The cruise ship captain had a very smart parrot that loved attending the shows aboard ship. He'd perch on the beams above the stage and carefully observe the entertainer throughout the show.

After a while, he'd know the routine so well that he'd often start singing along, if a band had performed the same song a few times. This sometimes added to the entertainment. But when a new illusionist started to perform, the parrot's close observation became a problem.

Because the audience would be different each week, the magician would allow himself to perform the same illusions over and over again. And the captain's parrot soon caught on.

Once he understood how the tricks worked, the parrot would call out in the middle of the show:

"Look, he is hiding another hat under the table!"

"That is not the same hanky!"

"All the cards are the same! Squawk!"

The illusionist would get absolutely furious at the parrot's betrayal, but he couldn't do anything, because the bird was the captain's beloved pet. So, the magician tried to vary his routine, to avoid embarrassment by the parrot. But the parrot had become such an expert at the tricks of the trade that he could see through many of the new tricks immediately!

All the illusionist could do was to try and outsmart the parrot. And he pulled out all the stops. He performed some of the greatest illusions ever conceived. But the parrot saw through them all, and informed the audience as well.

One day the ship sank. The illusionist was able to hang on to some floating wreckage, where the parrot was awaiting him, of course. The illusionist stared the parrot in the eye with hatred, and the parrot stared back. They glared at each other without uttering a single word.

The staring match went on while the days and nights passed unnoticed. It seemed as if this would go on forever, but after a week of staring, the parrot broke the silence:

"Okay, I give up. Where is the boat?"