g around on Earth!"

"How about food?" asked Roger.

"Plenty of that," answered Astro. "This is a passenger ship, remember!
They have everything you could ask for, including smoked Venusian
fatfish!"

"Then let's get out of here and take a look," said Tom.

The three bruised but otherwise healthy cadets climbed slowly down to
the control deck and headed for the galley, where Tom found six plastic
containers of Martian water.

"Spaceman, this is the biggest hunk of luck we've had in the last two
hours," said Roger, taking one of the containers.

"Why two hours, Roger?" asked Astro, puzzled.

"Two hours ago we were still in space expecting to splash in," said Tom.
He opened one of the containers and offered it to Astro. "Take it easy,
Astro," said Tom. "Unless we find something else to drink, this might
have to last a long time."

"Yeah," said Roger, "a _long_ time. I've been thinking about our chances
of getting out of this mess."

"Well," asked Astro, "what has the great Manning brain figured out?"

"There's no chance at all," said Roger slowly. "You're wrong, Corbett,
about this being midday. It's early morning!" He pointed to a
chronometer on the bulkhead behind Astro. "It's still running. I made a
mental note before we splashed in, it was eight-O-seven. That clock
says nine-O-three. It doesn't begin to get hot here until three o'clock
in the afternoon."

"I think you're wrong two ways," said Tom. "In the first place, Captain
Strong probably has a unit out looking for us right now. And in the
second place, as long as we stay with the ship, we've got shade. That
sun is only bad because the atmosphere is thinner here on Mars, and
easier to burn through. But if we stay out of the sun, we're O.K. Just
sit back and wait for Strong!"

Roger shrugged his shoulders.

"Well," commented Astro with a grin, "I'm not going to sit around
waiting for Strong without eating!" He tore open a plastic package of
roast-beef sandwiches and began eating. Tom measured out three small
cups of Martian water.

"After we eat," suggested Roger, "I think we ought to take a look around
outside and try to set up an identification signal."

"That's a good idea," said Tom, "but don't you think the ship itself is
big enough for that?"

"Yeah," answered Roger, "I guess you're right."

"Boy!" said Astro. "We sure are lucky to still be able to argue."

"That's about all you can call it. Luck! Spaceman's luck!" said Tom.
"The only r