ctlyoveritwithanicechiselwhichIhad,andcuttingdownthelongestbirchwhichIcouldfindintheneighborhoodwithmyknife,Imadeaslip-noose,whichIattachedtoitsend,and,lettingitdowncarefully,passeditovertheknobofthehandle,anddrewitbyalinealongthebirch,andsopulledtheaxeoutagain.
Theshoreiscomposedofabeltofsmoothroundedwhitestoneslikepavingstones,exceptingoneortwoshortsandbeaches,andissosteepthatinmanyplacesasingleleapwillcarryyouintowateroveryourheadandwereitnotforitsremarkabletransparency,thatwouldbethelasttobeseenofitsbottomtillitroseontheoppositeside.Somethinkitisbottomless.Itisnowheremuddy,andacasualobserverwouldsaythattherewerenoweedsatallinitandofnoticeableplants,exceptinthelittlemeadowsrecentlyoverflowed,whichdonotproperlybelongtoit,acloserscrutinydoesnotdetectaflagnorabulrush,norevenalily,yelloworwhite,butonlyafewsmallheart-leavesandpotamogetons,andperhapsawater-targetortwoallwhichhoweverabathermightnotperceiveandtheseplantsarecleanandbrightliketheelementtheygrowin.Thestonesextendarodortwointothewater,andthenthebottomispuresand,exceptinthedeepestparts,wherethereisusuallyalittlesediment,probablyfromthedecayoftheleaveswhichhavebeenwaftedontoitsomanysuccessivefalls,andabrightgreenweedisbroughtuponanchorseveninmidwinter.
Wehaveoneotherpondjustlikethis,WhitePond,inNineAcreCorner,abouttwoandahalfmileswesterlybut,thoughIamacquaintedwithmostofthepondswithinadozenmilesofthiscentreIdonotknowathirdofthispureandwell-likecharacter.Successivenationsperchancehavedrankat,admired,andfathomedit,andpassedaway,andstillitswaterisgreenandpellucidasever.Notanintermittingspring!PerhapsonthatspringmorningwhenAdamandEveweredrivenoutofEdenWaldenPondwasalreadyinexistence,andeventhenbreakingupinagentlespringrainaccompaniedwithmistandasoutherlywind,andcoveredwithmyriadsofducksandgeese,whichhadnotheardofthefall,whenstillsuchpurelakessufficedthem.Eventhenithadcommencedtoriseandfall,andhadclarifieditswatersandcoloredthemofthehuetheynowwear,andobtainedapatentofheaventobetheonlyWaldenPondintheworldanddistillerofcelestialdews.Whoknowsinhowmanyunrememberednations’literaturesthishasbeentheCastalianFountain?orwhatnymphspresidedoveritintheGoldenAge?ItisagemofthefirstwaterwhichConcordwearsinhercoronet.
Yetperchancethefirstwhocametothiswellhaveleftsometraceoftheirfootsteps.Ihavebeensurprisedtodetectencirclingthepond,evenwhereathickwoodhasjustbeencutdownontheshore,anarrowshelf-likepathinthesteephill-side,alternatelyrisingandfalling,approachingandrecedingfromthewater’sedge,asoldprobablyastheraceofmanhere,wornbythefeetofaboriginalhunters,andstillfromtimetotimeunwittinglytroddenbythepresentoccupantsoftheland.Thisisparticularlydistincttoonestandingonthemiddleofthepondinwinter,justafteralightsnowhasfallen,appearingasaclearundulatingwhiteline,unobscuredbyweedsandtwigs,andveryobviousaquarterofamileoffinmanyplaceswhereinsummeritishardlydistinguishablecloseathand.Thesnowreprintsit,asitwere,inclearwhitetypealto-relievo.Theornamentedgroundsofvillaswhichwillonedaybebuiltheremaystillpreservesometraceofthis.
Thepondrisesandfalls,butwhetherregularlyornot,andwithinwhatperiod,nobodyknows,though,asusual,manypretendtoknow.Itiscommonlyhigherinthewinterandlowerinthesummer,thoughnotcorrespondingtothegeneralwetanddryness.Icanrememberwhenitwasafootortwolower,andalsowhenitwasatleastfivefeethigher,thanwhenIlivedbyit.Thereisanarrowsand-barrunningintoit,withverydeepwaterononeside,onwhichIhelpedboilakettleofchowder,somesixrodsfromthemainshore,abouttheyear1824,whichithasnotbeenpossibletodofortwenty-fiveyearsandontheotherhand,myfriendsusedtolistenwithincredulitywhenItoldthem,thatafewyearslaterIwasaccustomedtofishfromaboatinasecludedcoveinthewoods,fifteenrodsfromtheonlyshoretheyknew,whichplacewaslongsinceconvertedintoameadow.Butthepondhasrisensteadilyfortwoyears,andnow,inthesummerof’52,isjustfivefeethigherthanwhenIlivedthere,orashighasitwasthirtyyearsago,andfishinggoesonagaininthemeadow.Thismakesadifferenceoflevel,attheoutside,ofsixorsevenfeetandyetthewatershedbythesurroundinghillsisinsignificantinamount,andthisoverflowmustbereferredtocauseswhic