"You'll pay for it!"
"Really, you amuse me," answered the Marionette, nodding his head.
"Hey, Pinocchio," cried the tallest of them all, "that will do. We aretired of hearing you bragging about yourself, you little turkey cock!You may not be afraid of us, but remember we are not afraid of you,either! You are alone, you know, and we are seven."
"Like the seven sins," said Pinocchio, still laughing.
"Did you hear that? He has insulted us all. He has called us sins."
"Pinocchio, apologize for that, or look out!"
"Cuck--oo!" said the Marionette, mocking them with his thumb to hisnose.
"You'll be sorry!"
"Cuck--oo!"
"We'll whip you soundly!"
"Cuck--oo!"
"You'll go home with a broken nose!"
"Cuck--oo!"
"Very well, then! Take that, and keep it for your supper," called outthe boldest of his tormentors.
And with the words, he gave Pinocchio a terrible blow on the head.
Pinocchio answered with another blow, and that was the signal for thebeginning of the fray. In a few moments, the fight raged hot and heavyon both sides.
Pinocchio, although alone, defended himself bravely. With those twowooden feet of his, he worked so fast that his opponents kept at arespectful distance. Wherever they landed, they left their painful markand the boys could only run away and howl.
Enraged at not being able to fight the Marionette at close quarters,they started to throw all kinds of books at him. Readers, geographies,histories, grammars flew in all directions. But Pinocchio was keen ofeye and swift of movement, and the books only passed over his head,landed in the sea, and disappeared.
The fish, thinking they might be good to eat, came to the top of thewater in great numbers. Some took a nibble, some took a bite, but nosooner had they tasted a page or two, than they spat them out with a wryface, as if to say:
"What a horrid taste! Our own food is so much better!"
Meanwhile, the battle waxed more and more furious. At the noise, a largeCrab crawled slowly out of the water and, with a voice that sounded likea trombone suffering from a cold, he cried out:
"Stop fighting, you rascals! These battles between boys rarely end well.Trouble is sure to come to you!"
Poor Crab! He might as well have spoken to the wind. Instead oflistening to his good advice, Pinocchio turned to him and said asroughly as he knew how:
"Keep quiet, ugly Gab! It would be better for you to chew a few coughdrops to get rid of that cold you have. Go to bed and sleep! You willfeel better in the morning."
In the meantime, the boys, having used all their books, looked aroundfor new ammunition. Seeing Pinocchio's bundle lying idle near-by, theysomehow managed to get hold of it.
One of the books was a very large volume, an arithmetic text, heavilybound in leather. It was Pinocchio's pride. Among all his books, heliked that one the best.
Thinking it would make a fine missile, one of the boys took hold of itand threw it with all his strength at Pinocchio's head. But instead ofhitting the Marionette, the book struck one of the other boys, who, aspale as a ghost, cried out faintly: "Oh, Mother, help! I'm dying!" andfell senseless to the ground.
At the sight of that pale little corpse, the boys were so frightenedthat they turned tail and ran. In a few moments, all had disappeared.
All except Pinocchio. Although scared to death by the horror of whathad been done, he ran to the sea and soaked his handkerchief in the coolwater and with it bathed the head of his poor little schoolmate. Sobbingbitterly, he called to him, saying:
"Eugene! My poor Eugene! Open your eyes and look at me! Why don't youanswer? I was not the one who hit you, you know. Believe me, I didn'tdo it. Open your eyes, Eugene? If you keep them shut, I'll die, too.Oh, dear me, how shall I ever go home now? How shall I ever look at mylittle mother again? What will happen to me? Where shall I go? Whereshall I hide? Oh, how much better it would have been, a thousand timesbetter, if only I had gone to school! Why did I listen to those boys?They always were a bad influence! And to think that the teacher had toldme--and my mother, too!--'Beware of bad company!' That's what she said.But I'm stubborn and proud. I listen, but always I do as I wish. Andthen I pay. I've never had a moment's peace since I've been born! Oh,dear! What will become of me? What will become of me?"
Pinocchio went on crying and moaning and beating his head. Again andagain he called to his little friend, when suddenly he heard heavy stepsapproaching.
He looked up and saw two tall Carabineers near him.
"What are you doing stretched out on the ground?" they asked Pinocchio.
"I'm helping this schoolfellow of mine."
"Has he fainted?"
"I should say so," said one of the Carabineers, bending to look atEugene. "This boy has been wounded on the temple. Who has hurt him?"
"Not I," stammered the Marionette, who had hardly a breath left in hiswhole body.
"If it wasn't you, who was it, then?"
"Not I," repeated Pinocchio.
"And with what was he wounded?"
"With this book," and the Marionette picked up the arithmetic text toshow it to the officer.
"And whose book is this?"
"Mine."
"Enough."
"Not another word! Get up as quickly as you can and come along with us."
"But I--"
"Come with us!"
"But I am innocent."
"Come with us!"
Before starting out, the officers called out to several fishermenpassing by in a boat and said to them:
"Take care of this little fellow who has been hurt. Take him home andbind his wounds. Tomorrow we'll come after him."
They then took hold of Pinocchio and, putting him between them, said tohim in a rough voice: "March! And go quickly, or it will be the worsefor you!"
They did not have to repeat their words. The Marionette walked swiftlyalong the road to the village. But the poor fellow hardly knew whathe was about. He thought he had a nightmare. He felt ill. His eyes saweverything double, his legs trembled, his tongue was dry, and, try as hemight, he could not utter a single word. Yet, in spite of this numbnessof feeling, he suffered keenly at the thought of passing under thewindows of his good little Fairy's house. What would she say on seeinghim between two Carabineers?
They had just reached the village, when a sudden gust of wind blew offPinocchio's cap and made it go sailing far down the street.
"Would you allow me," the Marionette asked the Carabineers, "to runafter my cap?"
"Very well, go; but hurry."
The Marionette went, picked up his cap--but instead of putting it on hishead, he stuck it between his teeth and then raced toward the sea.
He went like a bullet out of a gun.
The Carabineers, judging that it would be very difficult to catch him,sent a large Mastiff after him, one that had won first prize in all thedog races. Pinocchio ran fast and the Dog ran faster. At so much noise,the people hung out of the windows or gathered in the street, anxious tosee the end of the contest. But they were disappointed, for the Dog andPinocchio raised so much dust on the road that, after a few moments, itwas impossible to see them.
CHAPTER 28
Pinocchio runs the danger of being fried in a pan like a fish
During that wild chase, Pinocchio lived through a terrible moment whenhe almost gave himself up as lost. This was when Alidoro (that was theMastiff's name), in a frenzy of running, came so near that he was on thevery point of reaching him.
The Marionette heard, close behind him, the labored breathing of thebeast who was fast on his trail, and now and again even felt his hotbreath blow over him.
Luckily, by this time, he was very near the shore, and the sea was insight; in fact, only a few short steps away.
As soon as he set foot on the beach, Pinocchio gave a leap and fell intothe water. Alidoro tried to stop, but as he was running very fast, hecouldn't, and he, too, la
nded far out in the sea. Strange though it mayseem, the Dog could not swim. He beat the water with his paws to holdhimself up, but the harder he tried, the deeper he sank. As he stuck hishead out once more, the poor fellow's eyes were bulging and he barkedout wildly, "I drown! I drown!"
"Drown!" answered Pinocchio from afar, happy at his escape.
"Help, Pinocchio, dear little Pinocchio! Save me from death!"
At those cries of suffering, the Marionette, who after all had a verykind heart, was moved to compassion. He turned toward the poor animaland said to him:
"But if I help you, will you promise not to bother me again by runningafter me?"
"I promise! I promise! Only hurry, for if you wait another second, I'llbe dead and gone!"
Pinocchio hesitated still another minute. Then, remembering how hisfather had often told him that a kind deed is never lost, he swam toAlidoro and, catching hold of his tail, dragged him to the shore.
The poor Dog was so weak he could not stand. He had swallowed so muchsalt water that he was swollen like a balloon. However, Pinocchio, notwishing to trust him too much, threw himself once again into the sea. Ashe swam away, he called out:
"Good-by, Alidoro, good luck and remember me to the family!"
"Good-by, little Pinocchio," answered the Dog. "A thousand thanks forhaving saved me from death. You did me a good turn, and, in this world,what is given is always returned. If the chance comes, I shall bethere."
Pinocchio went on swimming close to shore. At last he thought he hadreached a safe place. Glancing up and down the beach, he saw the openingof a cave out of which rose a spiral of smoke.
"In that cave," he said to himself, "there must be a fire. So much thebetter. I'll dry my clothes and warm myself, and then--well--"
His mind made up, Pinocchio swam to the rocks, but as he started toclimb, he felt something under him lifting him up higher and higher. Hetried to escape, but he was too late. To his great surprise, he foundhimself in a huge net, amid a crowd of fish of all kinds and sizes, whowere fighting and struggling desperately to free themselves.
At the same time, he saw a Fisherman come out of the cave, a Fishermanso ugly that Pinocchio thought he was a sea monster. In place of hair,his head was covered by a thick bush of green grass. Green was the skinof his body, green were his eyes, green was the long, long beard thatreached down to his feet. He looked like a giant lizard with legs andarms.
When the Fisherman pulled the net out of the sea, he cried out joyfully:
"Blessed Providence! Once more I'll have a fine meal of fish!"
"Thank Heaven, I'm not a fish!" said Pinocchio to himself, trying withthese words to find a little courage.
The Fisherman took the net and the fish to the cave, a dark, gloomy,smoky place. In the middle of it, a pan full of oil sizzled over asmoky fire, sending out a repelling odor of tallow that took away one'sbreath.
"Now, let's see what kind of fish we have caught today," said the GreenFisherman. He put a hand as big as a spade into the net and pulled out ahandful of mullets.
"Fine mullets, these!" he said, after looking at them and smelling themwith pleasure. After that, he threw them into a large, empty tub.
Many times he repeated this performance. As he pulled each fish out ofthe net, his mouth watered with the thought of the good dinner coming,and he said:
"Fine fish, these bass!"
"Very tasty, these whitefish!"
"Delicious flounders, these!"
"What splendid crabs!"
"And these dear little anchovies, with their heads still on!"
As you can well imagine, the bass, the flounders, the whitefish, andeven the little anchovies all went together into the tub to keep themullets company. The last to come out of the net was Pinocchio.
As soon as the Fisherman pulled him out, his green eyes opened wide withsurprise, and he cried out in fear:
"What kind of fish is this? I don't remember ever eating anything likeit."
He looked at him closely and after turning him over and over, he said atlast:
"I understand. He must be a crab!"
Pinocchio, mortified at being taken for a crab, said resentfully:
"What nonsense! A crab indeed! I am no such thing. Beware how you dealwith me! I am a Marionette, I want you to know."
"A Marionette?" asked the Fisherman. "I must admit that a Marionettefish is, for me, an entirely new kind of fish. So much the better. I'lleat you with greater relish."
"Eat me? But can't you understand that I'm not a fish? Can't you hearthat I speak and think as you do?"
"It's true," answered the Fisherman; "but since I see that you are afish, well able to talk and think as I do, I'll treat you with all duerespect."
"And that is--"
"That, as a sign of my particular esteem, I'll leave to you the choiceof the manner in which you are to be cooked. Do you wish to be fried ina pan, or do you prefer to be cooked with tomato sauce?"
"To tell you the truth," answered Pinocchio, "if I must choose, I shouldmuch rather go free so I may return home!"
"Are you fooling? Do you think that I want to lose the opportunity totaste such a rare fish? A Marionette fish does not come very often tothese seas. Leave it to me. I'll fry you in the pan with the others.I know you'll like it. It's always a comfort to find oneself in goodcompany."
The unlucky Marionette, hearing this, began to cry and wail and beg.With tears streaming down his cheeks, he said:
"How much better it would have been for me to go to school! I did listento my playmates and now I am paying for it! Oh! Oh! Oh!"
And as he struggled and squirmed like an eel to escape from him, theGreen Fisherman took a stout cord and tied him hand and foot, and threwhim into the bottom of the tub with the others.
Then he pulled a wooden bowl full of flour out of a cupboard and startedto roll the fish into it, one by one. When they were white with it,he threw them into the pan. The first to dance in the hot oil were themullets, the bass followed, then the whitefish, the flounders, and theanchovies. Pinocchio's turn came last. Seeing himself so near to death(and such a horrible death!) he began to tremble so with fright that hehad no voice left with which to beg for his life.
The poor boy beseeched only with his eyes. But the Green Fisherman,not even noticing that it was he, turned him over and over in the flouruntil he looked like a Marionette made of chalk.
Then he took him by the head and . . .
CHAPTER 29
Pinocchio returns to the Fairy's house and she promises him that, on themorrow, he will cease to be a Marionette and become a boy. A wonderfulparty of coffee-and-milk to celebrate the great event.
Mindful of what the Fisherman had said, Pinocchio knew that all hopeof being saved had gone. He closed his eyes and waited for the finalmoment.
Suddenly, a large Dog, attracted by the odor of the boiling oil, camerunning into the cave.
"Get out!" cried the Fisherman threateningly and still holding onto theMarionette, who was all covered with flour.
But the poor Dog was very hungry, and whining and wagging his tail, hetried to say:
"Give me a bite of the fish and I'll go in peace."
"Get out, I say!" repeated the Fisherman.
And he drew back his foot to give the Dog a kick.
Then the Dog, who, being really hungry, would take no refusal, turnedin a rage toward the Fisherman and bared his terrible fangs. And at thatmoment, a pitiful little voice was heard saying: "Save me, Alidoro; ifyou don't, I fry!"
The Dog immediately recognized Pinocchio's voice. Great was his surpriseto find that the voice came from the little flour-covered bundle thatthe Fisherman held in his hand.
Then what did he do? With one great leap, he grasped that bundle in hismouth and, holding it lightly between his teeth, ran through the doorand disappeared like a flash!
The Fisherman, angry at seeing his meal snatched from under his nose,ran after the Dog, but a bad fit of coughing made him stop and turnback.
/> Meanwhile, Alidoro, as soon as he had found the road which led to thevillage, stopped and dropped Pinocchio softly to the ground.
"How much I do thank you!" said the Marionette.
"It is not necessary," answered the Dog. "You saved me once, and what isgiven is always returned. We are in this world to help one another."
"But how did you get in that cave?"
"I was lying here on the sand more dead than alive, when an appetizingodor of fried fish came to me. That odor tickled my hunger and Ifollowed it. Oh, if I had come a moment later!"
"Don't speak about it," wailed Pinocchio, still trembling with fright."Don't say a word. If you had come a moment later, I would be fried,eaten, and digested by this time. Brrrrrr! I shiver at the mere thoughtof it."
Alidoro laughingly held out his paw to the Marionette, who shook itheartily, feeling that now he and the Dog were good friends. Then theybid each other good-by and the Dog went home.
Pinocchio, left alone, walked toward a little hut near by, where an oldman sat at the door sunning himself, and asked:
"Tell me, good man, have you heard anything of a poor boy with a woundedhead, whose name was Eugene?"
"The boy was brought to this hut and now--"
"Now he is dead?" Pinocchio interrupted sorrowfully.
"No, he is now alive and he has already returned home."
"Really? Really?" cried the Marionette, jumping around with joy. "Thenthe wound was not serious?"
"But it might have been--and even mortal," answered the old man, "for aheavy book was thrown at his head."