"Who you trying to fool? Don't you think I know what way we came?" "You fathead," snorted Bailey, gripping his ugly looking steel tube more tightly. "I might've known you'd get us lost! You and your 'Chameleon Tiger!' Damn both of you!" "Oh, shut up. We aren't going to get back by shouting. Let's start walking your way and see what happens." Time passed. "Well," admitted the chagrined Ed Bailey, six hours later, "maybe you're right." "We're good and lost now," replied Arch. "Probably can't even find the ship in the day, now. She's down in one of those sand valleys and we've passed millions of 'em." "I wouldn't care if you hadn't parked that monster inside. Maybe he's eating our boat. I saw some metal eating things in the catalogue." "Said he's carnivorous, Ed." "Also said he could change to a cube. Oh, damn the whole stinking mess. You and your little friends." "Wait till morning. Maybe we'll find our way." "Oh, sure," said Ed bitterly. The intrepid spacemen sat sadly down on a big stone and gazed up at the night sky. "Funny constellations," proclaimed Ed angrily. "Look there," said Archie, pointing. "Northern lights." "Northern lights, hell!" cried Ed. "They don't move like that. It's something behind that hill--and it's coming!" He placed the steel tube to his shoulder. "I'll take ten of 'em with me," he grated. A luminescent purple sphere appeared atop the hill. "It's the marines!" shouted Archie, knocking down the barrel of Ed's gun. "Smell? I can smell it from here--hot metal! It's Melancholy, come to rescue us!" "Or to eat us! I'll take care of him!" "You fool! Give me that!" The two men grappled for possession of the gun. The purple sphere stopped and watched them sadly. Finally Archie obtained the weapon and angrily tore it apart. He threw the parts as far as he could, then turned furiously on Ed. "Mel here's our only friend in the world. He hasn't tricked us yet and we've got to lay all our dough on him. Now get up." Ed rose groggily to his feet. "Take us back to the ship," Archie commanded the purple sphere. The purple sphere sidled off and they followed it. Dawn literally broke as they topped a rise and looked down once again on the rocket ship. The polished fuselage, so grotesquely twisted the day before, was now smooth. The ship rested on the side of the hill, her prow aimed at the sky. "I'll be damned," snorted Ed Bailey. "He's done it. Let's get out of here quick." "See if it works." They climbed aboard. Before he shut the emergency hatch, Archie looked down into the sad eyes of the purple sphere. The purple sphere had never looked sadder, he decided. Then he shut the hatch. "D'you think maybe he's booby-trapped it to explode in the air?" wondered the suspicious Bailey. "No." "Well, here's nothing. Hold on." Bailey pressed a button. There followed a dull roar, a blinding flash of light, and the little rocket ship whirled up into the sky.