And Long Bill agreed that he did need help—and a good deal of it, too.
"Well," Mr. Frog said with a giggle, "I'll get old Mr. Turtle to assist me. And between us we'll have your old skin off before you know it."
He began to bellow Mr. Turtle's name at the top of his lungs. And soon the old gentleman's black head popped out of the water. And presently Mr. Turtle waddled up the bank of Black Creek and listened to Ferdinand Frog's directions.
"You take hold of Long Bill's tail," Mr. Frog ordered him, while to the frightened owner of the tail he said cheerfully, "Anything Mr. Turtle takes hold of just has to come. He never lets go until it does."
Now, Long Bill Wren had suddenly made up his mind that he wouldn't take a mud bath, after all. He didn't like the prospect of having his skin pulled off. Suppose Mr. Frog should be mistaken about that second skin, which the tailor claimed lay underneath the old one?
Long Bill believed that with no skin at all he would find his rheumatism much worse than before. And he would certainly be a queer-looking object.
So as old Mr. Turtle crawled slowly towards him, he drew away.
"I'm going to wait——" Long Bill announced.
"Why?" Mr. Frog demanded.
"Going to wait till the weather is warmer," Long Bill faltered.