out of the red.
Remember how the public mobbed the first moon pictures? Our shots ought
to pack 'em to the doors. And the broadcast rights, too; we might show a
profit for the Academy."

"What interests me," countered Jarvis, "is a personal profit. A book,
for instance; exploration books are always popular. _Martian
Deserts_--how's that for a title?"

"Lousy!" grunted the captain. "Sounds like a cook-book for desserts.
You'd have to call it 'Love Life of a Martian,' or something like that."

Jarvis chuckled. "Anyway," he said, "if we once get back home, I'm going
to grab what profit there is, and never, never, get any farther from the
earth than a good stratosphere plane'll take me. I've learned to
appreciate the planet after plowing over this dried-up pill we're on
now."

"I'll lay you odds you'll be back here year after next," grinned the
Captain. "You'll want to visit your pal--that trick ostrich."

"Tweel?" The other's tone sobered. "I wish I hadn't lost him, at that.
He was a good scout. I'd never have survived the dream-beast but for
him. And that battle with the push-cart things--I never even had a
chance to thank him."

"A pair of lunatics, you two," observed Harrison. He squinted through
the port at the gray gloom of the Mare Cimmerium. "There comes the sun."
He paused. "Listen, Dick--you and Leroy take the other auxiliary rocket
and go out and salvage those films."

Jarvis stared. "Me and Leroy?" he echoed ungrammatically. "Why not me
and Putz? An engineer would have some chance of getting us there and
back if the rocket goes bad on us."

The captain nodded toward the stern, whence issued at that moment a
medley of blows and guttural expletives. "Putz is going over the insides
of the _Ares_," he announced. "He'll have his hands full until we leave,
because I want every bolt inspected. It's too late for repairs once we
cast off."

"And if Leroy and I crack up? That's our last auxiliary."

"Pick up another ostrich and walk back," suggested Harrison gruffly.
Then he smiled. "If you have trouble, we'll hunt you out in the _Ares_,"
he finished. "Those films are important." He turned. "Leroy!"

The dapper little biologist appeared, his face questioning.

"You and Jarvis are off to salvage the auxiliary," the Captain said.
"Everything's ready and you'd better start now. Call back at half-hour
intervals; I'll be listening."

Leroy's eyes glistened. "Perhaps we land for specimens--no?" he queried.

"L