“But what demons are you talking about, anyway?” asked Tursio.
“Come, and you will see.”
When they reached the cave, there was the dragon still hanging. His eyes were still glaring, his mouth still wide, his body still shining in the night.
“B-r-r-r-!” came from our shivering hero.
“Look at it well, you foolish boy. What do you think of it? A demon? Where are its eyes? Doesn’t it look more like a mere fish?”
“Yes, well…what is it?” asked Pinocchio, who didn’t know what to think.
“Well, it is a fish. Sometimes it is called fishing frog, sometimes goosefish, and sometimes sea devil from its horrible looks.
“Marsovino has just paid you back for your joke. He took the dry skin of this fish, filled it with water, and inside of it put two sunfishes. When you thought he was asleep, he was hanging it up. It has given you a chance to show us how brave you are.”
Pinocchio felt very small. Slowly he approached the monster and looked it over. How foolish he had been!
“What a horrible mouth you have, my fish,” he said. “And what is this horn doing at the top of your head?”
“That helps him to get his dinner,” explained Tursio. “Other fish are caught on the horns, and the frog has nothing to do but eat them.”
“Well, I was frightened,” admitted the marionette, soberly.
“We have lost enough sleep by this time. To bed, all of you,” ordered Tursio.
This time Pinocchio did not have to wait long for sleep to come. He was soon dreaming about sharks, flying machines, sea devils, and electric eels.
CHAPTER XI
“Pinocchio, Pinocchio, make haste! make haste!” called Marsovino the next morning.
“Very well,” sleepily came the answer. “But why must I get up so early?”
“Do you call ten o’clock early, you lazy boy?”
“Ten o’clock!” Pinocchio could hardly believe his ears.
“Yes, and in one hour we must be with the white whale. He is expecting us for dinner. So make haste, as we have no time to lose.”
Pinocchio, hearing about dinner, was ready in no time. He was soon on Tursio’s back, waiting for the dolphin to start. Before long they were on their way.
After a short trip around the island they came to a beautiful little nook in the rocks. Here lived Beluga, the white whale.
Dinner was ready, and all sat down around the table.
And what do you think the table was? An immense flounder! Yes, don’t laugh; it is true.
The flounder is of the same family as the sole. All these fish have a thin flat body.
As they have to lie on the mud most of the time, they can only look upwards. So they have both eyes on the upper side of the head.
On Beluga’s table were all kinds of fish: large ones, small ones, flat ones, and round ones.
Pinocchio ate of everything. When he had finished, nothing was left on his plate but a couple of eyes and a few tails. Afterward, noticing that his plate was also a fish, he thought it would be a good idea to eat that too. He had eaten so much, though, that he couldn’t; so he put it into his pocket. “It will do for my breakfast,” he thought.
Poor Tursio was much ashamed of the marionette, and Marsovino was not less so. If they had only known that Pinocchio was so rude as to take things from the table and put them into his pocket, they would never have invited him to dinner. Still they did not say a word.
“Run along, now, children. Mr. Beluga and I must talk about business, and we cannot have you around.”
The two boys left the dolphins together and went off. While enjoying themselves looking around, Marsovino picked up something which looked like a chain. It was made of small round balls all alike, and transparent. He handed it to Pinocchio.
“Tell me,” he said, “do you know what this is?”
“Why, yes, it is a bead chain. It is easy enough to know that.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, of course. I have seen them many times around little girls’ necks.”
“And if I told you that they are eggs—”
“Eggs?” murmured Pinocchio. “Eggs? This thing?”
“Yes, sir, that is what they really are; the eggs of a halibut. It is a bad habit, Pinocchio, to make believe you know a thing when you do not. I am afraid I am not going to be your friend.”
“Not my friend?” came from the poor shamefaced marionette.
“No. Mr. Tursio has always told me to keep away from boys who—”
“Tell lies, I suppose you want to say,” finished Pinocchio.
“I was told to go with boys who are polite,” continued Marsovino.
“And instead I even take the plates away with me when I am invited to dinner,” said Pinocchio.
“I was told to make friends with educated children.”
“And I—yes, I might as well confess it—I have hardly ever seen the inside of a classroom in my life. Well, Marsovino, I will try to make myself your friend. Will you try me again?”
“Very well, I will. Now let us return.”
The dolphins were still talking busily when the boys came up to them. They seemed very much in earnest.
“Here we are, father,” called Marsovino.
“At last! Where have you been? We have important things to say to you. Come here, both of you!”
“What is it? We are all ears.”
“My friend Beluga has been telling me that while I have been away from home I have lost much money. He has told me of a great treasure that is to be found in an old ship far away from here. As I need it very much just now, I do wish I could get hold of it.”
“Well,” answered Marsovino, “why can’t we go for it?”
“Because it is miles and miles away. Not only that, but we should have to travel as far up as the polar seas, and into the great oceans. We could never do it. You see, I am getting old. I could hardly attempt to cross those icy waters. Still, I need the money so much that I am afraid I shall have to try the journey.”
“Why couldn’t Globicephalous and I go instead of you, father?” asked Marsovino.
“And I also,” timidly added Pinocchio.
“Globicephalous is too old. And as for you two, my dear boys, you do not know what you are saying. Do you know that for months and months the polar seas are in darkness? That the sun is seen only in the spring and summer?”
“I know, but it is now winter, and we should reach those seas just at the right time. We should be back before the fall.”
“And are you not afraid of the cold?”
“It will not be cold. I will swim deep in the water, and there the water will be warm. I will come to the surface only long enough to breathe.”
“What about the ice? What about those monsters of the seas, the whales, the sharks, the narwhals?”
“You need the treasure. I have made up my mind to go,” answered Marsovino, firmly.
“You might escape all the dangers I mention, my boy, and reach the ship. But how could you ever get hold of the gold inside?”
“I might tear a hole in the ship with my strong tail,” began Marsovino.
“A ship a block long, and all made of iron? It is of no use, my boy.”
The young dolphin was silent. How could he get into the ship? He thought and thought, but he could find no answer.
“May I go, too?” here began Pinocchio.
“You?” asked Tursio and Marsovino, at the same time.
“Yes, I. Why not? If Marsovino cannot get into the ship because he is too big, I am so small I can get into any hole,” continued the marionette.
“That isn’t a bad idea, is it, father?”
“No, but do you really feel courageous enough, y
ou two, to undertake such a journey?”
“We’ll do our best,” answered Marsovino.
“Well, then, all right. Let us return to Globlcephalous, and then you will get readyto start. Beluga, I will be with you again soon. I might as well wait here with you for Marsovino and PInocchIo to return.”
After saying good-by to Beluga the young dolphin followed Tursio, who seemed in haste to get to Globlcephalous.
Sitting on the dolphin’s back, Pinocchio was thinking how good he had been in offering to go with Marsovino. But he soon forgot this in another surprise. In front of him, not far away, he saw a number of animals rise out of the sea.
They rose, shook their colored wings gaily, and then fell back again into the water. No sooner had they disappeared than others came, and then again others. How beautiful they were! Red, blue, and green, and shining brightly in the sun.
“Birds in the sea! Oh, they will drown!” screamed Pinocchio.
“Oh, no, these birds will not drown. They live in the sea, my boy. They are called flying fish,” explained Tursio.
“When shall I stop hearing news?” wondered Pinocchio. “So there are also birds in the sea!”
“Almost birds, but not quite. These fish have very strong fins and with them they can leap very high. As you see, they even leap out of the water. Why do they do this, do you think f Because they want to escape from the large fish, which follow them to eat them.”
Pinocchio had nothing to say. Meanwhile, the three friends had reached the place where Globicephalous was waiting. Tursio told him in a few words what Marsovino and Pinocchio had planned to do to help him.
Very soon the two boys were ready to start.
“Well, good-by, boys,” said Tursio, after telling them how to reach the ship. “I will no longer try to stop you from going. Only be careful. Keep to yourselves, and you will meet with little trouble. Do not stop on your way. Hasten back, or I shall be worried. Above all, never get out of the water. The tide might go out, and you, Marsovino, would be in great danger.”
Marsovino and Pinocchio listened carefully; and then, with a cheerful good-by, they were off.
A few hours later Tursio and Globicephalous were with Beluga, and Marsovino and Pinocchio were speeding away towards the great oceans, treasure hunting.
CHAPTER XII
Marsovino and Pinocchio traveled swiftly. They passed a strait, crossed a canal, left beautiful lands behind them, and at last came out fearlessly into the great ocean. They never stopped.
When the moon shone they traveled on the surface of the water. If the sky was dark and gloomy, the dolphin plunged deep into the sea. There the two friends had plenty of light. Great medusae and sun fishes made the water light and bright. Very often, too, the wonderful phosphorescence of the sea aided them in seeing their way. Pinocchio felt satisfied when Marsovino explained the cause of this phosphorescence to him. At first, though, he could hardly believe his ears.
The journey was very peaceful, and nothing came to trouble the two little heroes.
“What is that dark blue streak there, Marsovino?” asked Pinocchio, one day. He was pointing out a wide band of dark blue water, which stood out distinctly from the lighter green of the ocean.
“That? Oh, that is the Gulf Stream,” answered Marsovino.
“The Gulf Stream? What are you talking about? A stream running in the ocean! Water running in water!”
“Yes, of course it is all water. But there is a difference between ocean water and Gulf Stream water. The first, in general, is quiet, the second is moving. That stream is just like a river flowing between two valleys. The waters of the two never mix. If you try, you will find that the ocean is much the colder of the two.”
“But what is the use of it?”
“Why, it is of great use. This stream carries warmth to the cold regions of the north. It cools the hot countries of the tropics. Without this saving current, life would not be pleasant in many countries.”
“Hurrah for the river in the middle of the sea, then!” shouted Pinocchio. He had understood little, so he thought it better not to speak further on the subject.
Towards noon of the same day the sea began to be filled with herrings. They were on all sides. Our two travelers were surrounded. Pinocchio enjoyed being with the silvery animals.
Soon, however, there were so many that Marsovino found it hard to move. Still, the kind little fellow, seeing that Pinocchio was enjoying himself, did not try to get away. After a while, however, the herrings became so numerous that the ocean looked like a sea of silver, not of water. Pinocchio and the dolphin were being pushed and shoved around without mercy.
“I am being killed, stifled,” whispered Pinocchio. Yes, he whispered. If he had opened his mouth a herring could easily have slipped into it. This might not have been very pleasant.
Marsovino finally saw that the herring had become as thick as a stone wall. So with a few strong strokes of his tail, he made his way to the surface of the water.
“Ah! now I can breathe!” exclaimed Pinocchio. “In that fishy world I thought I should die.”
As night had come, and as it was very dark, our friends began to think of sleep. Anyway, even if they had tried to move, they could hardly have passed through that multitude.
Just as the sun rose, Pinocchio opened his eyes. He had had a very good sleep on the back of his swimming horse. Looking around, he could not help crying out in surprise.
“Marsovino! Wake up!” he called. “Just look! Yesterday we were swimming in a sea of silver. Today we are floating in milk.”
It was really the truth. There was no sign of herrings. As far as eye could reach, one could see only a thick heavy liquid as white as milk.
“Oh, how splendid!” cried Pinocchio. “Now I can have as much milk as I want. It looks good.”
Marsovino had awakened, but he never said a word. He wanted to see what Pinocchio would do. The marionette, thinking himself right, bent over and took a long drink of milk, as he thought. But he had no sooner had a taste than he made a wry face.
“Why, it is salty.”
“Of course it is. Is this the first time you have heard of the sea being salt?”
“But this is not water. Look how white it is. It looks like milk.”
“Do you know why it is so? The water looks white because of the eggs left in it by the herrings of yesterday.”
“Eggs? But there must be thousands of them?”
“Yes, and millions.”
“But the sea will soon be full of herrings, then.”
“No fear of that, Pinocchio. Think of the many large fish that are in the sea. They live on these eggs and on small fishes. Why, they can and they do swallow hundreds of eggs at a time. The sea is big enough to hold all its fish and more. You don’t think we are crowded, do you?”
“Last night we certainly were.”
“One night is not every night. You see, herrings travel in great numbers, and we happened to meet a school of them.”
“Oh, they go to school, do they? Well, I never before thought a fish had to go to school, too!” mumbled Pinocchio to himself.
After traveling a long time through the milky sea, the two travelers at last came out of it.
Soon after a long, sharp, flat blade rose suddenly out of the water. It looked like a sword, and Pinocchio, of course, thought it was one.
“What have we here?” he asked. “A soldier battling in the sea? And is that thing his sword?”
“You can hardly be blamed for thinking it a sword. It looks very much like one,” said Marsovino. “It is the long upper jaw of a fish, and from this it receives its name, swordfish. With this weapon, as it is very strong, the fish can defend himself against much larger animals. I hope he won’t come near us.”
Luckily for the two frie
nds, he did not. The sword disappeared into the sea, and the travelers continued their journey.
“I must dive now, to see where we are,” said Marsovino; and soon Pinocchio found himself at the bottom of the sea. Curious as ever, the marionette looked around, peering here and peering there.
Seeing some cuplike objects hanging on the rocks, he put out his hands for them. They looked very soft and were full of holes. But as soon as Pinocchio touched them, the holes disappeared, and the cups clung tightly to the rocks.
“Oh, excuse me,” begged Pinocchio, “I thought you were sponges.”
“And what are they, if not that?” laughingly asked Marsovino.
“But they move just as if they were alive!”
“And is not the sponge an animal?”
“Really? Do you mean it?”
“Why, yes. The sponge is not only one animal, but a number of animals living together. And what do you think hides in that cuplike sponge you see there, to live a quiet happy life in it?”
“What?”
“The pearl oyster.”
“Honestly? Oh! Do you think I could get some? I know how precious pearls are. Why, I could make myself rich! I could buy houses and horses and automobiles and—Oh! Oh!” and Pinocchio started to dance a jig on the sandy floor. Marsovino was laughing. “You may try. You may have luck.” Pinocchio did not have to be told twice. He searched and searched every sponge he could lay his hands on. As a result, he found a great many shells.
“And what now?” he asked.
“Now you must open them, to see if any pearls are inside.”
“What is the use of opening them? You said these were all pearl oysters. I’ll carry them and open them later.”
“But many of them may have no pearls at all. You see,” continued Marsovino, opening a shell, “this one has none. But do you see this coating of many colors on the inside of the shell? That is a substance which comes from the body of the mollusk. It is called mother of pearl. When the oyster opens its shell, a grain of sand may get into it. The oyster does not like this, as the stone hurts her, but she can’t throw it out. So she covers it up with this substance from her body. When the little stone is all covered up, we have a lovely pearl.”
The Pinocchio Megapack: 4 Classic Puppet Tales Page 18
