It was indeed damp, muggy and sticky. The moving picture boys, too, found difficulty in getting satisfactory results under such weather conditions, but they did the best they could.
“What are you doing?” asked Joe of Blake, on the afternoon of the day they had left the levee.
“Making some waterproof covers for the exposed film,” was the answer.
“To keep it dry from the rain?”
“No, to keep it dry in case we—well, in case anything happens, as Mr. Piper would say.”
“What do you mean?” Joe wanted to know.
“I mean we may have an accident at any time. While this motor boat is a good one, she may be wrecked, especially when we get down to the lower river, where the flood is sure to be worse. There’ll be more debris there, and we may easily be stove in, crushed or upset.”
“Say, you’re worse than he is, lately,” cried Joe, with a nod at Mr. Piper, who was out on the stern deck.
“No, I only want to take all precautions,” Blake went on. “We’ve got some valuable films here, and if they fall into the water they’ll be spoiled. It was bad enough for Munson, or whoever it was, to take our other films, and I don’t want to lose these in the flood. So I’m going to stow them away in water-tight boxes, as fast as we expose them.”
In anticipation of water troubles the boys had brought along some sheets of rubberized cloth, and this was now used to line, and wrap about and seal up, small boxes, in which the exposed films could be packed. Thus it was hoped to save them.