" He paused and looked at the hatch thoughtfully. "No.
The only way we can get out of here is if the sand was only blown into
the deck outside and hasn't filled the rest of the ship."
"Only one way to find out," said Tom.
"Yeah," agreed Roger. "Let's get that hatch shoved aside and take a
look."
Astro jammed the heavy steel bar farther into the space between the
hatch and the bulkhead, and then turned back to his 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.
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