`How much salt is there in the sea-water?'

"`Three and a half per cent nearly. That is, if you boil down one
hundred pounds of sea-water, it will yield you about three pounds and a
half of salt.'

"`But are there not many lakes and brine-springs that contain a far
greater proportion than that?'

"`Many. There is a large lake lying in this very Desert, to the
north-west of where we are, called the "Great Salt Lake." The waters of
that lake are more than one-third pure salt. There are many springs and
rivers that contain a greater proportion than the ocean itself. It is
to be hoped that our own little creek here will yield better than it.--
But come! let us see how the kettle boils. We had almost forgotten it.'

"We approached our kettle, and lifted the lid. To our great joy, a scum
was floating on the top, very much like crystals of ice forming upon
half melted snow. Some of it was skimmed off and applied to our lips.
Joy! it was _salt_--the pure _chloride of sodium_--equal to the best
ever shipped from Turk's Island."

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR.

THE BATTLE OF THE SNAKES.

"I need not tell you that the announcement was received with joyful
acclamations; and that one and all satisfied themselves by tasting of
the salt. It had crystallised into small cubes, as salt always does;
and it was as white as snow, which proved its great purity. We had put
into the kettle--which was a large camp-kettle--about four gallons of
water, and when it was fully evaporated, we obtained not less than ten
pints of salt, showing that the water of our spring was much more saline
than the sea itself.

"When our first kettle-full was disposed of, we re-filled it with water,
and again hung it over the fire. We also hung another vessel beside the
kettle; and that was our frying-pan, in which several fine steaks of
venison, seasoned with the new salt, were cooked for our dinner. We
were not unmindful of the thanks which we owed to God for giving us this
munificent supply of an article so much needed by us; and as soon as
dinner was over, my wife took occasion to bring this subject pointedly
forward and we sat for some time conversing upon it.

"All at once we were interrupted by a series of curious incidents, which
took place within sight of our fire. Our attention was first drawn to
them by hearing loud screams at a short distance from us, which we all
recognised as the voice of the blue-jay. There is nothing unusual in
hea