-three."

The fight between the two forces was staged some distance away from the
hospital, and the guns soon began to rattle and to roar again. The girls
did not mind them by this time, however.

This skirmish had no particular part in the general story, but it was
filmed just the same, as it could be spliced in with the other fighting
scenes.

"And you can't get too much of that," Mr. Pertell said.

Russ, with some helpers, was taking the fighting pictures preliminary to
the hospital act. He was nearing the end of the reel in his machine
when, to his dismay, he found he had forgotten to bring a spare one.

"Here, you!" he called to one of the extra soldiers lying lazily on the
grass near the camera, "hop over and ask Pop Snooks to give you an extra
reel for me."

The man did not answer.

"Don't you hear me?" yelled Russ, grinding away at the film which was
being quickly used up. "Go and get me that reel!"

Still no response.

"Are you deaf?" shouted Russ, and then he thought perhaps the discharge
of so many cannon had made the man unable to hear.

"Go over and punch that fellow!" cried Russ to Paul. "Wake him up, and
tell him to get me that extra reel."

"All right," Paul assented. "I'd go myself only I have to carry a
message to headquarters in a minute or two."

He ran over and kicked the soldier, who seemed to be asleep.

"Hi! What's the idea?" demanded the rudely awakened one.

"The camera man wants you to go to get him some film."

"Who--me?"

"Yes--you! Skip!"

"I can't go get no film!"

"You can't? Why not?"

"'Cause I'm dead, that's why! I was told to be killed, and I was. I fell
off my hoss dead, an' I'm deader'n a door nail. I dassn't git up to git
no film for nobody. I'm dead!"

And the man rolled over and closed his eyes.

CHAPTER XVI

A RETAKE

"What's the matter over there?" called Russ to Paul. "Is he going to get
my film?"

"He says he can't."

"Can't? Why not? Has he lost his legs?"

"No. But he's dead. This is carrying realism to the extreme."

"Oh, good-night!" cried Russ. "I haven't but a few feet left. Make him
go."

"I won't go I tell you," the man cried. "I was told to play dead, and
I'm goin' to," and he stuck to the instructions he had received.

Fortunately, one of Russ' helpers was free a moment later, and he went
for the extra roll of film, while the dead man enjoyed his part to his
satisfaction.

"Well, he did just right," said Mr. Pertell,