om getting too far away from the
strange creature who seemed almost as much at home in the water as they
were, the fish began swimming about in all directions.

This was just what Joe wanted, for he knew it added to the
effectiveness of the act. He believed that the audience would be
fascinated in seeing him through the glass, surrounded as he was by
real, live, swimming fish.

Waiting a moment to let the golden creatures become quiet, Joe began
his own swimming movements, turning, circling and somersaulting in the
limpid element. He slowly waved his hands to and fro, pretending to be
playing with the fish. Sometimes one or two of them would slip through
his fingers, and he might have caught them, only he did not want to
injure them.

Joe had bargained for the biggest goldfish he could buy, so they could
easily be seen from even the far end of the tent. At night, when there
was no sunlight to illuminate the scene, a big gasoline incandescent
light overhead and smaller ones arranged like footlights on a stage, to
shine up, would make the tank of water even more plainly visible and
more brilliant than in the afternoon.

"I guess I didn't make any mistake in this experiment," thought Joe, as
he looked out through the glass and saw the crowd applauding.

His swimming exhibition at an end, Joe came out to prepare for the
second part of his act--the under-water endurance feat, during which he
did several simple tricks.

"Though the fish swimming about may spoil some of the juggling," Joe
mused. "I never thought of that. However, it may make the act take all
the better if it's a bit funny."

As a matter of fact, it did.

Joe took a little longer than usual to inflate his lungs this time. He
was going to try to remain under water longer than he had done on the
other occasions.

The iron box of tricks was slowly lowered into the tank, for Joe did
not want to frighten the fish any more than he could help. Then he got
in himself, not diving this time, as he had found on the first dive
that the fish were very much startled.

"And as long as they are my silent partners in this act I must treat
'em fairly," thought Joe, as he went under water.

He did a little juggling with the iron balls, and, just as he had half
anticipated, a big goldfish swam between his hand and the ball once,
just as he was about to catch it. He, therefore, failed to get the
ball, and, taking advantage of the occasion, he pretended to get angry.