Part 24 (1/2)

He did not intend to speak shortly, but it sounded so in the stress of his hurry

”Then I'!” said Mr Alcando quietly ”If I' our railroad, I'll need to have ht,” returned Blake, sternly, as a louder sound fro into the waters of the Canal, whence the drift had been excavated with so much labor

It was a bad slide--the worst in the history of the undertaking--and the limit of it was not reached when Joe and Blake, with their cameras and spare boxes of filreat rocks and the little stones, ravel, shale, schist, cobbles, fine sand--all in one inter, falling and fairly leaping down the side of Gold Hill

”Come on!” cried Blake to Joe

”I'm with you,” was the reply

”And I, also,” said Mr Alcando with set teeth

Fortunately for the was tied to a temporary dock on the side of the hill where the slide had started, so they did not have to take a boat across, but could at once start for the scene of the disaster

”We may not be here when you come back!” called Captain Wiltsey after the boys

”Why not?” asked Joe

”I o above or below I don't want to take any chances of being caught by a blockade”

”All right We'll find you wherever you are,” said Blake

As yet theinto the waters of the Canal so when the slide er area, and extend both east and west

Up a rude trail ran Blake and Joe,their way tohere the ht was not very good on account of the rain, but they slipped into the caood pictures even when light conditions werepicture boys paused for only a glance behind theiven Soon they would be flashed along the whole length of the Canal, bringing to the scene the scows, the dredges, the centrifugal pumps--the men and the ht to be where it had slid

Then, seeing that the work of re the accident was under way, almost as soon as the accident had occurred, Blake and Joe, followed by Mr Alcando, hurried on through the rain, up to their ankles in red mud, for the rain was heavy It was this same rain that had so loosened the earth that the slide was caused

”Here's a good place!” cried Blake, as he ca, sliding earth and stones

”I'll go on a little farther,” said Joe ”We'll get views from two different places”

”What can I do?” asked the Spaniard, anxious not only to help his friends, but to learn aspictures are taken under adverse circuot the little camera and I can handle that, and my extra films, alone and with ease

Stay with Blake”

It ell the Spaniard did

With a rush and roar, a grinding, crashi+ng sound a large reater in extent than any that had preceded, slipped from the side of the hill

”Oh, what a picture this will make!” cried Blake, enthusiastically