-rum!" said Grandfather Frog and looked sharply at Peter.
"Chug-a-rum! People never know what they can do till they try. Once upon
a time Billy Mink's great-great-ever-so-great-grandfather couldn't swim
any more than you can, but he didn't waste any time foolishly wishing
that he could."

"What did he do?" asked Peter eagerly.

"Learned how," replied Grandfather Frog gruffly. "Made it his business
to learn how. Then he taught his children, and they taught their
children, and after a long time it came natural to the Mink family to
swim."

"Did it take old Mr. Mink very long to learn how?" asked Peter
wistfully.

"Quite a while," replied Grandfather Frog. "Quite a while. Perhaps you
would like to hear about it."

"Oh, if you please, Grandfather Frog," cried Peter. "If you please. I
should love dearly to hear about it. Perhaps then I can learn to swim."

Grandfather Frog snapped up a foolish green fly that happened his way,
and Peter heard something that sounded very much like a chuckle. He
looked at Grandfather Frog suspiciously. Was that chuckle because of the
foolish green fly, or was Grandfather Frog laughing at him? Peter wasn't
sure.

"It all happened a long time ago when the world was young, as a great
many other things happened," began Grandfather Frog. "Old Mr. Mink, the
ever-so-great-grandfather of Billy Mink, couldn't do all the things that
Billy can now. For instance, he couldn't swim. But he could do a great
many things, and he was very smart. It has always run in the Mink family
to be smart. He dressed very much as Billy does now, except that he
didn't have the waterproof coat that Billy has. And he was a great
traveler, just as Billy is. Everybody smaller than he and some who were
bigger were a little bit afraid of old Mr. Mink, for he was quite as sly
and cunning as Mr. Fox, and it was suspected that he knew a great deal
more than he ever admitted about eggs that were stolen and nests that
were broken up, and other strange things that happened in the Green
Forest and along the Laughing Brook. But he never was caught doing
anything wrong and always seemed to be minding his own business, so, all
things considered, he got along very well with his neighbors.

"Now Mr. Mink was small and spry, and his wits were as nimble as his
feet. He saw all that was going on about him, and he was wise enough to
keep his tongue still, so that it never got him into trouble as gossipy
tongues do some people I know."