Why the Sea is Salt 3

The poor man thanked Hiysi, and wrapping the magic millstone in his tattered cloak, began walking back towards his home.

He walked and he walked and he walked, and at last reached his home. His wife was weeping, having given him up for dead. 'Where have you been?' she cried. 'I thought I'd never see you again!'

The poor man told his wife the tale of his adventures. Then, setting the magic millstone on to the table, he said, 'Grind, my millstone! Give us a feast fit for a king.'

The millstone began to grind, and there on the table poured the most wonderful dishes ever. The poor man and his wife ate and ate till they could eat no more.

'Enough and have done!' commanded the poor man, and the millstone stopped grinding.

The next day the poor man and his wife celebrated the holiday happily. There was enough to eat, and new clothes to wear. From then on they never lacked for anything. The millstone gave them a fine new house, green fields full of crops, horses and cattle, and enough food to eat and clothes to wear. Soon they had so much that they did not really need to use the millstone any more.

The rich brother heard of the poor man's change of fortune. 'How could my brother have become rich so suddenly?' he wondered. 'I must find out.' So the rich brother went to the poor brother's house.

'How have you become rich so quickly?' he asked.

The poor brother told him everything - about Hiysi and his gift of the magic millstones. 'I must get that millstone for myself,' thought the rich brother. 'Show me the millstone,' he demanded.

The poor brother, not suspecting his brother of any wickedness, did so. He put the millstone on the table and said, 'Grind, my millstone! Give us good things to eat.' At once the millstone began turning and out poured the most delicious pies and cakes and bread son the table.

The rich brother could not believe his eyes. 'Sell me your millstone!' he begged of the poor brother.

'No,' said the poor man. 'The millstone is not for sale.'

'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.