them.

Henry and Paul ate with eager appetites and when supper was over they
wrapped themselves in their blankets and lay down before the fire under
the trees. Paul went to sleep at once, but Henry did not close his eyes
so soon. Far in the west he saw a last red bar of light cast by the
sunken sun and the deep ruddy glow over the fringe of the forest. Then
it suddenly passed, as if whisked away by a magic hand, and all the
wilderness was in darkness. But it was only for a little while. Out came
the moon and the stars flashed one by one into a sky of silky blue. A
south wind lifting up itself sang a small sweet song among the branches,
and Henry uttered a low sigh of content, because he lived in the
wilderness, and because he was there in the depths of the forest on an
important errand. Then he fell sound asleep, and did not awaken until
Ross and the others were cooking breakfast.

A day or two later they reached the wonderful Big Bone Lick, and they
approached it with the greatest caution, because they were afraid lest
an errand similar to theirs might have drawn hostile red men to the
great salt spring. But as they curved about the desired goal they saw no
Indian sign, and then they went through the marsh to the spring itself.

Henry opened his eyes in amazement. All that the schoolmaster and Paul
had told was true, and more. Acres and acres of the marsh lands were
fairly littered with bones, and from the mud beneath other and far
greater bones had been pulled up and left lying on the ground. Henry
stood some of these bones on end, and they were much taller than he.
Others he could not lift.

"The mastodon, the mammoth and I know not what," said Mr. Pennypacker in
a transport of delight. "Henry, you and Paul are looking upon the
remains of animals, millions of years old, killed perhaps in fights with
others of their kind, over these very salt springs. There may not be
another such place as this in all the world."

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 thoughtfull