"But I can help you," he answered, "only after you have plunged into the pond. Do you think you can change yourself into one of us?"
"That is easy," said Grasshopper.
He waded into the water up to his waist; and behold! he
had a broad flat tail. Deeper and deeper he went; as the water closed above his head he became a beaver, with glossy, black fur, and feet webbed like a duck's. Down he sank with the others to the bottom, which was covered with heaps of logs and branches.
"That," explained Ahmeek, "is the food we have stored for the winter. We eat the bark, and you will soon be as fat as any of us."
"But I want to be even fatter," said Grasshopper. "Flatter and ten times as big."
"As you please," agreed Ahmeek. "We can help to make you just as big as you wish."
They reached the lodge where the beavers lived, and entered the doorway, leading into a number of large rooms. Grasshopper selected the largest one for himself.
"Now," he said, "bring me all the food I can eat, and when I am big enough I will be your chief."