Finally, discovering that talking about it only intensified their
desire, they kept a stolid silence. When the heat became unbearable,
they simply took to the water. Once Tom's grip on the raft slipped and
Roger plunged in after him without a moment's hesitation, only to have
Astro go in to save both of them.
On and on--down the canal, the three boys floated. Days turned into
nights, and nights, cooling and refreshing, gave way to the blazing sun
of the next day. The silent desert swept past them.
One night, when Astro, unable to sleep, was staring ahead into the
darkness, he heard a rustling in the water alongside the raft. He moved
slowly to the edge of the raft and peered down into the clear water.
He saw a fish!
The big cadet watched it dart around the raft. He waited, his body
tense. Once the fish came to the edge of the raft, but before Astro
could move his arm, it darted off in another direction.
At last the fish disappeared and Astro sank back on the timbers. He
trailed one hand over the side in the water, and suddenly, felt the
rough scales of the fish brush his fingers. In a flash, Astro closed his
hand and snatched the wriggling creature out of the water.
"Tom--Roger--" he shouted. "Look--look--a fish--I caught a fish with my
bare hands!"
Tom rolled over and opened his eyes. Roger sat in bewilderment.
"I watched him--I was watching him and then he went away.
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