“Go ahead.”
“All right, watch each other,” and looking at the bluefish he asked: “Old father blue, what have you to say?”
The whole scene was intended as a joke, but there was a surprised crowd in that boat when, in a strangely weird voice, the answer seemingly came from the fish:
“If I’d had my breakfast earlier you’d never have caught me.”
Of course it was a joke, of course somebody was working it with a marvelous skill, but who was doing it? The gentlemen had all known each other for many years and none of them knew that any one of them possessed the wonderful talent of ventriloquism, and in fact they did not believe that such a marvelous gift was possessed by any one not the best of magicians. Still there was the fish, and still there did appear to come from him the startling response to the question.
“Try him again,” said one.
“You try him.”
“What’s your game, fish?” asked the man.
The answer appeared to come:
“You fellows snatched me from the sea for food, but my relatives will dine on you all before this time to-morrow.”