fur him ter tote dan dat flat tail wat he got now; but den he wouldn't
let de frogs erlone: he des tored down dey houses an' devilled 'em, till
dey 'lowed dey wouldn't stan' it; an' so, one moonshiny night, wen he
wuz er stan'in on de bank uv er mighty swif'-runnin' creek, ole Brer
Bullfrog he hollered at him,

"'Come over! come over!'

"He knowed de water wuz too swiff fur de beaver, but den he 'lowed ter
pay him back fur tearin' down his house. Well, de Beaver he stood dar er
lookin' at de creek, an' by'mby he axes,

"'How deep is it?'

"'Knee-deep, knee-deep,' answered the little frogs. An' de Bullfrogs,
dey kep' er sayin, 'Come over, come over;' an' de little frogs kep' er
hollin,' 'Jus' knee-keep; jus' knee-deep,' tell de Beaver he pitched in
fur ter swim 'cross; an', gemmun, de creek wuz so deep, an de water so
swiff, tell hit put 'im up ter all he knowed. He had ter strain an' ter
wrestle wid dat water tell hit flattent his tail out same ez er shobel,
an' er little mo'n he'd er los' his life; but hit larnt him er lesson. I
ain't _nuber_ hyeard uv his meddlin' wid nuffin' fum dat time ter dis;
but, I tell yer, in de hot summer nights, wen he hatter drag dat flat
tail uv his'n atter him ev'ywhar he go, 'stid er havin' er nice handy
tail wat he kin turn ober his back like er squ'l, I lay yer, mun, he's
wusht er many er time he'd er kep' his dev'lment ter hisse'f, an' let
dem frogs erlone."

Here Daddy Jake happened to look down, and he caught Polly nodding.