ldn't be defeated with
an idea or a sudden lucky break. This danger was ever present--a fight
against nature, man against the elements on an alien planet. It was a
battle of endurance that would wring the last drop of moisture
mercilessly from the body, until it became a dry, brittle husk.

"Getting pretty close to sundown," said Tom finally. He stood beside the
open port and shielded his eyes from the glare of the sun, now slowly
sinking 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. Tom
carried the remainder of the Martian water, two quart plastic
containers, and a six-yard square of space cloth, an extremely durable
flyweight fabric that would serve as protection from the sun during the
rest stop of the day. Roger and Astro carried the food in compact packs
on their backs. Each boy wore a makeshift hat of space cloth, along with
space goggles, a clear sheet of colored plastic that fitted snugly
across the face. All three carried emergency lights salvaged from the
wrecked ship.

Tom walked out away from the ship several hundred yards and studied his
pocket compass. He held it steady for a moment, watching the needle
swing around. He turned and walked slowly still watching the needle of
the compass. He waited for it to steady again, then turned back to Roger
and Astro who stood watching from the window port.

"This is the way." Tom pointed away from the ship. "Three degrees south
of east, one hundred and fifty-four miles away, if everything is
correct, 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 ten
feet ahead. A light breeze sprang up and blew across the surface of the
powdery sand. Ten minutes later, when they stopped to adjust their
shoulder packs, they looked back. The breeze had obliterated their
tracks and the mountain of sand covering the spaceship appeared to be no
different from any of the other small dunes on the desert. The New
Sahara desert of Mars had claimed another Earth-ship victim.

"If we can't see the _Lady Venus_ standing still, and knowing where to
look," said Astro, "how could a man in a rocket scout ever find it?"

"He wouldn't," said Ro