“I’ll read you what one of the old documents said,” went on Paul. “’As we bore down upon him we found him to be an Indian, in a skin boat with a skin sail, running to a point twenty feet in the air, with a bow at the top.  In the boat, which I describe in my descriptive image, I went ashore with the Indian.  We landed near a spring that they call the Fountain of Youth; there they had a temple built where they worshipped the sun, and there I built a cross out of coquina, which is a natural formation of the sea, and I laid it with the rising and setting sun.  In the heart of the cross I placed a descriptive image of myself, and took possession in the name of our beloved Catholic King.’

“That’s in the document,” went on Paul, “and the paper was given to the United States, through courtesy of the Governor of Sevilla, in 1908.”

“How interesting,” murmured Alice.  “And to think that we are standing on such historic ground!  Think of the ancient Indians worshipping the sun here,” and she looked up at the flaming orb.

“The sun is paying altogether too much attention to me!” complained Miss Pennington, with a laugh.  “It will spoil my complexion, in spite of the Fountain of Youth.  I must be going.”

“Oh, by the way, Russ,” she called back over her shoulder, “Mr. Pertell was looking for you.”

“Was he?” asked the young operator.  “Then I’d better be getting back.”

“I fancy we all had,” spoke Ruth.  “It must be near lunch time.  Come along, Alice.”

Russ, back at the hotel, found that the manager had decided to make as the first film one showing some of his players at Fort Marion, and he wanted Russ to go out there with him and plan the scenario, which would be undertaken in a day or two.

The time quickly passed, for it was so lovely in St. Augustine, and there were so many things to see, that night seemed to follow quickly on the heels of morning.

Arrangements having been made, the company one morning went to the old fort and there Russ filmed many scenes.  The play was to be called “The Spanish Prisoner,” the background of the old fort being most effective.

The players were filmed, going through their various parts on what was once the drawbridge in front of the portcullis, near the old watchtower on the stairway that was originally an inclined way, by which artillery was hauled up to the terre plein.

Ruth and Alice were in many of the scenes, but there came a rest for Alice who, always interested in matters of antiquity, wandered about the old fort by herself, Ruth and Mr. DeVere being engaged.

The girl finally made her way to what had been the old guard room and dungeon.  In the guard room was a table and some chairs, for the fort is in charge of a detachment from the United States Army, and accommodations are provided for visitors.

Alice sat down in one of the chairs, and looked at the big open fire-place at one end of the guard rooms.  She recalled some of its history that Paul had read to her that morning.