“Well, this is something like living!” exclaimed Blake as their baggage and moving picture cameras and accessories having been put away, they sat on the veranda and watched breaker after breaker sweep in from the Caribbean Sea.

“The only trouble is we won’t be here long enough,” complained Joe, as he sipped a cooling lime drink, for the weather was quite warm.  “We’ll have to leave it and take to the Canal or the jungle, to say nothing of standing up to our knees in dirt taking slides.”

“Do you—­er—­really have to get very close to get pictures of the big slides?” asked Mr. Alcando, rather nervously, Blake thought.

“The nearer the better,” Joe replied.  “Remember that time, Blake, when we were filming the volcano, and the ground opened right at your feet?”

“I should say I did remember it,” said Blake.  “Some picture that!”

“Where was this?” asked the Spaniard.

“In earthquake land.  There were some times there!”

“Ha!  Do not think to scare me!” cried their pupil with a frank laugh.  “I said I was going to learn moving pictures and I am—­slides or no slides.”

“Oh, we’re not trying to ‘josh’ you,” declared Blake.  “We’ll all have to run some chances.  But it’s all in the day’s work, and, after all, it’s no more risky than going to war.”

“No, I suppose not,” laughed their pupil.  “Well, when do we start?”

“As soon as we can arrange for the government tug to take us along the Canal,” answered Blake.  “We’ll have to go in one of the United States vessels, as the Canal isn’t officially opened yet.  We’ll have to make some inquiries, and present our letters of introduction.  If we get started with the films inside of a week we’ll be doing well.”

The week they had to wait until their plans were completed was a pleasant one.  They lived well at the hotel, and Mr. Alcando met some Spaniards and other persons whom he knew, and to whom he introduced the boys.

Finally the use of the tug was secured, cameras were loaded with the reels of sensitive film, other reels in their light-tight metal boxes were packed for transportation, and shipping cases, so that the exposed reels could be sent to the film company in New York for developing and printing, were taken along.

Not only were Blake and Joe without facilities for developing the films they took, but it is very hard to make negatives in hot countries.  If you have ever tried to develop pictures on a hot day, without an ice water bath, you can understand this.  And there was just then little ice to be had for such work as photography though some might have been obtained for an emergency.  Blake and Joe were only to make the exposures; the developing and printing could better be done in New York.

“Well, we’ll start up the canal to-morrow,” said Blake to Joe on the evening of their last day in Colon.

“Yes, and I’ll be glad of it,” remarked Joe.  “It’s nice enough here at this hotel, but I want to get busy.”