Eurig and Ceridwen took charge as hosts for the group, and George decided to get the tree sorted out right away before joining in. He reclaimed the spade, brought the pick and ax over to the tree, and untied the barrel end from the sledge and rolled it over up close.
Probing the ground with the pick, he was relieved to find it not as frozen as he’d feared—the winter so far was snowy but not very cold. He marked a circle around the trunk about the width of the barrel and began to drive the spade down.
He angled the spade inward as he approached the maximum depth the barrel end would hold but encountered a few tough deep roots that resisted his tool.
The snow squeaked as the two korrigans walked up. “Stand aside and let me show you how we deal with this,” Broch said, picking up the ax. Ti
