“I see. Is the pool the same depth all over?”
“No,” I answered. “Just here, under the fall, it is deepest, but round the edges it is so shallow that we can’t take a stroke with the saw, the sand comes so close up to the ice. In fact, in some places, the ice rests right upon the sand.”
“How deep is it here?”
“Four or five feet, I think. Try it, Joe.”
Joe, who had just laid down the saw and had taken up the long ice-hook we used for drawing the blocks of ice within reach, lowered the hook, point downward, into the water. Then, pulling it out again, he stood it up beside him, finding that the wet mark on the staff came up to his chin.
“Five feet and three or four inches,” said he.
“Is the bottom solid or sandy?” asked Yetmore.
“I didn’t notice. I’ll try it.”
With that Joe lowered the pole once more.