The beaver obeyed, and remained down long, even so that he came up utterly exhausted, but reported that he had not reached bottom.

Then the Rabbit sent down the otter, but he also returned nearly dead and without success.
Great was the disappointment of the company on the raft, for what better divers had they than the beaver and the otter?
In the midst of their distress the (female) muskrat came forward and announced her willingness to make the attempt.

Her proposal was received with derision, but as poor help is better than none in an emergency, the Rabbit gave her permission, and down she dived.

She too remained long, very long, a whole day and night, and they gave her up for lost.

But at length she floated to the surface, unconscious, her belly up, as if dead.
They hastily hauled her on the raft and examined her paws one by one.