"You zee, ladies," the operator said, "zat ze pizon does not bleed, as you ordered."
"With blood," suppose another spectator said. Then Bosco loosened the artery, and let the blood run on a plate, which he handed round for inspection. The head, after being cut off, was placed upright on one of the blocks; and Bosco, taking advantage of a convulsive movement, which caused the beak to open, made this barbarous jest: "Come, mossiou, bow to zis amiable company--now once more. Ah, ah, zat is right."
The public listened, but no longer laughed.
The same operation was performed on a white pigeon without the slightest variation, after which Bosco placed the bodies in two false-bottomed boxes, being careful to put the black head with the white pigeon, and the white head with the black one. Then he repeated his conjurations over the boxes, and when he opened them, a black pigeon came with a white head, and a white one with a black head. Each of the culprits, according to Bosco, had been restored to life, and assumed its comrade's head.
"Well, what do you think of that?" Antonio's neighbor asked him, as he clapped vociferously.
"To tell you the truth," my friend replied, "I must say the trick is not very wonderful. Besides, I should like it better were it performed with less cruelty."
"Ah, you have delicate nerves, I see," the neighbor said; "perhaps you experience similar sensations when you see a fowl killed and put on the spit?"
"Allow me, sir, before answering you," my friend replied, sharply, "to ask if I have come here to see a kitchen performance?"
The discussion was growing warm, and was rather savage in its tone, when a third party terminated the dispute by the following jest:
"Hang it, sir," he said to Antonio, "if you do not like cruelty, at any rate do not disgust other people with it."
Bosco now returned on the stage with a canary in his hand.
"Zentlemen," he said, "this is Piarot: he is very polite, and zall zalute you. Come, Piarot, do your duty." And he pinched the bird's claws with such force that the unfortunate tried to escape from this cruel clutch. Overcome by pain, it bent down over the juggler's hand, uttering cries of distress.
"Zat is good; I am satisfied wiz you. You see, ladies, he not only zalutes you, but he says 'Good-night.' Continue, Piarot, you zall be rewarded."