CHAPTER V
_In Which Pinocchio Discovers That Sometimes When You Want to AdvanceYou Have to Take a Step Backward_
For a long while Pinocchio didn't know whether he was alive or dead.Then after a time he seemed to be dreaming, but the dreams were soqueer that ... just imagine, he thought he was a puppet again, asleepon a chair with his feet resting on a brazier full of lightedcharcoal, that one of his feet was on fire and that the flame, littleby little, was creeping up his leg. And, just as once before whensomething similar had happened, the dream became a painful reality.However, there was another dream that comforted him. A lovely woman'ssmiling face would come close to him and he would hear soft,affectionate words. It was the queerest thing possible! It seemed tohim that this face was set in a lovely frame of light-blue hair whichcame down like a veil, like a cape enfolding the graceful form of ayoung girl. Some one had told him that her name was Fatina, and hekept repeating the name, as once ... when he was still a little puppetand the girl with blue hair ... But what had happened to him?
* * * * *
One morning he opened his eyes and discovered that he was in a littlewhite bed in a white room, and that to right and left of him in twoother beds were two wounded men all enveloped in bandages.
"Bersaglierino! Bersaglierino!" cried Pinocchio, trying to raisehimself up in bed. But a horrid pain made him fall back on the pillowand forced him to scream loudly. The door of the little room openedand a Red Cross nurse in her blue uniform entered swiftly.
"Oh! At last! But be good and don't try to move! The Bersaglierino ishere on your right; he is better, but you must let him be quiet, andyou, too, need to rest."
"Tell me, Fatina, is the Bersaglierino really alive?"
"Don't you see him? Here he is. When he wakes up you can say a fewwords to him. Yesterday he was so eager to know about you, but youcouldn't speak to him."
"Listen, Fatina, and I ... am I really alive?"
"It seems so to me."
"But am I ... made of wood or ..."
"You are made of iron."
"Of iron? Don't joke so with me, Fatina. If you want my nose to growlonger, dearest lady, or if you want me to turn back into a woodenpuppet, I am ready to do so; but not of iron, no. I am too afraid ofrust."
"But what are you talking about? Let me feel your pulse. No, that'sall right, no fever. I said you were made of iron because you havecome out of it all so wonderfully. You were threatened with gasgangrene, and if they had not amputated at once, it would have beenthe end of you, but instead ..."
"Please, please ... what did they do to me?"
"They cut off your injured leg."
"My leg!"
"Yes, indeed; they couldn't help it."
"And when did they cut it off?"
"Three days ago."
"You are perfectly certain of this?"
"I was present."
"And I ... wasn't I present?"
"I think so."
"And how is it I didn't know anything about it?"
"You were asleep."
"I think it was you who were dreaming. Look."
Before Fatina could stop him Pinocchio caught the covers and threwthem off. One leg was indeed missing and just the one which he haddreamed had been burned by the brazier. He saw a heap of bloodybandages and let out such a scream that he made the other two woundedstart up.
The one on the left, who looked like a monk in a hood, because fromunder the bands which bound his head a long shaggy beard was stickingout, cried in annoyance:
"Heh! What is it, a locomotive? You are making as much noise as anenemy's cannon."
"Be quiet, be quiet!"
"Bersaglierino, have you seen what they did to me? They've carried offone of my legs without asking my permission."
"And they took off one of my arms, and they've made a hole in my headand cut open my stomach."
"But what kind of dirty tricks are these? I want my leg.... I want myleg!"
"If it were still on you it would be all swollen and black. Be silent,shut up, and thank God that they haven't taken the other one. BecauseMajor Cutemup is here, and when he begins to amputate it is hard toget him to stop. Imagine, they wanted to cut off my nose."
"I want my leg!"
"Be good."
"Fatina, I beg you, make them make me another one. Write to Geppettoto make me another one, even of wood, but I want to be able to walkand run. I want to go back to the war, I do!"
The patient on the left jumped out of his bed and, in giving him akiss, brushed his face with his bushy beard.
"There, you are a brave boy. You please me.... We will have anotherleg made for you, and if you want to go back to see the Boches you cancome with me. Sister Fatina, is it not true that they're going to makehim a new leg?"
"Certainly."
"Of wood?"
"And with machinery inside so that you can move it as if it were areal leg."
"Then ..."
"Will you be good?"
"Yes ... but as soon as I catch sight of Major Cutemup I'll tell him afew things I think of him."
"How are you, Bersaglierino?"
"Better, Fatina dear."
"Be brave."
Then she moved softly away, as noiseless as a dream.
"Did you see, Pinocchio? Fatina kept her word. She had scarcely heardthat I was wounded before she hurried to my bed. She is an angel and Iam quite happy. But I owe it to you that I am alive. I had fourbullets in my back.... Those dogs had got the range on me, and if youhadn't come to my aid they would have finished me.... And you weren'tlucky, either--they shot your leg to pieces, and if the company hadn'tappeared ... But we won! Hurrah for Italy!"
"And Mollica?"
"Dead. They found him near the wire, surrounded by a heap of deadenemies. He made a regular slaughter. He had your letter to FranzJoseph stuck on the end of his bayonet. Every time that he hit a foehe cried, 'Beast of a potato-eater, take this letter and carry it toyour Joey.'"
"Poor Mollica! If I am able to get back there I'll avenge you."
"I told you I wanted you with me. You will see what we'll do to thosecreatures. I am Captain Teschisso, of the Second Regiment of AlpineTroops. What fights we have had! How we have 'strafed' them! A shellsplinter gave me a whack and carried off one of my ears, but if youjoin me we'll have dozens of them every day."
"Will I go with you? Yes, indeed, if the Bersaglierino ..."
"As far as I am concerned, do what you've a mind to. I shall neverreturn to the regiment now.... You can't make war without an arm, but..."
Just at this moment the door of the little white room opened and MajorCutemup, followed by two young lieutenants, Fatina, and some mennurses, came in. He was a short, squatty little man, with smooth faceand tiny eyes hidden behind gold-rimmed glasses, and with a stomachthat would have made an alderman jealous. He looked more like acab-driver than like an officer, and even more like a butcher who hasrisen to be master of a shop by selling old beef for veal.
"Good morning, boys. You are getting on finely, eh? When I take holdof you you either die or are better off than you were before anythinghappened to you. Let's look at you, Bersaglierino. The arm's doingwell ... the wound in your head will be healed in ten days or so.Thank God that I saved your eye. It was a risk ... we ought to havetaken it out if we had followed the usual method.... No, no, I findyou in good condition, so good, in fact, that I can tell you a pieceof news ... they have recommended you for the silver medal. I believehis Majesty will come in person to pin it on your breast. It would bea real honor for our hospital.
"And you, lad? But really I don't need to bother about you, either.Boys are like lizards--you can cut them in pieces and they keep onliving."
"Please, please, Mr. Major Carve-Beefsteak, I should like to know whogave you permission to cut off my leg."
"What? What? You dare ..."
"There's no good lecturing me, because I am not in the
army, as poorMollica used to say, so you don't frighten me worth a soldo. So I amjust asking you who gave you permission to ... carry off my claw."
"Your claw? The femur was broken, the tibia cracked, the patellashattered, your temperature up over a hundred, delirium, threatenedwith gas gangrene.... I couldn't wait until you had gone to the devilbefore asking your permission to amputate. And, moreover, no morewords about it. I cut when it's my duty to cut. If, in spite of theoperation, the gangrene had continued I should have amputated yourother leg as well. So let's look at it. Nurse, undo the bandages."
In a minute the bloody flesh was uncovered. Pinocchio bit his lips inorder to keep from yelling with pain. Cutemup approached in a solemnmanner, and, nearsighted as he was, had almost to stick his nose intothe wound to make his examination.
"Fine.... The healing process has already begun ... the granulation issplendid, but have you any pain in the groin, boy?"
"How in the world do you expect me to know what that is?"
"Does it hurt you here?"
"No."
"Have you any pain in the sound leg?"
"No."
"Can you move it?"
"Yes."
"Bend it at the knee."
"I am doing it."
"Again, again, again. Does it pain you?"
"No."
"Fine!... Now stretch it out."
He should never have said that. Pinocchio stretched it out with suchagility that there was no difference from the way he usuallyadministered his solemnest kicks. His foot caught Cutemup right in thestomach and knocked him breathless into the arms of the younglieutenant, who had to resort to artificial respiration to revive him.
The Alpine soldier broke out into such an astonishing laugh frombeneath his bandages and his beard that the others, Fatina included,had to echo him. Pinocchio played 'possum, perfectly still with hiseyes half closed. When Cutemup, quite recovered, sprang toward him togive vent to his just vengeance, he seemed much surprised to see himin such a state. He examined him attentively, and, keeping himself arespectful distance away, poked with his forefinger two or three timesthe leg which had given him such marvelous proof of vitality andenergy, then, turning to his colleagues, he began to speak in animposing manner:
"The accident which befell me was the result of the nervous depressionof the patient. The reflex motions have superiority over the willcenters. The muscles slacken at the lightest pressure, like a cord ofa strung bow. The vitality shown by the patient is due to a nervousover-excitation, not noticeable until now. I shall keep the patientunder observation. If you come across similar cases, take notes ofthem that I may include them in my article. I shall order extranutrition and care in building up the patient as soon as the wound hashealed completely. Sister Fatina, note for the boy special rations offilet of beefsteak, roast chicken, eggs, custards well-sweetened, atdinner and again at supper."
HIS FOOT CAUGHT CUTEMUP RIGHT IN THE STOMACH ANDKNOCKED HIM BREATHLESS]
At this bill of fare Pinocchio's leg by some strange phenomenon beganto bend again from the knee.
The major, thoroughly absorbed in his lesson, did not notice it: "So,then, that is understood. You, Captain Teschisso, are doingsplendidly; in a few days we'll take the bandage off you. Gentlemen,let us go into the next room."
They had scarcely gone out and the door was scarcely closed beforePinocchio burst out into such a hearty laugh that the captain andBersaglierino had to laugh, too.
"You don't seem too much depressed."
"What were you doing with that leg in the air?"
"Do you know, Captain, as my first kick had gained special nourishmentfor me, I wanted to give him another one so that I could get a doublequantity; then there would have been something for all of you."
"Thank you, you shaved poodle."
Just then Fatina returned and was surprised to see Pinocchio laughingso hard that his tongue was hanging out with happiness.
"What's this?"
"Fatina, my compliments. Did you hear what the major ordered? Filet ofbeefsteak, chickens, custards with heaps of sugar, at dinner and againat supper."
"You wretch!"
"I am not a wretch; I am a poor, weak invalid and no one had betterfeel the muscles in my legs too much who doesn't want to get kicks inthe stomach."
"You little beast! Suppose I go and tell the major that ..."
"No, for Heaven's sake! Dear Fatina, keep quiet."
"On one condition."
"Let's hear it."
"That you will be good, that you will be patient and let yourself betaken care of until it is time to fit your wooden leg."
"I promise you. You know, once I was made of wood all over. In orderto get ahead I can even make up my mind to take a step backward."
The Heart of Pinocchio: New Adventures of the Celebrated Little Puppet Page 7
