“It looks as if that camel in the film was yours,” said Randy. “If that’s so——”
“It is so,” declared Vic confidently. “That being true, you can see what it means. That camel is alive, and he’s being used as an actor, or a model, or whatever you call it—”
“In motion picture scenarios!” burst out Pep, seeing the light in a flash. “You’ve hit it. Just that.”
“Well, well, isn’t it strange to get a trace of the camel this way now?” cried Randy. “All you’ve got to do is to find out where these New Idea people get their films, and you’ve got the starting point to running down the whole four camels.”
“Hold on,” directed Pep at once. “Maybe that isn’t so easy. Say, there’s some thinking to do here,” and his brow wrinkled in a dreadfully wise way. He wriggled about as if his mind was acting at lightning speed. “If anybody but this especial New Idea crowd was running those films, I’d say you could get on the track of the people who made that film right away. Where that rascal Slavin has a hand in anything, though, look out, I say. Didn’t you tell me, Vic, that you heard Slavin say something about the poor stock films in the educational line?”
“Yes, I did,” assented Vic, “and that they must get some special features to keep up with the procession.”
“Then you just make up your mind that this is one of them, and I’ll bet that it doesn’t come from any of the regular exchanges,” declared Pep. “A real live camel isn’t so common. A real clever scenario man with a central feature like that could keep on getting out a whole lot of real taking stuff. Slavin would steal a whole menagerie if he had the chance. I can’t see how he might have come across your camel. Maybe he didn’t. A bad crowd did, though, of course, or they wouldn’t have stolen him. It’s just such people Slavin trains with. You can figure it out your own way,” concluded Pep sapiently, “but Slavin is clever enough to hide his evil work, if he really has any hand in this business, and you’re not going to catch him napping.”
“I think as Pep does, Vic,” put in Randy. “Some pirate movies have got hold of your camel. They’re a kind decent folks in the line won’t usually trade with. Slavin would. He must know the whole four camels are being hunted and that they might be traced down by someone interested accidentally seeing that film, so he has probably fixed it so the crowd using the camel can’t be easily traced.”
“I’ve got it!” exclaimed Pep, suddenly. “I’ve thought it all out! Say, fellows, you wait here till I come back; will you? I’ll be gone only a few minutes. Come farther away from here, too.”
“What for?” inquired Vic blankly.