The rodent in trouble
The ground and the trees had both become a very mushy and drenched mess as a result of the rain. Both of these conditions were caused by the rain. As Jim moved closer to the beast, it became abundantly clear to him that it was significantly larger than a beaver. This realisation came as Jim was getting closer to the beast. It was an extremely remote possibility that there was a beaver in that area of the forest.
As soon as Jim realised that the enormous beast was cornered in the muck, he did not waste any time in getting to work. In fact, he did not waste any time at all. In the end, it was required of him to take some action in order to assist the animal, but he had no idea what action should be taken in order to assist the animal in the most effective manner.