Two mice lived in a small hole at the side of a lake. Every day they ran through the rushes and cattails, searching for something to eat. Usually they found seeds and berries and a few grains. “Sigh. I would love to have a piece of cheese. I was talking to Diggy the other day and he said that there's cheese on the other side of the lake. In fact, Diggy said there's so much cheese over there that we could live forever on it and never run out,” Marty said.

Sprat sighed too. “What a dream, Marty; all the cheese we ever wanted on the other side of the lake. It would be wonderful if it was true.”

“It is true, Sprat. Diggy was over there once.”

“Why didn't he stay there then? Why did he come back to this side of the lake?” Sprat gazed across the lake.

“Cats! The cats know that mice like cheese. They run wild. Diggy was lucky to get away,” Marty said.

“I say we go over there. We're smarter and faster than any cat. I'd love some of that cheese. If we build a raft, we could row over and then put as much cheese as we can carry on it and row back,” Sprat said.

“If you're brave enough, then so am I,” Marty said.

They went in search of pieces of reed stems, light and buoyant. After tying them together with string, they climbed on the raft. “We're off,” Sprat said.

They paddled across the loch. It took all day. When they reached the shore on the other side of the lake, they climbed off the raft and lay in the grass. “That was tiring! We'll have to stay here all night, get our cheese and rest for a while. We'll row back in the morning.” Marty was glad to see a full moon. “I hope there are no cats nearby.”