An Englishman, a Frenchman, and an Italian get caught up in a revolution in Poland and are all condemned to die. The Englishman is brought out before the firing squad first. The captain of the guards says, “Ready… aim…” and the Englishman suddenly shouts out, “Earthquake!” The Polish soldiers scatter in terror and the Englishman escapes.
The Frenchman is now brought out to stand before the firing squad first. The captain of the guards says, “Ready… aim…” and the Frenchman shouts, “Flood!” Once again the Polish soldiers scatter and the Frenchman escapes.
The Italian watches all this and thinks, “If they can do it, I can too.” He’s brought out in front of the firing squad and the captain of the guards says, “Ready… aim…” The Italian shouts, “Fire!”