ere was also a "grub" wagon, in which food would be carried. It
contained a small stove so that better meals could be prepared than
would be possible over a campfire.

Then with plenty of spare horses, and with the camera and a good supply
of film, the moving picture company and several cowboys set off one
morning over the rolling plains.

Many scenes were filmed, some of them most excellent. It was not all
easy going, for often there would be failures and the work would have to
be done all over again. But no one grumbled, and really the life was a
happy one. Even Mr. Sneed seemed to enjoy himself, and the former
vaudeville actresses condescended to say it was "interesting."

One day an important film had been made and the work involved was so
hard that everyone was glad to go to their "bunks" early. Mr. Pertell,
Russ and Mr. DeVere occupied a large tent near the wagons where the
ladies had their quarters.

There was some little disturbance during the night, caused by one of the
dogs barking, but the cowboys who roused to look about could find
nothing wrong. But in the morning when Russ went to prepare his camera
for that day's work he uttered an exclamation of dismay.

"What's the matter?" asked Mr. Pertell.

"That big reel I took yesterday, and which I put in the light-tight box
for safe keeping, is gone!" cried the young operator.

CHAPTER XXI

THE BURNING GRASS

The announcement made by Russ caused considerable surprise, and, on the
part of Mr. Pertell, dismay.

"You don't mean that big reel--that important one which is a sort of key
to all the rest--is missing; do you?" he asked.

"That's it," replied Russ, ruefully. "It's clean gone!"

"Maybe you didn't look carefully, or perhaps you put it in some other
place than you thought."

"I'm not in the habit of doing that with undeveloped film," replied the
young operator. "If it was a reel ready for the projector I might mislay
it, for I'd know the light couldn't harm it. But undeveloped reels, that
the least glint of light would spoil--I take precious good care of them,
let me tell you. And this one is gone."

"Let's have another look," suggested Mr. Pertell, hopefully.

He went into the tent from which Russ had just emerged, and the latter
showed him where he had placed the reel. It was enclosed in its own
case as it came from the camera, and that case, as an additional
protection, was placed in a light-tight black box. This box would hold
s