"Agreed; however tortuous the channel that connects them, such must be the case."
"Is it not supposable," said he, "that there might be two pockets in the earth, one containing salt water, the other fresh water, which, if joined together, might be represented by such a figure as this, wherein the water surface would be raised above that of the brine?" And he drew upon the paper the accompanying diagram. (Figure 13.)
"Yes," I admitted; "providing, of course, there was an equal pressure of air on the surface of each."
Fig. 13.—B, surface of brine.
W, surface of water.
S, sand strata connecting them.
"Now I will draw a figure in which one pocket is above the other, and ask you to imagine that in the lower pocket we have pure water, in the upper pocket brine (Figure 14); can you bring any theory of your law to bear upon these liquids so that by connecting them together the water will rise and run into the brine?"
Fig. 14.—B, brine.
W, water.
S, sand stratum.
(The difference in altitude is somewhat exaggerated to make the phenomenon clear. A syphon may result under such circumstances.—L.)
"No," I replied; "connect them, and then the brine will flow into the water."