"Now, of course, Old Mother Nature didn't like this, and to punish
them she said that they should no longer be able to live in the water,
even if they wanted to. At first they only laughed, but after a while
they found that quite often there were times when it would be very
nice to be at home in the water as they once had been. But it was of
no use. Some could swim as long as they could keep their heads above
water, but as soon as they put their heads under water they were
likely to drown. You know that is the way with you to-day, Peter
Rabbit."
Peter nodded. He knew that he could swim if he had to, but only for a
very little way, and he hated the thought of it.
"Now there were a few animals, of whom old Mr. Muskrat, the
grandfather a thousand times removed of Jerry Muskrat, was one, who
learned to walk and run on dry land, but who still loved the water,"
continued Grandfather Frog. "One day Old Mother Nature found Mr.
Muskrat sitting on a rock, looking very mournful.
"'What's the matter, Mr. Muskrat?' she asked.
"Mr. Muskrat looked very much ashamed as he finally owned up that he
was envious of his cousins and some of the other animals, because they
had such fine houses on the land.
"'Then why don't you build you a fine house on the land?' asked Old
Mother Nature.
"Mr. Muskrat hesitated. 'I--I--love the water too well to want to stay
on land all the time,' said he, 'and--and--well, I was put in the
water in the first place, and I ought to be contented with what I have
got and make the best of it.
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