NO SALT. A SALT MINE. 41 



with exercise, he had no less than eight orange-tips in his net, 

 which he proceeded to kill and set there and then. 



They sailed on very slowly, for the breeze had fallen, until 

 they came to the Thurne Mouth, and then they turned up the 

 Bure until they came to St. Benedict's Abbey, the ruins of 

 which stand on the northern bank of the river. Here they 

 determined to camp for the night, and accordingly ran their 

 boat into a marshy creek, and made her fast to the reeds. 

 They were much amused at the remarks of the people whom 

 they passed, whether on the bank or on board the wherries and 

 yachts. The like of the Swan had never before been seen on 

 Norfolk waters. She was a ram avis in terris and excited 

 any amount of appreciatory and depreciatory comment. 



After making the boat snug and comfortable, the boys pro- 

 ceeded to cook their dinner. They brought out from the 

 lockers some cold beef and ham, and boiled the potatoes in a 

 small tin saucepan over the spirit-lamp. The meal was soon 

 ready, and they sat down to it with most excellent appetites. 



" Where have you put the salt, Frank?" asked Dick. 



" The salt ? " replied Frank, thoughtfully. 



Yes, the salt." 



"Well, .let me see. Dear me, we must have forgotten it." 



" But Frank, how can you how can anybody eat. beef 

 without salt ? " said Jimmy reproachfully. 



" Never mind, we will get some to-morro\v," said Frank, 

 looking guilty. 



"There are no shops about here, and there are no salt- 

 mines in the marsh," said Jimmy, who refused to be comforted. 



" Talking about salt-mines, have you ever been down one ? " 

 said Frank, who was eager to turn the subject. 



" No ; have you ? 



" Yes, and a jolly sort of place it is." 



" Then tell us all about it as a punishment." 



" It was at Northwich, in Cheshire, last year, when I was on 

 a visit to my uncle. We drove over one day to look at the 

 mines. They get an enormous quantity of salt from that dis- 

 trict, and it is of two kinds, the white table salt and that dark 

 lumpy salt they put in fields for cattle. They get the white 

 salt from brine-pits, which are full of salt water. The water is 

 pumped up and put into basins until it evaporates, and the 

 white salt is left behind. There must be big holes in the 



