6. At length, a great foreign merchant came, and when he had seen the
mill, inquired whether it would grind salt. Being told that it would, he
wanted to buy it; for he traded in salt, and thought that if he owned it
he could supply all his customers without taking long and dangerous
voyages.

7. The man would not sell it, of course. He was so rich now that he did
not want to use it for himself; but every Christmas he ground out food and
clothes and coal for the poor, and nice presents for the little children.
So he rejected all the offers of the rich merchant. The merchant, however,
determined to have it; he bribed one of the man's servants to let him go
into the castle at night, and he stole the mill and sailed away with it in
triumph.

8. He had scarcely got out to sea, before he determined to set the mill to
work. "Now, mill, grind salt," said he; "grind salt with all your
might!--salt, salt, and nothing but salt!" The mill began to grind and the
sailors to fill the sacks; but these were soon full, and in spite of all
that could be done, it began to fill the ship.

9. The dishonest merchant was now very much frightened. What was to be
done? The mill would not stop grinding; and at last the ship was
overloaded, and down it went, making a great whirlpool where it sank. The
ship soon went to pieces; but the mill stands on the bottom of the sea,
and keeps grinding out "salt, salt, nothing but salt!" That is the
reason, say the peasants of Denmark and Norway, why the sea is salt.


DEFINITIONS.--l. De-vout'ly, in a reverent manner. 5. Re--flect'ing,