Skipper Ed's skiff lay at the landing, and arming themselves with an ax the two pulled away unobserved.
It was a small iceberg, perhaps sixty feet in diameter, and rising not more than twenty feet above the water.

Its surface was irregular, and there were several places where excellent footing could be had.

The boat was directed toward one of these.
"You stay in the boat," said Bobby, seizing the ax, "and I'll go aboard her and cut the ice." "Be careful," cautioned Jimmy.
"Oh, there's no danger," said Bobby, climbing to the iceberg.
Bobby began chopping off as large pieces as he thought he could conveniently handle.

The ice was exceedingly hard and brittle.

It had frozen centuries before, under the extremely low temperatures of the Arctic regions.