“I judge it ain’t often, by the way you say it. Now, you tackle it in dead earnest once, and you’ll find it’ll pay. Don’t you get discouraged, but hang right on. First, you won’t understand it; but by and by things will begin to clear up, and then you wouldn’t lay it down to eat.”
“Yes, I have heard that said.”
“And it’s so, too. There ain’t a book that begins with it. It lays over ’em all, Peters. There’s some pretty tough things in it,—there ain’t any getting around that,—but you stick to them and think them out, and when once you get on the inside everything’s plain as day.”
“The miracles, too, captain?”
“Yes, sir! the miracles, too. Every one of them. Now, there’s that business with the prophets of Baal; like enough that stumped you?”
“Well, I don’t know but—”
“Own up, now; it stumped you. Well, I don’t wonder. You hadn’t had any experience in ravelling such things out, and naturally it was too many for you. Would you like to have me explain that thing to you, and show you how to get at the meat of these matters?”
“Indeed, I would, captain, if you don’t mind.”
Then the captain proceeded as follows: “I’ll do it with pleasure. First, you see, I read and read, and thought and thought, till I got to understand what sort of people they were in the old Bible times, and then after that it was clear and easy. Now, this was the way I put it up, concerning Isaac[[3]] and the prophets of Baal. There was some mighty sharp men amongst the public characters of that old ancient day, and Isaac was one of them. Isaac had his failings,—plenty of them, too; it ain’t for me to apologize for Isaac; he played on the prophets of Baal, and like enough he was justifiable, considering the odds that was against him. No, all I say is, ’t wa’n’t any miracle, and that I’ll show you so’s’t you can see it yourself.
[3]. This is the captain’s own mistake.