Jonas looked into the stump, and down around the bottom of it, and said,—
"Because there is no air."
"No air?" repeated Rollo.
"No," replied Jonas; "it is all close and solid around; the air cannot get in."
"It can get in at the top," said Rollo.
Jonas made no reply to this remark, but walked away a few steps, to a place where he had put down his axe; he took up the axe, and brought it to the stump. He immediately began to cut into it, at the bottom, as if it were a tree which he was going to fell.
"O Jonas," said Rollo, "don't cut it down."
"I am not going to cut it down," said Jonas; "I am only going to cut a hole into it."
"What for?" asked Rollo.
"To let the air in," replied Jonas.