"Why, what is the matter?" asked Toodle, quickly swimming up close to his friend.
"Oh, something has hold of my leg, down under water," said the duck boy. "I think it is a bad water rat. Oh, dear!"
Jimmie pulled and tugged, trying to get loose, but he could not. He was held fast.
"Quick!" cried Toodle to his brother Noodle. "You swim home and get Grandpa Whackum. He'll know what to do. I'll stay by Jimmie!"
Off swam Noodle for help and Toodle stayed with the duck boy. And then the bad water rat, who had hold of Jimmie's leg under water, began pulling him along to his den beneath the rushes.
"Oh, save me! Save me!" cried poor Jimmie. "The rat is taking me away."
"I'll see if I can save you!" cried Toodle, and down under the water he dived. Surely enough, he saw the bad rat who had hold of Jimmie's leg.
"Let go my friend!" cried Toodle, bravely.
"No, no!" snapped the rat. "I'm going to eat him!" and that rat showed his teeth under water, which made them look very big, and he growled at Toodle so that the little beaver boy was frightened.
Up he came out of the water. He did not know how to save Jimmie, until, all of a sudden, he saw the cake of soap on the duck's back. It had not fallen off, very luckily.