Mr. Alcando.