"No," he replied; "I am telling you the truth. Have you never heard of what men call artesian wells?"
"Yes, and" (here I attempted in turn to become sarcastic) "have you never learned that they are caused by water flowing into crevices in uplands where layers of stone or of clay strata separated by sand or gravel slant upward. The water conducted thence by these channels afterwards springs up in the valleys to which it has been carried by means of the crevices in these strata, but it never rises above its source."
To my surprise he answered:
"This is another of man's scientific speculations, based on some facts, it is true, and now and then correct, but not invariably. The water of an artesian well on an elevated plane may flow into the earth from a creek, pond, or river, that is lower than the mouth of the well it feeds, and still it may spout into the air from either a near or distant elevation that is higher than its source."
"I can not admit the truth of this," I said; "I am willing to listen to reason, but such statements as these seem altogether absurd."
"As you please," he replied; "we will continue our journey."