Parrot and Magician

A magician was employed by a Shipping Line to entertain the passengers during cruises. The captain owned a parrot which always insisted on being part of the acts put on by the magician. He would perch on the edge of the stage and screech，“He does it with a mirror”or“He’s got it up his sleeve.”The magician was furious，but since the bird was a favorite with the captain and he was anxious to retain his position for future cruises，he maintained an angry silence. One evening as the magician worked，the parrot continued to harass the unfortunate man. Sadly the ship ran into a mine which had become detached from the sea floor after a storm. The explosion tore the bow off the ship which sank within a few minutes. Amid the wreckage and the lifeboats，the magician sat on one end of a table from the first class dining room. At the other end sat the parrot，dirty and disheveled，his feathers caked with fuel oil. For some time they eyed each other malevolently saying nothing. Finally the parrot shook himself and advanced across the table. He fixed the magician with a beady eye.“Okay，I give up，”he squawked.“What did you do with the ship？”

鹦鹉和魔术师

一个魔术师应聘于一艘游轮，为旅途中的游客提供娱乐。船长有一只鹦鹉，一定要魔术师在表演节目的时候带着它。它站在舞台边上，一会儿尖声叫着：“他用了一面镜子。”一会儿又叫道：“他把它藏到袖子里了。”魔术师很恼火，但考虑到这鸟是船长的宝贝，而自己还想在这条船以后的航班上继续演出，所以尽管很生气，也没有发作。一天晚上，魔术师正在表演，那只鹦鹉继续骚扰这位可怜人。这时，不幸的事发生了。因为风大，海底的一颗水雷离开了原来的位置，和这艘游轮相撞。爆炸将船首炸断，游轮不到几分钟就沉没了。魔术师坐在头等舱餐厅桌子的一端，另一头坐着那只鹦鹉，周围到处都是轮船的残骸和救生艇。鹦鹉浑身乱蓬蓬、脏兮兮的，羽毛上粘满了燃油。它和魔术师互相恶狠狠地看着对方，好一会儿都不说话。最后，鹦鹉抖抖身子，跳到桌子那头，瞪着一只眼睛，瞅着魔术师。“好了，我不捣乱了，”它叫道，“告诉我你用了什么戏法把船变成这样的？”