Pinocchio walked along fearlessly, caring little for what went on around him, and thinking only of the treasures for which he was seeking.
On and on he walked until at length he found himself at the edge of a vast plain. He gave a great sigh of relief. The long march through the woods had tired him. However, he kept his eyes open, now and then looking down at his feet to see if any precious stones were lying about. Presently his attention was drawn to a great hole or nest, in which he saw some white objects shaped like hen’s eggs, but considerably larger than his head.
Curious to see whether or not he could lift one, Pinocchio approached the nest. Just then he heard a frightful noise behind him.
Turning quickly, the marionette saw a huge bird running toward him. The next moment a powerful push sent him head over heels upon one of the eggs! As he fell he heard a loud crash, and at almost the same instant found himself carried through the air. What had befallen him?
Of course, the hole was the nest of an ostrich. Enraged at the sight of the broken egg, the fierce bird had seized in its powerful beak that part of the shell into which the unfortunate marionette had fallen, and was now rushing across the plain with the swiftness of an express train.
The marionette screamed in terror, and with the stick which he still held in his hand rained blows upon the bird’s long neck. But the blows had no effect whatever. The furious creature ran and ran and ran. Pinocchio, gasping for breath, was certain that his end was near.
The mad race lasted for hours. Suddenly the marionette was thrown into a muddy pool, in which he sank up to his neck like a frog. Having no desire to be suffocated in the mud, he raised his head a little, although he did not try to climb out. What he saw surprised him beyond measure.
CHAPTER 28
Pinocchio Escapes Again
His ostrich was no longer alone. There stood another. The new arrival, somewhat smaller, but uglier and even more ferocious than the first, moved cautiously, ready for fight. Suddenly Pinocchio saw the gleam of a knife, and an instant later the ostrich that had carried him thus far fell to the ground, wounded to death. The marionette could not understand how it was possible for a bird to carry a knife hidden beneath its wings and to make use of it. Yet the thing had happened right before his eyes; there was no doubt about it.
While seeking an explanation for his very strange incident, he saw the victorious ostrich draw first one arm, then the other, from beneath its feathers, and finally take off its beak and place it upon the ground. The second ostrich was a man.
Pinocchio now began to understand what had happened, and to hate the trickster who had put on the feathers of an ostrich, in order to attack and kill the poor creature that lay there breathing its last.
The man approached the dying ostrich and tried to lift the huge bird to his shoulders, but in spite of his great strength he failed. Then looking about in search of help, he saw the marionette, whose head was out of the water, and signaled to him to come ashore. Pinocchio would have refused, but there was the knife lying on the ground, and there was the man. He decided to obey.
He came out of the pond as best he could, and the ugly black man began to laugh. He laughed and laughed until he was able to stand no longer, and could only throw himself upon the ground, where he lay, breathless and weak. The marionette, seeing this, said to himself: “If I do not escape now, it will be my own fault. My dear legs, it is no dishonor to run when you must!” and he went on at a gallop toward a hill which could be seen a short distance away.
“May you die of laughing, you villain!” he cried as he ran.
Presently he was somewhat alarmed to discover that the man was running after him. Feeling sure, however, that he could easily outrun his pursuer, he halted a moment, as if waiting for him. The man was hurrying on, thinking that the boy could go no farther, when the saucy marionette, putting his hand to his mouth, shouted “Cuckoo!” Then at a pace swifter than the wind he set off once more, pausing now and again to call out, “Cuckoo! Cuckoo!”
Pinocchio had nearly reached the top of the hill, and the man was halfway up, when a loud roar made them both stop. Turning around, they saw that a lion was carrying off the dead ostrich. At that, the hunter thrust his fingers into his curly hair, and without paying further attention to the marionette, started off to regain the knife, which was still lying where it had fallen.
“Tit for tat,” Pinocchio shouted after him, and went on up the hill.
CHAPTER 29
Pinocchio Is Swallowed By A Crocodile
When Pinocchio reached the top of the hill he looked around for a place where he could rest. He thought of the lion that had carried off the ostrich, and he did not like the idea of meeting him. Fortunately there were no signs of life, but neither was there any place where he could sit down in comfort. Sand and rocks, rocks and sand were everywhere. In the distance he saw water.
“At any rate,” he said, “I shall at least be able to wash myself;” and he turned his footsteps toward the water.
He arrived before long at the water’s edge. How fresh and clean it was! He was so dusty and tired that there was only one thing to do, take a bath! When Pinocchio decided upon a course of action he did not hesitate. In an instant he was undressed.
As he started toward the water a voice cried, “Pinocchio! Pinocchio!”
“Oh, let Pinocchio alone!” the marionette said, and leaped into the air.
Horrors! As he came flying down, a green mass rose to the surface of the river. It was a crocodile! Pinocchio saw it and shuddered, but there was no time to cry out. Down, down he went into that open mouth! But wooden marionettes are always fortunate. The crocodile’s throat was so wide that Pinocchio slipped into the stomach of the creature with great ease. Not even a scratch! As he was accustomed to being under water and inside the bodies of animals, he was not at all frightened. In fact, when he noticed that he was being carried down to the bottom of the river, where it was cool and refreshing, he uttered no word of complaint, but rather enjoyed the experience. The crocodile crawled in to a cave, and prepared to digest the marionette at its leisure. Pinocchio was naturally annoyed at this and began to kick and squirm about.
At first this did not seem to cause any ill effects, but Pinocchio kicked and struggled until the poor reptile could not help wondering what the trouble was, and began to twist and shake its whole body. Pinocchio did not stop. Presently the crocodile decided to return to the surface and deposit the marionette upon the bank. Pinocchio desired nothing better. As soon as he saw a ray of light he became very quiet. The crocodile, now that the trouble seemed over, was about to return to its cave, but it had made this plan without consulting our wooden marionette.
“Suppose I let the beast carry me a short distance! I can make it throw me upon the bank later as well as now! It may carry me to some place where—enough, I am going to try it! A green ship, without sails, without engines, and without a crew, is not to be found every day. Boo! boo! boo!” muttered the marionette.
The crocodile, frightened at the strange noises inside its body, began to swim with all its strength. It swam and swam and swam! When it slowed up the marionette continued, “Boo! boo! boo!” and the crocodile went on faster than ever.
The poor creature became thoroughly exhausted, and fairly wept with anger and fright, but the strange voice went on without ceasing.
At last, growing desperate, the crocodile stopped, opened its huge jaws, and with a great effort sent the marionette flying through the air to the bank of the river; then it disappeared in the deep water.
“Pleasant trip home! Remember me to everybody!” cried Pinocchio as he leaped about joyously.
CHAPTER 30
Pinocchio Is Made Emperor
Finding himself without any clothes, the marionette began to think of his condition. To go back and search for his suit was out of the question. To go abo
ut in that state did not seem proper, although he knew that the Africans in general were dressed in the same fashion.
Finally he decided to make himself a suit of leaves. There were some beautiful ones near by that were just suited to the purpose. He knew how to go to work, for at home he had often made clothes out of shavings and twigs. He set about his task at once and in a short time had made a garment that reached from his waist down to his knees. He was busy selecting the leaves for a coat when he happened to raise his eyes, and saw a crowd of men and women rushing about as if either very happy or frantic with terror.
“Lunatics!” he murmured, and went on with his work, for he disliked to be seen half-dressed. All at once the marionette heard a hissing, humming sound. A cloud of arrows fell around him. He was amazed and terrified, not by the arrows, for what harm could arrows do to him?—but by the idea that this meant more trouble for Pinocchio.
“So long as they shoot, I fear nothing; but if they try to capture me, I may have to jump into the river and take to my green ship.”
The arrows continued to fall like hailstones on his shoulders, on his breast, on his arms and legs; but of course they dropped to the ground without doing any harm. The natives were astonished. They looked at one another in blank surprise.
Pinocchio, weary of the game, turned in anger toward them and shouted: “Give up shooting, stupid ones! Do you not see that you are wasting your time?”
They had already perceived that this was true, and they stopped shooting. A group braver than the rest now approached the marionette and surrounded him. One of them shouted, “Hoa! Hoi! Hoi!”
“Pinocchio!” answered the marionette.
“Yah! Yah! Yah!”
“Pinocchio!” the boy repeated. “Are you deaf?”
Then they began to shout in chorus: “Yah! Yah! Hoi! Hoi! Uff! Uff! Uff!”
And Pinocchio replied: “Yah! Yah! Hoi! Hoi! Uff! Uff! Uff!
This conversation soon began to be wearisome, and Pinocchio tried to escape. It was too late. The Africans, quick as a flash, closed in about him and, seizing him by the legs, raised him from the ground, shouting: “Long live our emperor, Pinocchio the First! Long live our emperor, Pinocchio!”
Pinocchio had never dreamed of such a welcome.
“Long live Pinocchio!”
“Ah! at last! I knew that in Africa my greatness would be recognized. Now I shall be revenged on you, my dear restaurant-keeper, and on you, dear policemen, who wanted to arrest me. Old man, you who wanted to sell me for a rhinoceros horn, now it is my turn!” Thus thought Pinocchio.
This was his first triumph. Flocking like ravens, his African subjects came to render homage to the new emperor, who was carried aloft on willing shoulders. As he passed, all bowed to the ground and then followed in his train. Such a multitude joined the procession that it looked, from a distance, like a vast blot of ink. They went along singing the praises of Pinocchio the First, Emperor and King of all the African kings, sent from heaven to earth to replace the late emperor, who had died the preceding day.
As they marched a great chorus chanted: “He was to come forth from the mouth of a crocodile! He was to remain unharmed by poisoned arrows! He was to have a wooden head! Long live our emperor, Pinocchio the First! Hurrah! hurrah! hurrah!”
“They shot poisoned arrows at me!” thought the marionette. “That is the way they treated their future king. Lucky for me that I am made of wood, very hard wood too! How fortunate that I came to Africa as a marionette! If I had been a real boy, there would be little to say about Pinocchio now.”
CHAPTER 31
His First Night As Emperor
Pinocchio, his heart filled with joy, entered the capital of his new empire amid the shouts of the people who crowded the streets. The children, rolling on the ground in glee, raised such a dust that one could hardly see.
Forward, forward, they marched through the streets until the main square was reached. The city was not a large city. Pinocchio was a little disappointed. The houses were only huts plastered with mud. The streets and even the main square were dirty.
“I will change all that,” Pinocchio gravely said to himself. “I will build a new city.” To the marionette such a task appeared to be an easy matter.
In a corner of the square stood a hut somewhat larger than the others. This was the royal palace. Pinocchio was not pleased. The king of all Africa should have something far better than this. However, he thought it would not do, just at this time, to utter any words of complaint.
In the huts about the palace lived the people of the court. These were the advisers and the leaders, who stood ready to carry out the commands of his majesty.
Like many another in such a situation, Pinocchio did nothing but bow his head in agreement with everything that was said to him. This greatly pleased the people of the court and gained for him their admiration and applause. They called him Pinocchio the Wise!
Night came and all the people withdrew. The emperor was left alone with his servant, a gigantic African, who invited his majesty to pass into the royal bedchamber.
The furniture was as simple as the palace itself. A string, stretched across the room, served as a clothes-hanger. The bed was a leopard’s skin that swung from four poles. Having displayed with pride these equipments, the servant pointed to a frying pan, which was to be struck with a wooden mallet in case his majesty desired to call the attendants. He then withdrew from the chamber, bowing as he went out.
“Apparently they do not eat here,” said the marionette. “Maybe these people think that an emperor is never hungry! However, night passes quickly.” Then he undressed himself and lay down. He was quite tired out, and he felt sure that in a few moments he should be fast asleep. But soon he began to roll and toss about uneasily. The bed was hard and uncomfortable. He opened his eyes. There was a spider crawling over him, and he shivered. Other spiders, as large as crabs, were creeping quietly over the ground and the walls as if this was their home and not the king’s!
There was one spider twice as large as the others. Surely he was the head of that large family. He fixed his fiery eyes upon the marionette and spoke in the voice of the Talking Cricket: “Where have you come from—fool that you are? What do you think you have gained by becoming the emperor of these people? Return to your home, and be content to be a boy like the rest, and to learn a trade by which you may help your father and be happy yourself.”
Upon hearing these familiar words the marionette wanted to beat the pan and call for help, but, he reflected, this would show that he lacked courage and might lower him in the eyes of his subjects. So he endured his fate, thinking: “A night soon passes. To-morrow night I will have a sentinel on guard.” And he drew himself up, mallet in hand, ready to fight the spiders if they came too near him. All was still, and Pinocchio tried a second time to close his eyes to sleep.
“Buzz! buzz! buzz!”
The place swarmed with flies.
“Zz! zz! Zeeee, zeeee, smm, zmmm!”
Out in the night frogs croaked, birds cried, wild animals howled.
“What a place to sleep in!” whined the poor emperor, flinging himself about on his hard bed.
Then he thought of his own small cot, neat and clean, in which he had so often peacefully slept and dreamed pleasant dreams. It will not seem strange that Pinocchio wished that he were at home again, instead of being a king in Africa.
Pinocchio the First, Emperor and King of all the African kings, passed a very wretched night. He felt hot and feverish, and he was afraid that he was going to die before morning came.
CHAPTER 32
He Sends For The Royal Doctor
Pinocchio presently became very anxious about his health. He was sure that the night’s troubles had brought on a high fever, and this, of course, would keep him from attending to affairs of state. At dawn, th
erefore, Pinocchio the First rapped the pan and sent for the doctor of the court. He was an old man, with a long white beard. Having listened to the emperor’s lament, the doctor drew out a string of beads from his breast, threw them on the floor, and examined them closely, all the time murmuring strange words. Then he began to count the beads. At the end of a quarter of an hour he said that his royal majesty was in excellent health and need not worry.
The marionette’s rage knew no bounds, but it would not do to complain at the very beginning of his career. He thanked the worthy doctor therefore, and dismissed him with a polite nod of the head. Then he again rapped furiously on the pan. There promptly appeared eight or ten servants, who first knelt down at the foot of the imperial bed, and then advancing with every sign of respect, raised his majesty gently, and placed him upon a panther’s skin that was stretched upon the floor. Pinocchio allowed them to proceed, until they began to cover his body with oil. At this, he asked why they anointed him in such a manner.
“To make you clean, your majesty,” answered the servants, very respectfully.
“Fine cleaning!” thought the marionette. “How are my face and hands to get washed this morning? Never mind. Let us see what comes next.”
This first operation ended, Pinocchio the First was made to sit cross-legged to have his hair combed. His attendants covered his hair with a purple cream and then sprinkled over it a golden powder.
Pinocchio’s joy upon seeing that glittering substance knew no bounds, but he overheard one of the servants say in a melancholy undertone: “What a pity his majesty has not a black complexion such as we have! What a pity! What a pity!”
The marionette was moved to the bottom of his heart, and he was about to say, “You may be sure, my dear subjects, I shall do the best I can to become black,” when he heard footsteps approach.
The Pinocchio Megapack: 4 Classic Puppet Tales Page 37
