"
Mr. Pennypacker for the first day or two was absolutely of no help in
making the salt, because he was far too much excited about the bones and
the salt springs themselves.
"I can understand," said Henry, "why the animals should come here after
the salt, since they crave salt just as we do, but it seems strange to
me that salt water should be running out of the ground here, hundreds of
miles from the sea."
"It's the sea itself that's coming up right at our feet," replied the
schoolmaster thoughtfully. "Away back yonder, a hundred million years
ago perhaps, so far that we can have no real conception of the time, the
sea was over all this part of the world. When it receded, or the ground
upheaved, vast subterranean reservoirs of salt water were left, and now,
when the rain sinks down into these full reservoirs a portion of the
salt water is forced to the surface, which makes the salt springs that
are scattered over this part of the country. It is a process that is
going on continually. At least, that's a plausible theory, and it's as
good as any other."
But most of the salt-makers did not bother themselves about causes, and
they accepted the giant bones as facts, without curiosity about their
origin.
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