"Go on," yelled Roger, "let's see you drown yourself!"
"Not me, hot-shot," yelled Astro. "After that walk, all I'd have to do
is open my mouth and start drinking."
Finally tiring of his sport, the big Venusian pulled himself up onto the
bank of the canal and quickly dressed. Pulling on his space boots, he
turned to Tom and Roger, who were breaking out the last two containers
of food.
"You know, Astro," said Roger quietly, "I'll never be able to repay you
for carrying me."
Tom was quiet for a moment, and then added, "Same here, Astro."
Astro grinned from ear to ear. "Answer me this one question, both of
you. Would you have done it for me?"
The two boys nodded.
"Then you paid me. As long as I know I'm backed up by two guys like you,
then I'm paid. Carrying you, Roger, was just something I could do for
you at that particular time. One of these days, when we get out of this
oven, there'll come a time when you or Tom will do something for me--and
that's the way it should be."
"Thanks, Astro," said Roger. He reached over and put his hand on top of
Astro's, and then Tom placed his hand on top of theirs. The three boys
were quiet for a moment. There was an understanding in each of them that
they had accomplished more than just survival in a desert. They had
learned to respect each other. They were a unit at last.
"What do we do next?" asked Roger.
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