CHAPTER 20
"Got everything we need?" asked Tom.
"Everything we'll need--and about all we can safely carry withoutweighing ourselves down too much," answered Roger. "Enough food for aweek, the rest of the Martian water, space goggles to protect our eyesfrom the sun and emergency lights for each of us."
"Not much to walk a hundred and fifty miles on," offered Astro. "Too badthe sand got in the galley and messed up the rest of that good food."
"We'll have plenty to get us by--if my calculations are right," saidTom. "One hundred and fifty-four miles to be exact."
"_Exact_ only as far as my sun sight told me," said Roger.
"Do you think it's right?" asked Tom.
"I'll answer you this way," Roger replied. "I took that sight six timesin a half hour and got a mean average on all of them that came outwithin a few miles of each other. If I'm wrong, I'm very wrong, but ifI'm right, we're within three to five miles of the position I gave you."
"That's good enough for me," said Astro. "If we're going out there"--hepointed toward the desert--"instead of sitting around here waiting forStrong or someone to show up, then I'd just as soon go now!"
"Wait a minute, fellas. Let's get this straight," said Tom. "We're allagreed that the odds on Captain Strong's showing up here before ourwater runs out are too great to risk it, and that we'll try to reach thenearest canal. The most important thing in this place is water. If westay and the water we have runs out, we're done for. If we go, we mightnot reach the canal--and the chance of being spotted in the desert iseven smaller than if we wait here at the ship." He paused. "So we moveon?" He looked at the others. Astro nodded and looked at Roger, whobobbed his head in agreement.
"O.K., then," said Tom, "it's settled. We'll move at night when it'scool, and try to rest during the day when it's the hottest."
Roger looked up at the blazing white sphere in the pale-blue sky thatburned down relentlessly. "I figure we have about six hours before shedrops for the day," he said.
"Then let's go back inside the ship and get some rest," he said.
Without another word, the three cadets climbed back inside the ship andmade places for themselves amid the littered deck of the control room. Ahot wind blew out of the New Sahara through the open port like a breathof fire. Stripped to their shorts, the three boys lay around the deckunable to sleep, each thinking quietly about the task ahead, eachremembering stories of the early pioneers who first reached Mars. In themad rush for the uranium-yielding pitchblende, they had swarmed over thedeserts toward the dwarf mountains by the thousands. Greedy, thinkingonly of the fortunes that could be torn from the rugged littlemountains, they had come unprepared for the heat of the Martian desertsand nine out of ten had never returned.
Each boy thought, too, of the dangers they had just faced. This newdanger was different. This was something that couldn't be defeated withan idea or a sudden lucky break. This danger was ever present--a fightagainst nature, man against the elements on an alien planet. It was abattle of endurance that would wring the last drop of moisturemercilessly from the body, until it became a dry, brittle husk.
"Getting pretty close to sundown," said Tom finally. He stood beside theopen port and shielded his eyes from the glare of the sun, now slowlysinking below the Martian horizon.
"I guess we'd better get going," said Roger. "All set, Astro?"
"Ready, Roger," answered the Venusian.
The three boys dressed and arranged the food packs on their backs. Tomcarried the remainder of the Martian water, two quart plasticcontainers, and a six-yard square of space cloth, an extremely durableflyweight fabric that would serve as protection from the sun during therest stop of the day. Roger and Astro carried the food in compact packson their backs. Each boy wore a makeshift hat of space cloth, along withspace goggles, a clear sheet of colored plastic that fitted snuglyacross the face. All three carried emergency lights salvaged from thewrecked ship.
Tom walked out away from the ship several hundred yards and studied hispocket compass. He held it steady for a moment, watching the needleswing around. He turned and walked slowly still watching the needle ofthe compass. He waited for it to steady again, then turned back to Rogerand Astro who stood watching from the window port.
"This is the way." Tom pointed away from the ship. "Three degrees southof east, one hundred and fifty-four miles away, if everything iscorrect, should bring us smack on top of a major canal."
"So long, _Lady Venus_," said Astro, as he left the ship.
"Don't think it hasn't been fun," added Roger, "because it hasn't!"
Astro fell in behind Roger, who in turn followed Tom who walked some tenfeet ahead. A light breeze sprang up and blew across the surface of thepowdery sand. Ten minutes later, when they stopped to adjust theirshoulder packs, they looked back. The breeze had obliterated theirtracks and the mountain of sand covering the spaceship appeared to be nodifferent from any of the other small dunes on the desert. The NewSahara desert of Mars had claimed another Earth-ship victim.
"If we can't see the _Lady Venus_ standing still, and knowing where tolook," said Astro, "how could a man in a rocket scout ever find it?"
"He wouldn't," said Roger flatly. "And when the water ran out, we'd justbe sitting there."
"We're losing time," said Tom. "Let's move." He lengthened his stridethrough the soft sand that sucked at his high space boots and faced thealready dimming horizon. The light breeze felt good on his face.
* * * * *
The three cadets had no fear of running into anything in their marchthrough the darkness across the shifting sands. And only an occasionalflash of the emergency light to check the compass was necessary to keepthem moving in the right direction.
There wasn't much talk. There wasn't much to talk about. About nineo'clock the boys stopped and opened one of the containers of food andate a quick meal of sandwiches. This was followed by a carefullymeasured ounce of water, and fifteen minutes later they resumed theirmarch across the New Sahara.
About ten o'clock, Deimos, one of the small twin moons of Mars, swung upoverhead, washing the desert with a pale cold light. By morning, whenthe cherry-red sun broke the line of the horizon, Tom estimated thatthey had walked about twenty miles.
"Think we ought to camp here?" asked Astro.
"If you can show me a better spot," said Roger with a laugh, "I'll behappy to use it!" He swung his arm in a wide circle, indicating awasteland of sand that spread as far as the eyes could see.
"I could go for another hour or so," said Astro, "before it gets toohot."
"And wait for the heat to reach the top of the thermometer? Uh-huh, notme," said Roger. "I'll take as much sleep as I can get now--while it'sstill a little cool."
"Roger's right," said Tom. "We'd better take it easy now. We won't beable to get much sleep after noon."
"What do we do from noon until evening?" asked Astro.
"Aside from just sitting under this hunk of space cloth, I guess we'llcome as close to being roasted alive as a human can get."
"You want to eat now?" asked Astro.
Tom and Roger laughed. "I'm not hungry, but you go ahead," said Tom. "Iknow that appetite of yours won't wait."
"I'm not too hungry either," said Roger. "Go ahead, you clobber-headedjuice jockey."
Astro grinned sheepishly, and opening one of the containers of food,quickly wolfed down a breakfast of smoked Venusian fatfish.
Tom and Roger began spreading the space cloth on the sand that wasalready hot to the touch. Anchoring the four corners in the sand withthe emergency lights and one of Tom's boots, they propped up the centerwith the food packs, one on top of the other. A crude tent was theresult and both boys crawled in under, sprawling on the sand. Astrofinished eating, lay down beside his two unit-mates, and in a moment thethree cadets were sound asleep.
The sun climbed steadily over the desert while the _Polaris_ unit slept.With each hour, the heat of the desert rose, climbing past the hund
redmark, reaching one hundred and twenty, then one hundred and thirty-fivedegrees.
Tom woke up with a start. He felt as if he were inside a blazingfurnace. He rolled over and saw Astro and Roger still asleep, sweatpouring off them in small rivulets. He started to wake them, but decidedagainst it and just lay still under the thin sheet of space cloth thatprotected him from the sun. As light as the fabric square was, weighingno more than a pound, under the intense heat of the sun it felt like awoolen blanket where it touched him. Astro rolled over and opened hiseyes.
"What time is it, Tom?"
"Must be about noon. How do you feel?"
"I'm not sure yet. I had a dream." The big cadet rubbed his eyes andwiped the sweat from his forehead. "I dreamed I was being shoved into anoven--like Hansel and Gretel in that old fairy tale."
"Personally," mumbled Roger, without opening his eyes, "I'll take Hanseland Gretel. They might be a little more tender."
"I could do with a drink," said Astro, looking at Tom.
Tom hesitated. He felt that as hot as it was, it would get still hotterand there had to be strict control of the remainder of the water.
"Try to hold out a little longer, Astro," said Tom. "This heat hasn'treally begun yet. You could drink the whole thing and still want more."
"That's right, Astro," said Roger, sitting up. "Best thing to do is justwet your tongue and lips a little. Drinking won't do much good now."
"O.K. by me," said Astro. "Well, what do we do now?"
"We sit here and we wait," answered Tom. He sat up and held the spacecloth up on his side.
"You get in the middle, Astro," suggested Roger. "Your head is up higherthan mine and Tom's. You can be the tent pole under this big top."
Astro grunted and changed places with the smaller cadet.
"Think there might be a breeze if we opened up one side of this thing?"asked Roger.
"If there was a breeze," answered Tom, "it'd be so hot, it'd be worsethan what we've got inside."
"It sure is going to be a hot day," said Astro softly.
The thin fabric of the space cloth was enough to protect them from thedirect rays of the sun, but offered very little protection against theheat. Soon the inside of the tent was boiling under the relentless sun.
They sat far apart, their knees pulled up, heads bowed. Once when theheat seemed unbearable, Tom opened one side of the cloth in a desperatehope that it might be a little cooler outside. A blast of hot airentered the makeshift tent and he quickly closed the opening.
About three o'clock Roger suddenly slipped backward and lay sprawled onthe sand.
Tom opened one of the containers of water and dipped his shirttail intoit. Astro watched him moisten Roger's lips and wipe his temples. In afew moments the cadet stirred and opened his eyes.
"I--I--don't know what happened," he said slowly. "Everything startedswimming and then went black."
"You fainted," said Tom simply.
"What time is it?" asked Astro.
"Sun should be dropping soon now, in another couple of hours."
They were silent again. The sun continued its journey across the sky andat last began to slip behind the horizon. When the last red raysstretched across the sandy desert, the three cadets folded back thespace-cloth covering and stood up. A soft evening breeze sprang up,refreshing them a little, and though none of them was hungry, each boyate a light meal.
Tom opened the container of water again and measured out about an ounceapiece.
"Moisten your tongue, and sip it slowly," ordered Tom.
Roger and Astro took their share of the water and dipped fingers in it,wiping their lips and eyelids. They continued to do this until finally,no longer able to resist, they took the precious water and swished itaround in their mouths before swallowing it.
They folded the space cloth, shouldered their packs, and after Tom hadchecked the compass, started their long march toward their plotteddestination.
They had survived their first twenty-four hours in the barren wastes ofthe New Sahara, with each boy acutely aware that there was at least aweek more of the same in front of them. The sky blackened, and soonafter Deimos rose and started climbing across the dark sky.