"As hungry as if I hadn't eaten since last night," finished Alice with a mocking laugh. "There, sister mine!" and she blew her a kiss from the tips of her rosy fingers. "Well, it's easy enough to say: 'Get after the fellows who took the reel,'" spoke Baldy Johnson, "but who were they, and where shall we start?" "It must have been someone who knew where we kept the reels in the light-tight box," said Russ. "Otherwise he would have cut several places in the tent to reach in and feel around. And there is only one cut. So it must have been somebody who knew about this tent." "Regular detective work, that," remarked Necktie Harry, quickly, looking admiringly at Russ. "Say! I have it!" cried Baldy Johnson. "Those fellows who rode in yesterday to watch us work. It was one of them." "You mean the boys from the Double ranch?" asked Buster. "Them's the ones," answered Baldy. Just before the close of the making pictures the day before a crowd of cowboys from a nearby cattle range had ridden up, and looked on interestedly. They were returning from a round-up. Some of them were known to the boys from Rocky Ranch, and there had been an exchange of courtesies. "'Them's the guilty parties,' as the actor folks say," sung out Bow Backus. "I think you are right," agreed Mr. Pertell. "But I can't see what object cowboys would have in taking a film--and an undeveloped one at that," said Russ. "I can't believe it." "Maybe the International firm bribed them, or maybe one of their men was disguised as a cowboy," suggested Mr. DeVere. "That's possible," admitted Russ. "Well, we'll soon find out," declared Baldy. "Come on, boys. Grub up and then we'll ride over." The visit to Double X ranch proved fruitless, however, except in one particular. The cowboys attached to that "outfit" easily proved that they had not been near the camp of the picture makers. "But there was one fellow who rode with us," said the foreman. "He was a stranger to us. Looked to be a cow-puncher, and _said_ he was, from down New Mexico way. He was with us when we were at your place, and when we rode away he branched off. It might have been him." "I'm sure it was," declared Mr. Pertell. "Now, how can we get hold of him?" But that was a question no one could answer, and though several of the cowboys took the trail after the stranger, he was not to be found. The missing film seemed to have disappeared for good. It was a great loss, but there was no help for it, and plans were made to go through the big scene again, though not until later. "I have something else I want filmed now," said Mr. Pertell. "We will make that 'lost' scene we spoke of last night and then try a novelty." "Something new?" asked Mr. Bunn. "I hope I don't have to be lassoed again," for that had been his most recent "stunt." "No, we'll let you off easy this time," laughed Mr. Pertell. "All you'll have to do will be to escape from a prairie fire."