“It is pretty near the genuine thing.” said Hugh.  “I’ve often wondered whether they faked those wonderful affairs, but after, what I’ve seen this day I’m going to believe they’re as close to the original as can be.  There, you see how the fat man beside the operator is waving his arms.  He’s got a megaphone, too, and as the scene goes along he bawls through that to tell them to keep on, or change the way they’re doing things.”

Alec got ready to take another snap-shot when the battle was well on.  He was as excited as Hugh had ever seen him, and the other took occasion to warn the photographer to be careful.

“Get a grip on yourself, Alec,” he said.  “Hold yourself steady, or else you’ll be making some fearful blunder, and spoiling the best chance you ever had to get a prize picture.  Now they are starting in again, you see!”

Every one of the five scouts was straining his eyesight to the extreme limit in the, endeavor not to lose the slightest incident.  Never before had such a glorious opportunity come to any of their kind to actually watch how those astonishing scenes of olden times were taken by the motion-picture players; and they did not want to miss any part of it.

Again did the great noise break forth as the valiant assailants commenced their new attack upon the apparently impregnable walls of the ancient castle, so gallantly defended by the occupants.

This small army of players had descended on the region like a flood of seventeen-year locusts.  An hour or two before and there had apparently not been a living thing in the neighborhood of the mansion, and now it was the centre of a swarming horde of earnest workers, each trying to earn his salary as best he knew how, both by shouting, and also fighting in yeoman style.

“Oh! why can’t we get closer than this, Hugh?” begged Alec, after he had taken another snap at the animated spectacle that would later on thrill many a boyish heart in the way of a picture, and also cause a feeling of envy to arise because a cruel fate had prevented them from participating in the wonderful adventure.

“Nothing to hinder that I can see,” he was told.  “Fact is, I was going to suggest that same thing myself.  So let’s get a move on, fellows.”

Eagerly they kept pace with Hugh as he started to run toward the castle.  It would be a shame not to take full advantage of the golden opportunity offered them to get in close touch with these motion-picture actors who, unaware of the fact that they had a small and select audience in the way of Boy Scouts, were each and every one working like troopers to fulfill their difficult duties.

Alec kept close “tabs” on what was going on ahead presently, possibly fearing that the excited, fat manager, who was dancing up and down, mopping his forehead with a red bandanna with one hand, and waving the megaphone with the other when not shouting through the same, might call the scene off, the boy stopped short, focussed again on the amazing picture, and got another snap-shot at closer range.