Boy Scouts with the Motion Picture Players by John Henry Goldfrap
CHAPTER XI
IMITATION AND REALITY
Perhaps it was almost mechanically that Alec pressed the bulb of hiscamera at just the very second when that wall was toppling over. Hehad a faint recollection afterwards of doing so, though only filledwith horror at the moment itself.
There was a sudden cessation to all the clamor as the accident happened.Indeed, the three quick reports from the director's revolver hardlyseemed needed to bring a halt to the proceedings. As the door wasabout burst in, anyway, and some of the men could not longer be restrainedfrom clambering over the top of the walls, it would answer just aswell as though things had proceeded in their regular routine.
Immediately afterwards a new kind of noise burst forth. Women shrieked,and men shouted. There were also cries of pain intermingled withthe rest, Hugh noticed.
Before the scout master could even give an order he missed one of hiscompanions. Of course, this was Arthur Cameron. The sight of thatmass of rock toppling over upon several of the motion-picture actors,and carrying others down amidst a perfect jumble of heaped up stones,acted on Arthur as a red flag does upon the angry bull in the ring.
Nothing could have kept him back, for his ears would have been deafeven to an order from the leader, whom he delighted to obey. Arthur'ssurgical instincts were aroused, and he saw the path of duty beforehim. And Arthur never shirked his duty.
Hugh waited not upon the order of his going, but immediately chasedafter the other. Monkey Stallings was not far behind him, with Billytagging along of necessity. As for Alec, he only waited to gatherup his beloved camera, even neglecting to turn the last exposure downas a completed roll.
In fact everyone seemed to be trying to converge upon the spot wherethe wall had collapsed. The manager was pushing his way through thecrowd, waving his megaphone, and looking somewhat alarmed, for hefelt dismayed at the idea of having so many of his supers being injuredmore or less seriously. It would mean not only pain and sufferingfor the poor fellows but a pretty heavy bill of damages to pay by thecompany.
And yet, such is the force of education which becomes second naturewith men, that even in the midst of all this confusion the managercould think to bawl out to the operator not to neglect to get all thisin his reel, as it was going to show what actual perils the actorsran in making their pictures.
Another queer thing happened that must be set down. Hugh actuallyforgot he was only a boy, and had been given no authority over thesemen. He saw that the first to arrive on the scene acted as thoughignorant of the best way to go about rescuing the poor chaps who werepartly buried under all that wreckage of the fallen wall.
So what did he do but begin to order them about as though they wereslaves. He told a couple of them off to lift a heavy stone from thelower limbs of a man who seemed to be unconscious, and then therecame Arthur actually directing them how to raise the wounded superand carry him to where he could be laid under the nearest tree.
Stranger still the men did just as they were bidden. In moments likethis the stronger mind dominates the situation, regardless of age orstature. Those supers were in the habit of taking orders, and neverstopped to question when told to follow out a line of work, especiallywhen the command came in a tone of authority.
That was the remarkable picture that met the eye of the stage managerwhen he presently reached the scene. Hugh seemed to be telling theothers what to do as if all his life he had been accustomed to theposition of chief. No wonder the experienced manager stared at theboy who wore the faded suit of khaki, and even allowed a faint smileto wreathe his lips; for did he not have a beloved lad like that athome, and in his heart he felt that perhaps some day, in a time ofdesperate necessity, his son might likewise rise to an occasion asthis young chap was doing.
There was no lack of eager workers, and they seemed to fall in withwhatever Hugh told them to do. He pointed this way and that as hedirected them to dig in the mass of debris for any unfortunate whomight be buried quite out of sight. And not once did it enter intothe head of the earnest lad that the machine close by was clickingaway merrily through it all, showing everything that was being donein the shadow of a real tragedy. Here was realism for fair!
Already three poor chaps had been either carried off or assisted.There were two of them grunting as though quite badly injured. Arthur,now joined by the regular doctor who accompanied the troupe of actorson their many lengthy trips, was busily engaged, endeavoring to ascertainthe extent of the damages. A dozen of the awed actors and actressessurrounded the impromptu field hospital, and upon every face couldbe seen only the deepest sympathy.
Still, after the worst was known and the last of the injured takencare of, no doubt the task of completing the picture would go on,just as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. These rovingplayers become so accustomed to accepting risks in the pursuit oftheir calling that a little thing like this cannot be allowed tointerfere with the main object of their business for any greatlength of time.
Other supers would be called upon to take the places of those injured,if there was any necessity for reenforcements, and the work of completingthe drama would proceed apace.
By degrees the mass of fallen material was pulled aside, many handsmaking light work. Half a dozen of the agile players had managed tosave themselves, receiving only slight skin abrasions which wouldhardly keep them from earning their salaries.
There were just four who had been carried or helped to the "hospital"under the tree near by in the grounds of the castle. It was whenthe pleasing fact had been communicated by one of the workers thatthe last victim of the accident was found, with no fatalities to accountfor, that the stage manager came up to Hugh with outstretched hand.
He had his megaphone slung over his back as a sportsman might hisfowling-piece. With that everlasting red bandanna he was mopping hisforehead again, and this time it may have been as much anxiety asaction that started the perspiration streaming down his rosy face.
"I want to thank you from my heart, son," he told the pleased scoutmaster, as he gripped his hand in a warm clutch. "You have provedyourself a jewel in this emergency. If this is one of the thingsscouts learn, I'm glad my boy has taken up the subject. I'm proudof you all. I don't see, how we could have done things half as wellif you hadn't been on the ground to assist, yes, to take the lead.Once more, I thank you!"
He glanced to where Arthur, with his coat thrown off, was workingover one of the victims of the near-tragedy. The sight seemed toaffect the stage manager, for he nodded his head violently, and Hughbelieved he could see a moisture in his eyes just then.
"I had another boy some years back, I want to tell you," he said,softly. "He was drowned while swimming in the river. His companionssucceeded in getting Tad out, but they were utterly ignorant as tohow to go to work to restore him to consciousness---and so my boydied. I believe before Heaven that if they had been raised in theknowledge of the things you Boy Scouts learn in these days, my poorwife and I need not have suffered such a cruel loss. When I learnedsomething about the education of a scout, I made up my mind that sinceI had still one son left to me there would never be a repetition ofthat calamity. He is now a patrol leader in his troop in Brooklyn,and can swim like a duck. Come, let's go over and see what the worstis going to be."
Hugh gladly accompanied the genial stage manager. His heart burnedwithin him, not with silly pride, but sincere gratification, on accountof what he had just heard. The boy's mind was so wrapped up in theglorious possibilities that an aspiring scout ever has at his finger-tipsthat commendation like this always pleased him. It was Hugh's ambitionto have the Oakvale Troop embrace every lad of suitable age in andaround his home town. He would not have a single one refused anopportunity to enjoy those privileges and advantages which membershipwith the scouts assures.
So they joined the circle around the temporary "hospital." The doctorhad not allowed the anxious crowd to press in too closely, for heunderstood the value of plenty of fresh air and working
Even the women, clad in their strange gowns of a bygone age, and wearingastonishing head-dresses and shoes, showed remarkable courage. Theirnerves had been steeled by long association with perils of varioustypes, so that they manifested none of the weaknesses people expectto find in connection with the gentler sex. One of the leading actresseswas assisting in washing quite an ugly wound that a poor fellow hadreceived in his arm. He seemed to be bearing his suffering like ahero, and acted as though he rather enjoyed having one of the heroinesplay the part of nurse to a humble understrapper.
Hugh allowed his eyes to fall with pardonable pride upon his chum,Arthur, for he saw that, as usual, the ambitious amateur surgeon wasdoing fine work, of which no one need be ashamed.
And all of this remarkable happening was being faithfully recordedupon the rapidly shifting thousand feet of film in the hopper of themachine, to later on astonish gaping crowds with a faithful delineationof the perils attending the ordinary life of a motion-picture player.