play.

"Then I'm not going to, for I'll catch my death of cold if I do."

"Hum! I'm glad he didn't have any other objections," murmured the
theatrical man. "This is going to be easy."

The preparations were made, it being customary to rehearse the scenes
and acts before "filming" them to secure good results. A boat was
launched, after some trouble on account of the surf, and with the aid of
some fishermen, "C. C. was finally sent to sea," which was a joke, as
Blake remarked.

"And now come in with the waves," ordered Mr. Ringold, who was directing
the drama. "Hang over the edge of the boat, C. C., and look as if you
hadn't had any food or water for a week."

"They say an actor never eats, anyhow," murmured Mr. Hadley, who, with
the boys, was ready with the cameras; "so I guess C. C. won't have to
pretend much."

"Come on!" cried Mr. Ringold. "Hang more over the side of the boat."

C. C. Piper obeyed orders--too literally, in fact. He leaned so far over
that, a moment later, when there came a particularly large wave, the
craft slewed sideways, got into the trough, and an instant later
capsized.

"He's overboard!" yelled Miss Lee.

"Save him!" cried Miss Shay.

"Stop the cameras," came from Mr. Ringold. "We don't want that in the
picture."

"Man overboard!" bawled the fishermen, who were interestedly watching
the scene. "Launch the motor boat!"

CHAPTER X

TO SAN FRANCISCO

For a moment there was excitement, and then the trained men of the sea
got into action. Nearby there were several fishing boats, operated by
gasoline motors. There were planks at hand, and rollers on which the
craft could be launched in the surf, being eased along the slope by
releasing a cable rigged to a post some distance away.

It did not take long for the fishermen to launch one of these motor
boats, and while C. C. Piper was struggling in the surf, endeavoring as
best he could to climb into his overturned boat, they put out to rescue
him.

"Do you want that in the picture?" asked Joe, who was at one of the
cameras.

"No indeed!" cried Mr. Ringold. "It won't fit in at all! He must drift
ashore. We'll have to do all this over again."

"I can see Gloomy doing it," murmured Blake.

At that moment there came a hail from the comedian.

"Hello!" he cried. "Are you going to--gulp--let me--glub--sink out
here? Can't some of you----" and the rest was lost amid a series of
gurgles as the salty water got in C. C.'s mouth.