She had her wish a moment later, and it was rather more than she bargained for since the sea cow, in an effort to get rid of the rope that was twisted about its flipper, turned about with a swirl in the water, not unlike that made by the propeller of a motor boat, and came head-on for the craft it was unwittingly towing.

“Oh, it will upset us!” cried Ruth.

“Never mind!  They don’t bite, and we’ll rescue you!” Russ reassured her.

“Oh, I—­I’d die, sure, if I were to be thrown into the water with that terrible creature!” gasped Ruth, clinging to Alice for protection.

And there did seem some likelihood of the manatee upsetting the boat, not so much through a vindictive spirit, as by accident, and because of its huge bulk.

On it surged toward the craft, and Paul, seizing an oar, prepared to attack.  Russ called to his rowers to be ready to rescue the girls and the young actor if necessary, and then, with the desire for a good film ever uppermost in his mind, he continued to grind away at the camera crank.

“This will be a peach of a film!” he exulted.

“Oh, Paul!  Is it going to attack us?” asked Ruth.

Paul did not answer, but jabbed with his oar at the manatee and struck it on the head.  The sea cow dived, and this produced the desired result, for the rope slipped off its flipper, and it was free.  It went under the boat, rubbed along on the keel with its back a short distance, causing Ruth and Alice to scream as their craft careened, and then vanished for good.

“Oh, thank goodness!  It’s gone!” gasped Ruth.

Their boat began to drop down stream, until the dragging anchor caught and held it.  Russ now ceased to work the camera.

“I don’t know just how we can incorporate that scene in this drama,” he admitted; “but I suppose Mr. Pertell can find a way.  He generally does.  Now, if you girls are up to it, we’ll finish with the regular play.  I’ll have to slip in some new film, though.”

“Oh, I guess we can go on, after we quiet down a bit,” Ruth said, and a little later she and her sister, with Paul, went through with the business of the play as originally laid down in the scenario.

“What a strange experience!” observed Ruth, as they were returning to the steamer.

“Wasn’t it?” agreed Alice.

Mr. Pertell, after properly sympathizing with the girls, declared himself delighted with the unexpected film of the manatee.

“I tell you we didn’t make any mistake coming to Florida,” he said.  “We’ll get pictures here that no other company can touch.”

And later this was found to be so, for the films made under the palms created quite a sensation when shown in New York.

Mr. DeVere, as usual, was somewhat perturbed when he learned what his daughters had gone through, and again expressed his doubts as to the advisability of keeping them in moving picture work.