Almanzo, Royal, and Father set off on their bobsled to a large pond to saw ice cubes. On the way, Father stops and pets the horses’ noses because they're covered in frost, making it hard for them to breathe.

French Joe and Lazy John wait for them at the pond; they’re ready with a cross-cut saw. French Joe and Lazy John don’t own farms but live in log cabins and sustain themselves by trapping, hunting, and fishing for food. Father hires them for help, paying them with food. The men cut a giant slab of ice from the pond. They then cut the ice slab into big cubes, which Father lifts with giant, metal tongs onto their sled. Almanzo gets too close to the pond’s open, frigid water and starts to fall in. French Joe grabs him and saves him. Father scolds Almanzo but stops short of whipping him for not being careful enough.

Almanzo, Royal, and Father haul the giant ice cubes to their icehouse, a wooden house on their land. They put down lots of sawdust on the floor, which will help keep the ice from melting. Over the next few days, they layer multiple levels of ice cubes and sawdust, filling the icehouse.