"Wait until the Shark has digested us both, I suppose."
"But I don't want to be digested," shouted Pinocchio, starting to sob.
"Neither do I," said the Tunny, "but I am wise enough to think that ifone is born a fish, it is more dignified to die under the water than inthe frying pan."
"What nonsense!" cried Pinocchio.
"Mine is an opinion," replied the Tunny, "and opinions should berespected."
"But I want to get out of this place. I want to escape."
"Go, if you can!"
"Is this Shark that has swallowed us very long?" asked the Marionette.
"His body, not counting the tail, is almost a mile long."
While talking in the darkness, Pinocchio thought he saw a faint light inthe distance.
"What can that be?" he said to the Tunny.
"Some other poor fish, waiting as patiently as we to be digested by theShark."
"I want to see him. He may be an old fish and may know some way ofescape."
"I wish you all good luck, dear Marionette."
"Good-by, Tunny."
"Good-by, Marionette, and good luck."
"When shall I see you again?"
"Who knows? It is better not to think about it."
CHAPTER 35
In the Shark's body Pinocchio finds whom? Read this chapter, mychildren, and you will know.
Pinocchio, as soon as he had said good-by to his good friend, the Tunny,tottered away in the darkness and began to walk as well as he couldtoward the faint light which glowed in the distance.
As he walked his feet splashed in a pool of greasy and slippery water,which had such a heavy smell of fish fried in oil that Pinocchio thoughtit was Lent.
The farther on he went, the brighter and clearer grew the tiny light. Onand on he walked till finally he found--I give you a thousand guesses,my dear children! He found a little table set for dinner and lighted bya candle stuck in a glass bottle; and near the table sat a little oldman, white as the snow, eating live fish. They wriggled so that, now andagain, one of them slipped out of the old man's mouth and escaped intothe darkness under the table.
At this sight, the poor Marionette was filled with such great and suddenhappiness that he almost dropped in a faint. He wanted to laugh, hewanted to cry, he wanted to say a thousand and one things, but all hecould do was to stand still, stuttering and stammering brokenly. Atlast, with a great effort, he was able to let out a scream of joy and,opening wide his arms he threw them around the old man's neck.
"Oh, Father, dear Father! Have I found you at last? Now I shall never,never leave you again!"
"Are my eyes really telling me the truth?" answered the old man, rubbinghis eyes. "Are you really my own dear Pinocchio?"
"Yes, yes, yes! It is I! Look at me! And you have forgiven me, haven'tyou? Oh, my dear Father, how good you are! And to think that I--Oh, butif you only knew how many misfortunes have fallen on my head and howmany troubles I have had! Just think that on the day you sold your oldcoat to buy me my A-B-C book so that I could go to school, I ran away tothe Marionette Theater and the proprietor caught me and wanted to burnme to cook his roast lamb! He was the one who gave me the five goldpieces for you, but I met the Fox and the Cat, who took me to the Inn ofthe Red Lobster. There they ate like wolves and I left the Inn aloneand I met the Assassins in the wood. I ran and they ran after me, alwaysafter me, till they hanged me to the branch of a giant oak tree. Thenthe Fairy of the Azure Hair sent the coach to rescue me and the doctors,after looking at me, said, 'If he is not dead, then he is surely alive,'and then I told a lie and my nose began to grow. It grew and it grew,till I couldn't get it through the door of the room. And then I wentwith the Fox and the Cat to the Field of Wonders to bury the goldpieces. The Parrot laughed at me and, instead of two thousand goldpieces, I found none. When the Judge heard I had been robbed, he sentme to jail to make the thieves happy; and when I came away I saw a finebunch of grapes hanging on a vine. The trap caught me and the Farmer puta collar on me and made me a watchdog. He found out I was innocent whenI caught the Weasels and he let me go. The Serpent with the tail thatsmoked started to laugh and a vein in his chest broke and so I went backto the Fairy's house. She was dead, and the Pigeon, seeing me crying,said to me, 'I have seen your father building a boat to look for you inAmerica,' and I said to him, 'Oh, if I only had wings!' and he said tome, 'Do you want to go to your father?' and I said, 'Perhaps, but how?'and he said, 'Get on my back. I'll take you there.' We flew all nightlong, and next morning the fishermen were looking toward the sea,crying, 'There is a poor little man drowning,' and I knew it was you,because my heart told me so and I waved to you from the shore--"
"I knew you also," put in Geppetto, "and I wanted to go to you; but howcould I? The sea was rough and the whitecaps overturned the boat. Thena Terrible Shark came up out of the sea and, as soon as he saw me in thewater, swam quickly toward me, put out his tongue, and swallowed me aseasily as if I had been a chocolate peppermint."
"And how long have you been shut away in here?"
"From that day to this, two long weary years--two years, my Pinocchio,which have been like two centuries."
"And how have you lived? Where did you find the candle? And the matcheswith which to light it--where did you get them?"
"You must know that, in the storm which swamped my boat, a large shipalso suffered the same fate. The sailors were all saved, but the shipwent right to the bottom of the sea, and the same Terrible Shark thatswallowed me, swallowed most of it."
"What! Swallowed a ship?" asked Pinocchio in astonishment.
"At one gulp. The only thing he spat out was the main-mast, for itstuck in his teeth. To my own good luck, that ship was loaded with meat,preserved foods, crackers, bread, bottles of wine, raisins, cheese,coffee, sugar, wax candles, and boxes of matches. With all theseblessings, I have been able to live happily on for two whole years, butnow I am at the very last crumbs. Today there is nothing left in thecupboard, and this candle you see here is the last one I have."
"And then?"
"And then, my dear, we'll find ourselves in darkness."
"Then, my dear Father," said Pinocchio, "there is no time to lose. Wemust try to escape."
"Escape! How?"
"We can run out of the Shark's mouth and dive into the sea."
"You speak well, but I cannot swim, my dear Pinocchio."
"Why should that matter? You can climb on my shoulders and I, who am afine swimmer, will carry you safely to the shore."
"Dreams, my boy!" answered Geppetto, shaking his head and smiling sadly."Do you think it possible for a Marionette, a yard high, to have thestrength to carry me on his shoulders and swim?"
"Try it and see! And in any case, if it is written that we must die, weshall at least die together."
Not adding another word, Pinocchio took the candle in his hand and goingahead to light the way, he said to his father:
"Follow me and have no fear."
They walked a long distance through the stomach and the whole body ofthe Shark. When they reached the throat of the monster, they stopped fora while to wait for the right moment in which to make their escape.
I want you to know that the Shark, being very old and suffering fromasthma and heart trouble, was obliged to sleep with his mouth open.Because of this, Pinocchio was able to catch a glimpse of the sky filledwith stars, as he looked up through the open jaws of his new home.
"The time has come for us to escape," he whispered, turning to hisfather. "The Shark is fast asleep. The sea is calm and the night isas bright as day. Follow me closely, dear Father, and we shall soon besaved."
No sooner said than done. They climbed up the throat of the monster tillthey came to that immense open mouth. There they had to walk on tiptoes,for if they tickled the Shark's long tongue he might awaken--and wherewould they be then? The tongue was so wide and so long that it lookedlike a country road. The two fugitives were just about to dive into thesea when the Shark sneezed very suddenly and,
as he sneezed, he gavePinocchio and Geppetto such a jolt that they found themselves thrownon their backs and dashed once more and very unceremoniously into thestomach of the monster.
To make matters worse, the candle went out and father and son were leftin the dark.
"And now?" asked Pinocchio with a serious face.
"Now we are lost."
"Why lost? Give me your hand, dear Father, and be careful not to slip!"
"Where will you take me?"
"We must try again. Come with me and don't be afraid."
With these words Pinocchio took his father by the hand and, alwayswalking on tiptoes, they climbed up the monster's throat for a secondtime. They then crossed the whole tongue and jumped over three rows ofteeth. But before they took the last great leap, the Marionette said tohis father:
"Climb on my back and hold on tightly to my neck. I'll take care ofeverything else."
As soon as Geppetto was comfortably seated on his shoulders, Pinocchio,very sure of what he was doing, dived into the water and started toswim. The sea was like oil, the moon shone in all splendor, and theShark continued to sleep so soundly that not even a cannon shot wouldhave awakened him.
CHAPTER 36
Pinocchio finally ceases to be a Marionette and becomes a boy
"My dear Father, we are saved!" cried the Marionette. "All we have to donow is to get to the shore, and that is easy."
Without another word, he swam swiftly away in an effort to reach land assoon as possible. All at once he noticed that Geppetto was shivering andshaking as if with a high fever.
Was he shivering from fear or from cold? Who knows? Perhaps a littleof both. But Pinocchio, thinking his father was frightened, tried tocomfort him by saying:
"Courage, Father! In a few moments we shall be safe on land."
"But where is that blessed shore?" asked the little old man, more andmore worried as he tried to pierce the faraway shadows. "Here I amsearching on all sides and I see nothing but sea and sky."
"I see the shore," said the Marionette. "Remember, Father, that I amlike a cat. I see better at night than by day."
Poor Pinocchio pretended to be peaceful and contented, but he wasfar from that. He was beginning to feel discouraged, his strength wasleaving him, and his breathing was becoming more and more labored. Hefelt he could not go on much longer, and the shore was still far away.
He swam a few more strokes. Then he turned to Geppetto and cried outweakly:
"Help me, Father! Help, for I am dying!"
Father and son were really about to drown when they heard a voice like aguitar out of tune call from the sea:
"What is the trouble?"
"It is I and my poor father."
"I know the voice. You are Pinocchio."
"Exactly. And you?"
"I am the Tunny, your companion in the Shark's stomach."
"And how did you escape?"
"I imitated your example. You are the one who showed me the way andafter you went, I followed."
"Tunny, you arrived at the right moment! I implore you, for the love youbear your children, the little Tunnies, to help us, or we are lost!"
"With great pleasure indeed. Hang onto my tail, both of you, and let melead you. In a twinkling you will be safe on land."
Geppetto and Pinocchio, as you can easily imagine, did not refuse theinvitation; indeed, instead of hanging onto the tail, they thought itbetter to climb on the Tunny's back.
"Are we too heavy?" asked Pinocchio.
"Heavy? Not in the least. You are as light as sea-shells," answered theTunny, who was as large as a two-year-old horse.
As soon as they reached the shore, Pinocchio was the first to jump tothe ground to help his old father. Then he turned to the fish and saidto him:
"Dear friend, you have saved my father, and I have not enough wordswith which to thank you! Allow me to embrace you as a sign of my eternalgratitude."
The Tunny stuck his nose out of the water and Pinocchio knelt on thesand and kissed him most affectionately on his cheek. At this warmgreeting, the poor Tunny, who was not used to such tenderness, weptlike a child. He felt so embarrassed and ashamed that he turned quickly,plunged into the sea, and disappeared.
In the meantime day had dawned.
Pinocchio offered his arm to Geppetto, who was so weak he could hardlystand, and said to him:
"Lean on my arm, dear Father, and let us go. We will walk very, veryslowly, and if we feel tired we can rest by the wayside."
"And where are we going?" asked Geppetto.
"To look for a house or a hut, where they will be kind enough to give usa bite of bread and a bit of straw to sleep on."
They had not taken a hundred steps when they saw two rough-lookingindividuals sitting on a stone begging for alms.
It was the Fox and the Cat, but one could hardly recognize them, theylooked so miserable. The Cat, after pretending to be blind for so manyyears had really lost the sight of both eyes. And the Fox, old, thin,and almost hairless, had even lost his tail. That sly thief had falleninto deepest poverty, and one day he had been forced to sell hisbeautiful tail for a bite to eat.
"Oh, Pinocchio," he cried in a tearful voice. "Give us some alms, we begof you! We are old, tired, and sick."
"Sick!" repeated the Cat.
"Addio, false friends!" answered the Marionette. "You cheated me once,but you will never catch me again."
"Believe us! Today we are truly poor and starving."
"Starving!" repeated the Cat.
"If you are poor; you deserve it! Remember the old proverb which says:'Stolen money never bears fruit.' Addio, false friends."
"Have mercy on us!"
"On us."
"Addio, false friends. Remember the old proverb which says: 'Bad wheatalways makes poor bread!'"
"Do not abandon us."
"Abandon us," repeated the Cat.
"Addio, false friends. Remember the old proverb: 'Whoever steals hisneighbor's shirt, usually dies without his own.'"
Waving good-by to them, Pinocchio and Geppetto calmly went on their way.After a few more steps, they saw, at the end of a long road near a clumpof trees, a tiny cottage built of straw.
"Someone must live in that little hut," said Pinocchio. "Let us see forourselves."
They went and knocked at the door.
"Who is it?" said a little voice from within.
"A poor father and a poorer son, without food and with no roof to coverthem," answered the Marionette.
"Turn the key and the door will open," said the same little voice.
Pinocchio turned the key and the door opened. As soon as they went in,they looked here and there and everywhere but saw no one.
"Oh--ho, where is the owner of the hut?" cried Pinocchio, very muchsurprised.
"Here I am, up here!"
Father and son looked up to the ceiling, and there on a beam sat theTalking Cricket.
"Oh, my dear Cricket," said Pinocchio, bowing politely.
"Oh, now you call me your dear Cricket, but do you remember when youthrew your hammer at me to kill me?"
"You are right, dear Cricket. Throw a hammer at me now. I deserve it!But spare my poor old father."
"I am going to spare both the father and the son. I have only wanted toremind you of the trick you long ago played upon me, to teach you thatin this world of ours we must be kind and courteous to others, if wewant to find kindness and courtesy in our own days of trouble."
"You are right, little Cricket, you are more than right, and I shallremember the lesson you have taught me. But will you tell how yousucceeded in buying this pretty little cottage?"
"This cottage was given to me yesterday by a little Goat with bluehair."
"And where did the Goat go?" asked Pinocchio.
"I don't know."
"And when will she come back?"
"She will never come back. Yesterday she went away bleating sadly, andit seemed to me she said: 'Poor Pinocchio, I shall never see him again.. .the Shark mu
st have eaten him by this time.'"
"Were those her real words? Then it was she--it was--my dear littleFairy," cried out Pinocchio, sobbing bitterly. After he had cried along time, he wiped his eyes and then he made a bed of straw for oldGeppetto. He laid him on it and said to the Talking Cricket:
"Tell me, little Cricket, where shall I find a glass of milk for my poorFather?"
"Three fields away from here lives Farmer John. He has some cows. Gothere and he will give you what you want."
Pinocchio ran all the way to Farmer John's house. The Farmer said tohim:
"How much milk do you want?"
"I want a full glass."
"A full glass costs a penny. First give me the penny."
"I have no penny," answered Pinocchio, sad and ashamed.
"Very bad, my Marionette," answered the Farmer, "very bad. If you haveno penny, I have no milk."
"Too bad," said Pinocchio and started to go.
"Wait a moment," said Farmer John. "Perhaps we can come to terms. Do youknow how to draw water from a well?"
"I can try."
"Then go to that well you see yonder and draw one hundred bucketfuls ofwater."
"Very well."
"After you have finished, I shall give you a glass of warm sweet milk."
"I am satisfied."
Farmer John took the Marionette to the well and showed him how to drawthe water. Pinocchio set to work as well as he knew how, but long beforehe had pulled up the one hundred buckets, he was tired out and drippingwith perspiration. He had never worked so hard in his life.