"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 all clear and easy. Now this was the way I put it up,
concerning Isaac--[This is the captain's own mistake]--and the prophets
of Baal. There was some mighty sharp men among 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
it on the prophets of Baal, and like enough he was justifiable,
considering the odds that was against him. No, all I say is, 'twa'n't
any miracle, and that I'll show you so's't you can see it yourself.

"Well, times had been getting rougher and rougher for prophets--that is,
prophets of Isaac's denomination. There was four hundred and fifty
prophets of Baal in the community, and only one Presbyterian; that is,
if Isaac was a Presbyterian, which I reckon he was, but it don't say.
Naturally, the prophets of Baal took all the trade. Isaac was pretty
low-spirited, I reckon, but he was a good deal of a man, and no doubt he
went a-prophesying around, letting on to be doing a land-office business,
but 'twa'n't any use; he couldn't run any opposition to amount to
anything. By and by things got desperate with him; he sets his head to
work and thinks it all out, and then what does he do? Why, he begins to
throw out hints that the other parties are this and that and t'other
--nothing very definite, maybe, but just kind of undermining their
reputation in a quiet way. This made talk, of course, and finally got to
the king. The king asked Isaac what he meant by his talk. Says Isaac,
'Oh, nothing particular; only, can they pray-down fire from heaven on an