Thoreau goes to pond to get water, but has
to make his way through the frozen ice.
Later, he is joined by a group of fishermen on the pond.
He says they are a part of nature
like him more than a part of society.
He wonders how deep the pond is so he measures it to the
bottom with a stone and a cord.
During the winter season, people from the village
come to the pond to collect ice for the summer.
On one occasion a villager fell into the freezing water and Thoreau
took him to the house to get warm.
Thoreau believes this was a consequence by
nature because the people were not admiring
the pond for its beauty, but were using it for
their own selfish purposes.