is unit-mates.

"Get that piece of pipe over there," he said. "We'll slip it over the
end of the bar and that'll give us more leverage."

Tom and Roger scrambled after the length of pipe, slipped it over the
end of the bar, and then, holding it at either end, began to apply even
pressure against the hatch.

Gradually, a half inch at a time, the heavy steel hatch began to move
sideways, sliding out and behind the bulkhead. And as the opening grew
larger the fine powderlike sand began to fall into the power deck.

"Let's move it back about a foot and a half," said Tom. "That'll give us
plenty of room to get through and see what's on the other side."

Astro and Roger nodded in agreement.

Once more the three boys exerted their strength against the pipe and
applied pressure to the hatch. Slowly, grudgingly it moved back, until
there was an eighteen-inch opening, exposing a solid wall of the desert
sand. Suddenly, as if released by a hidden switch, the sand began to
pour into the power deck.

"Watch out!" shouted Tom. The three boys jumped back and looked on in
dismay as the sand came rushing through the opening. Gradually it slowed
to a stop and the pile in front of the opening rose as high as the hatch
itself.

"That does it," said Tom. "Now we've got to dig through and find out how
deep that stuff is. And spacemen, between you and me, I hope it doesn't
prove too deep!"

"I've been thinking, Tom," said Roger, "suppose it's as high as the
upper decks outside? All we have to do is keep digging it out and
spreading it around the power deck here until we can get through."

"Only one thing wrong with that idea, Roger," said Tom. "If the whole
upper part of the ship is flooded with that stuff, we won't have enough
room to spread it around."

"We could always open the reaction chamber and fill that," suggested
Astro, indicating the hatch in the floor of the power deck that lead to
the reactant chamber.

"I'd just as soon take my chances with sand," said Roger, "as risk
opening that hatch. The chamber is still hot from the wildcatting
reaction mass we had to dump back in space."

"Well, then, let's start digging," said Tom. He picked up an empty
grease bucket and began filling it with sand.

"You two get busy loading them, and I'll dump," said Astro.

"O.K.," replied Tom and continued digging into the sand with his hands.

"Here, use this, Tom," said Roger, offering an empty Martian water
container.

Slowly,