He racked his brains to think of some plan whereby he could get the money that was needed. He glanced at his clothes, which he would cheerfully have sold could he have found a buyer. Not knowing what else to do, he walked around the tent like a wolf prowling about the sheepfold.
Around and around he went till he found himself near an old wall which hid him from view. He come nearer the tent and to his joy discovered a tiny hole in the canvas. Here was his chance! He thrust in his thin wooden finger, but seized with a sudden fear lest some hungry lion should see it and bite it off, he hastily tried to pull it out again. In doing this, somehow “r-r-rip” went the canvas, and there was a tear a yard wide. Pinocchio shook with fear. But fear or no fear, there was the hole and beyond—were the wonders of Africa!First an arm, then his head, and then his whole body went into the cage of wild animals! He could not see them, but he heard them, and he was filled with awe. The beasts had seen him. He felt himself grasped at once by the shoulders and by the end of his nose. Two or three voices shouted in his ears, “Who goes there?”
“For pity’s sake, Mr. Elephant!” said poor Pinocchio.
“There are no elephants here.”
“Pardon, Sir Lion.”
“There are no lions here.”
“Excuse me, Mr. Tiger.”
“There are no tigers.”
“Mr. Monkey?”
“No Monkeys.
“Men?”
“There are neither men nor women here; there are only Africans from Africa, who imitate wild beasts for two francs and a half a day.”
“But the elephants, where are they?”
“In Africa.”
“And the lions?”
“In Africa.”
“And the tigers and the monkeys?”
“In Africa. And you, where do you come from? What are you doing in the cage of the wild beasts? Didn’t you see what is written over the door? NO ONE ALLOWED TO ENTER.”
“I cannot read in the dark,” replied Pinocchio, trembling from head to foot; “I am no cat.”
At these words everybody began to laugh. Pinocchio felt a little encouraged and murmured to himself, “They seem to be kind people, these wild beasts.”
He wanted to say something pleasant to them, but just then the director of the company began to shout at the top of his voice.
CHAPTER 4
Pinocchio Makes Friends With The Wild Animals
“Come forward, come forward, ladies and gentlemen! The cost is small and the pleasure is great. The show will last an hour, only one hour. Come forward! See the battle between the terrible lion Zumbo and his wife, the ferocious lioness Zumba. Behold the tiger that wrestles with the polar bear, and the elephant that lifts the whole weight of the tent with his powerful trunk. See the animals feed. Ladies and gentlemen, come forward! Only two francs!”
At these words the men in the cages of the wild animals put horns, sea shells, and whistles to their mouths, and the next moment there came wild roarings and howls and shrieks. It was enough to make one shudder with fear.
Again the director raised his voice: “Come forward, come forward, ladies and gentlemen! two francs; children only one franc.”
The music started: Boom! Boom! Boom! Par-ap’-ap’-pa! Boom! Boom! Boom! Par-ap’ap’ap’pa!parap’ap’ap’pa!
One surprise seemed to follow another. Pinocchio longed to enjoy the sights, but how was he to get out of the cage? At length, taking his courage in both hands, he said politely, “Excuse me, gentlemen, but if you have no commands to give me—”
“Not a command!” roughly answered the bearded man who played the lion. “If you do not go away quickly, I will have you eaten up by that large ape behind you.”
“But I should be hard to digest,” said the marionette.
“Boy, be careful how you talk,” exclaimed the same voice.
“I said that your ape would have indigestion if he ate me,” replied Pinocchio. “Do you think that I am joking? No, I am in earnest. He really would. I came in here by chance while returning from a walk, and if you will permit me, I will go home to my father who is waiting for me. As you have no orders to give me, many thanks, good-by, and good luck to you.”
“Listen, boy,” said the large man who took the part of the elephant; “I am very thirsty, and I will give you a fine new penny if you will fill this bucket at the fountain and bring it to me.”
“What!” replied Pinocchio, greatly offended; “I am no servant! However this time, merely to please you, I will go.” And crawling through the hole by which he had entered, he went out to the fountain and returned in a very short time with the bucket full of water.
“Good boy, good marionette!” said the men as they passed the bucket from one to another.
Pinocchio was happy. Never had he felt so happy as at that moment. “What good people!” he said to himself. “I would gladly stay with them.” In the meantime the bucket was emptied, and there were still some who had not had a drink. “I will go and refill it,” said the marionette promptly. And without waiting to be asked, he took the bucket and flew to the fountain.
When he returned they flattered him so cleverly with praise and thanks that a strong friendship sprang up between Pinocchio and the wild beasts.
Being a woodenhead he forgot about his father and did not go away as he had intended to do. In fact, he was curious to know something of the history of these people, who were forced to play at being wild animals.
After a moment’s silence he turned to the one who had asked him to go for the water and said, “You are from Africa?”
“Yes, I am an African, and all my companions are African.”
“How interesting! but pardon me, is Africa a beautiful country?”
“I should say so! A country, my dear boy, full of plenty, where everything is given away free! A country in which at any moment the strangest things may happen. A servant may become a master; a plain citizen may become a king. There are trees, taller than church steeples, with branches touching the ground, so that one may gather sweet fruit without the least trouble. My boy, Africa is a country full of enchanted forests, where the game allows itself to be killed, quartered, and hung; where riches—”
No one knows how far this description would have gone, if at that moment the voice of the director had not been heard. The music had stopped, and the director was talking to the people, who did not seem very willing to part with their money.
CHAPTER 5
Pinocchio Determines To Go To Africa
Pinocchio had already resolved to go to Africa to eat of the fruit and to gather riches. He was eager to learn more, and impatient of interruption.
“And the director is an African also?”
“Certainly he is an African.”
“And is he very rich?”
“Is he rich? Take my word for it that if he would, he could buy up this whole country.”
Pinocchio was struck dumb. Still he wanted to make the men believe that what he had heard was not altogether new to him. “Oh, I know that Africa is a very beautiful country, and I have often planned to go there, and—if I were sure that it would not be too much trouble I would willingly go with you.”
“With us? We are not going to Africa.”
“What a pity! I thought I could make the journey in your company.”
“Are you in earnest?” asked the bearded man. “Do you believe that there is any Africa outside this tent?”
“Tent or no tent, I have decided to go to Africa, and I shall go,” boldly replied the marionette.
“I like that youngster,” said the man who played the part of a crocodile. “That boy will make his fortune someday.”
“Of course I shall!” continued Pinocchio. “I ought to have fifty thousand francs, because I must get a new
jacket for my father, who sold his old one to buy me a spelling book. If there is so much gold and silver in Africa, I will fill up a thousand vessels. Is it true that there is a great deal of gold and silver?”
“Did we not tell you so?” replied another voice. “Why, if I had not lost all that I had put in my pockets before leaving Africa, by this time I should have become a prince. And now were it not for the fact that I have promised to stay with these people, to be a panther at two francs and a half a day, I would gladly go along with you.”
“Thank you; thank you for your good intentions,” answered the marionette. “In case you decide to go with me, I start to-morrow morning at dawn.”
“On what steamship?”
“What did you say?” asked Pinocchio.
“On what steamship do you sail?”
“Sail! I am going on foot.”
At these words everybody laughed.
“There is little to laugh at, my dear people. If you knew how many miles I have traveled on these legs by day and by night, over land and sea, you would not laugh. What! do you think Fairyland, the country of the Blockheads, and the Island of the Bees are reached in a single stride? I go to Africa, and I go on foot.”
“But it is necessary to cross the Mediterranean Sea.”
“It will be crossed.”
“On foot?”
“Either on foot or on horseback, it matters little. But pardon me, after crossing the Mediterranean Sea, do you reach Africa?”
“Certainly, unless you wish to go by way of the Red Sea.”
“The Red Sea? No, truly!”
“Perhaps the route over the Red Sea would be better.”
“I do not wish to go near the Red Sea.”
“And why?” asked the wolf man, who up to this time had not opened his mouth.
“Why? Why? Because I do not wish to get my clothes dyed; do you understand?”
More laughter greeted these words. Pinocchio’s wooden cheeks got very red, and he sputtered: “This is no way to treat a gentleman. I shall do as I please, and I do not please to enter the Red Sea. That is enough. Now I shall leave you, and he started off.
“Farewell, farewell, marionette!”
“Farewell, you impolite beasts!” Pinocchio wanted to call out, but he did not.
“Come back!” cried the bearded man; “here is the bucket; please fill it once more, for I am still thirsty.”
CHAPTER 6
Pinocchio In Doubt
Pinocchio went away very angry, vowing that he would avenge himself on all who had laughed at him.
“To begin with,” said he, “I intend to make them all die of thirst. If they wait to drink of the water that I bring, they will certainly die.” With these thoughts in his mind the marionette started homeward, carrying the bucket on his head.
“The bucket will repay me for all the work I have had put upon me. How unlucky we children are! Wherever we go, there is always something for us to do. Today I thought I would simply enjoy myself; instead, I have had to carry water for a company of strangers. How absurd! two trips, one after the other, to give drink to people I do not know! And how they drink! they seem to be sponges. For my part they can be thirsty as long as they like. I feel now as if I would never again move a finger for them. I am not going to be laughed at.”
As he finished these remarks Pinocchio arrived at the fountain. It was delightful to see the clear water rushing out, but he could not help thinking of those poor creatures who were waiting for him. He had to stop.
“Shall I or shall I not?” he asked himself. “After all, they are good people, who are forced to imitate wild animals; and besides, they have treated me with some kindness. I may as well carry some water to them; a trip more or less makes no difference to me.”
He approached the fountain, filled the bucket, and ran down the road.
“Hello within there!” he said in a low voice. “Here is the bucket of water; come and take it, for I am not going in.”
“Good marionette,” said the beasts, “thank you!”
“Don’t mention it,” replied Pinocchio, very happy.
“Why will you not come in?”
“It is impossible, thank you. I must go to school.”
“Then you are not going to Africa?”
“Who told you that! I am returning to school to bid farewell to my teacher, and to ask him to excuse me for a few days. Then I wish to see my father and ask his permission to go, so that he will not be anxious while I am away.”
“Excellent marionette, you will become famous.”
“What agreeable people!” thought Pinocchio. “I am sorry to leave them.”
“So you really will not come in?”
“No, I have said so before. I must go to school first, and then—”
“But it seems to me rather late for school,” said the crocodile man.
“That is true; it is too late for school,” replied Pinocchio.
“Well, then, stay a little longer with us, and later you can go home to your father.”
Pinocchio thrust his head through the hole and leaped into the tent. The naughty marionette had not the least desire to go to school, and was only too glad of an excuse to watch these strange people.
CHAPTER 7
He Bids Good-by To The Animals
The show had begun. The director was explaining to the people the wonders of his menagerie.
“Ladies and gentlemen, observe the beauty and the wildness of all these animals, which I have brought from Central Africa. Here they are, inclosed in these many cages, but hidden from your view. Why are they hidden? Because, ladies and gentlemen, you would be frightened at the sight of them, and your peace and health greatly concern me. The first animal which I have the pleasure to present to you is the elephant. Observe, ladies and gentlemen, that small affair which hangs under his nose. With that he builds houses, tills the soil, writes letters, carries trunks, and picks flowers. You can see that the animal was painted from life and placed in this beautiful frame.”
The people began to look at one another.
“Now, ladies and gentlemen, let us go on to the next one.”
A roar of laughter and jeers arose on all sides. The director saw the unfortunate state of things and began to shout: “Have respect, ladies, for the poor sick monkey I told you of. At this moment she is pressing to her breast for the last time her friendless child.”
But not even this was sufficient to calm the crowd, which presently became an infuriated mob. Men and women rushed about the tent, making fierce gestures and heaping abuse upon the director. What an uproar!
In the cage where Pinocchio was, there was no confusion, and the conversation between the marionette and the wild beasts went on without stopping.
“When do you leave for Africa?” Pinocchio was asked.
“Have I not told you? To-morrow morning at daybreak, even if it rains.”
“Excellent! But you must carry with you several things which you may need.”
“And those are—?”
“First of all you will need plenty of money.”
“That is not lacking,” said Pinocchio in his usual airy way.
“Good! Then you should get a rifle.”
“What for?”
“To defend yourself against the wild animals.”
“Come, come! You don’t want me to believe that! I have seen what the wild animals of Africa are!”
“Be careful, marionette. Take a good rifle with you, for one never knows what will happen in Africa.”
“But I do not know how to load one.”
“Well, then, stay at home. It is folly for you to begin such an undertaking without arms and without knowing how to use them.”
“It is you wh
o are foolish. Do not make me angry. When I have decided upon a thing no one can stop me from carrying it out.”
“Take care, marionette; you may be sorry.”
“Nevertheless I shall go.”
“You may find things very unpleasant.”
“It is for that very reason that I am going.”
“You may never return.”
“The good Fairy will protect me.”
“Who is the Fairy?”
“How may things you want to know! If you are in need of nothing else, I will bid you all good-by!”
“Farewell, marionette.”
“Till we meet again.”
“Good-by, blockhead.”
“Don’t be rude! said Pinocchio, greatly vexed, and out he went.
CHAPTER 8
Pinocchio Does Not Sleep
When Pinocchio arrived at his home he found his father already in bed. Old Geppetto did not earn enough to provide a supper for two. He used to say that he was not hungry, and go to bed. But there was always plenty for Pinocchio. An onion, some beans moistened in water, and a piece of bread which had been left over from the morning, were never missing.
That night Pinocchio found a better meal than usual.
His good father, not having seen his son at the regular dinner hour, knew that the boy would be very hungry. There would have to be something out of the ordinary. He therefore added to the fare some dried fish and a delicious morsel of orange peel. “He will even have fruit,” the good man had said to himself, smiling at the joy his dear Pinocchio would feel on seeing himself treated like a man of the world.
The marionette ate his supper with relish, and having finished his meal, went over to his sleeping father and kissed him as a reward for the fish and the orange peel. Pinocchio, to say the least, had a good heart, and would have done anything for his father except study and work.
That night he slept little. Lions, elephants, tigers, panthers, beautiful women dressed in silk and mounted on butterflies as large as eagles, men, in large boots, armed with knives and guns, palaces of silver and gold! All these and a great many more strange sights floated before his dreaming eyes, while he could hear animals roaring, howling, and whistling to the sound of trumpets and drums.
The Pinocchio Megapack: 4 Classic Puppet Tales Page 33
