e water. Tiny Tadpole had such a scare that he hid way,
way down in the mud with only the tip of his funny little nose sticking
out.

"Chug-a-rum," said old Grandfather Frog, climbing out of his lily pad.
"If I wasn't so old I would show you how to dive."

"Come on, Grandfather Frog!" cried Billy Mink. "Show us how to dive."

And what do you think? Why, old Grandfather Frog actually got so excited
that he climbed up on the Big Rock to show them how to dive. Splash!
Went Grandfather Frog into the Smiling Pool. Splash! Went Billy Mink
right behind him. Splash! Splash! Went Little Joe Otter and Jerry
Muskrat, right at Billy Mink's heels.

"Hurrah!" shouted Mr. Kingfisher, sitting on a branch of the old beech
tree. And then just to show them that he could dive, too, splash! He
went into the Smiling Pool.

Such a noise as they did make! All the Little Breezes of Old Mother West
Wind danced for joy on the bank. Blacky the Crow and Sammy Jay flew over
to see what was going on.

"Now let's see who can swim the farthest under water," cried Billy Mink.

So they all stood side by side on one edge of the Smiling Pool.

"Go!" shouted Mr. Kingfisher, and in they all plunged. Little ripples
ran across the Smiling Pool and then the water became as smooth and
smiling as if nothing had gone into it with a plunge.

Now old Grandfather Frog began to realize that he wasn't as young as he
used to be, and he couldn't swim as fast as the others anyway. He began
to get short of breath, so he swam up to the top and stuck just the tip
of his nose out to get some more air. Sammy Jay's sharp eyes saw him.

"There's Grandfather Frog!" he shouted.

So then Grandfather Frog popped his head out and swam over to his green
lily pad to rest.

Way over beyond the Big Rock little bubbles in three long rows kept
coming up to the top of the Smiling Pool. They showed just where Billy
Mink, Little Joe Otter and Jerry Muskrat were swimming way down out
of sight. It was the air from their lungs making the bubbles. Straight
across the Smiling Pool went the lines of little bubbles and then way
out on the farther side two little heads bobbed out of water close
together. They were Billy Mink and Little Joe Otter. A moment later
Jerry Muskrat bobbed up beside them.

You see, they had swum clear across the Smiling Pool and of course they
could swim no farther.

So Billy Mink's swimming party was a great success.

CHAPTER IX PETER RABBIT PLAYS A JO