'Well then, lend it to me for a bit,' said the rich brother. 'After all, it was I who gave you the cow's hoof to carry to Hiysi!'

The poor brother thought for a bit. What harm could there be in letting his brother have the millstone for a while?

'Very well, you may borrow it for a day,' said the poor man.

The rich brother was delighted. He grabbed the millstone and ran off with it, without asking how to make it stop. He put the millstone into a boat, and rowed out to sea with it, where the fishermen were hauling in their catch of fish.

'The fishermen are salting the fish right now,' he thought. 'They will pay well for fine salt.' He was far out to sea by now, far away from any land. There was no one to hear him as he said 'Grind, my millstone! Give me salt, as much as you can!'

The millstone began to turn and out poured the finest, whitest salt imaginable. Soon the boat was full. The rich man decided to stop the millstone. But he did not know how. 'Stop, my millstone!' he cried. 'Stop grinding. I don't want any more salt.' But the millstone kept turning, pouring out the finest whitest salt.

The rich man begged and pleaded with the millstone to stop. But he did not know the magic words. So the millstone kept turning and pouring out salt and more salt. The rich brother tried to throw the millstone overboard, but he couldn't lift it. The boat was now so full of salt that it began sinking.

'Help!' cried the rich man. But there was no one there to hear him.

The millstone kept turning, pouring out salt, and the boat kept sinking till it sank to the bottom of the sea with the rich man and the millstone.

The rich man drowned for his greed.

But the magic millstone kept turning, even at the bottom of the sea, pouring out the finest whitest salt. It is turning there to this very day, making more and more salt.

And that, believe it or not, is why the sea is salt.

Why the Sea is Salt
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