It lays
over 'm 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 raveling 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 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