The Project Gutenberg eBook ofPinocchio in AfricaThis ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this ebook or online atwww.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook.Title: Pinocchio in AfricaAuthor: Eugenio CherubiniTranslator: Angelo PatriRelease date: March 1, 2004 [eBook #5327]Most recently updated: February 26, 2021Language: EnglishCredits: Produced by Walter Moore, James Linden and James Nugen*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PINOCCHIO IN AFRICA ***
This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this ebook or online atwww.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook.
Title: Pinocchio in AfricaAuthor: Eugenio CherubiniTranslator: Angelo PatriRelease date: March 1, 2004 [eBook #5327]Most recently updated: February 26, 2021Language: EnglishCredits: Produced by Walter Moore, James Linden and James Nugen
Title: Pinocchio in Africa
Author: Eugenio CherubiniTranslator: Angelo Patri
Author: Eugenio Cherubini
Translator: Angelo Patri
Release date: March 1, 2004 [eBook #5327]Most recently updated: February 26, 2021
Language: English
Credits: Produced by Walter Moore, James Linden and James Nugen
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PINOCCHIO IN AFRICA ***
Africans bowing to Pinocchio
Title Page
Copyright Page
Translated from the Italianof Cherubini byAngelo PatriPrincipal of Public School No. 4Borough of BronxNew York City
Original Drawings byCharles Copeland
Ginn and CompanyBoston · New York · Chicago · London
Copyright, 1911, by Angelo PatriAll Rights Reserved811.4
The Athenaum PressGinn and Company ProprietorsBoston · U.S.A.
Collodi’s “Pinocchio” tells the story of a wooden marionette and of his efforts to become a real boy. Although he was kindly treated by the old woodcutter, Geppetto, who had fashioned him out of a piece of kindling wood, he was continually getting into trouble and disgrace. Even Fatina, the Fairy with the Blue Hair, could not at once change an idle, selfish marionette into a studious and reliable boy. His adventures, including his brief transformation into a donkey, give the author an opportunity to teach a needed and wholesome lesson without disagreeable moralizing.
Pinocchio immediately leaped into favor as the hero of Italian juvenile romance. The wooden marionette became a popular subject for the artist’s pencil and the storyteller’s invention. Brought across the seas, he was welcomed by American children and now appears in a new volume which sets forth his travels in Africa. The lessons underlying his fantastic experiences are clear to the youngest readers but are never allowed to become obtrusive. The amusing illustrations of the original are fully equaled in the present edition, while the whimsical nonsense which delights Italian children has been reproduced as closely as a translation permits.
Pinocchio Studying
One morning Pinocchio slipped out of bed before daybreak. He got up with a great desire to study, a feeling, it must be confessed, which did not often take hold of him. He dipped his wooden head into the cool, refreshing water, puffed very hard, dried himself, jumped up and down to stretch his legs, and in a few moments was seated at his small worktable.
There was his home work for the day,—twelve sums, four pages of penmanship, and the fable of “The Dog and the Rabbit” to learn by heart. He began with the fable, reciting it in a loud voice, like the hero in the play: “‘A dog was roaming about the fields, when from behind a little hill jumped a rabbit, which had been nibbling the tender grass.’
“Roaming, nibbling.—The teacher says this is beautiful language. Maybe it is; I have nothing to say about that. Well, one more.
“‘A dog was roaming about the fields—when he saw—run out—a rabbit which—which—’ I don’t know it; let’s begin again. ‘A dog was running about eating, eating—’ But eating what? Surely he did not eat grass!
“This fable is very hard; I cannot learn it. Well, I never did have much luck with dogs and rabbits! Let me try the sums. Eight and seven, seventeen; and three, nineteen; and six, twenty-three, put down two and carry three. Nine and three, eleven; and four, fourteen; put down the whole number—one, four; total, four hundred thirteen.
“Ah! good! very good! I do not wish to boast, but I have always had a great liking for arithmetic. Now to prove the answer: eight and seven, sixteen; and three, twenty-one; and six, twenty-four; put down four—why! it’s wrong! Eight and seven, fourteen; and three, nineteen; and six—wrong again!
“I know what the trouble is; the wind is not in the right quarter to-day for sums. Perhaps it would be better to take a walk in the open.”
No sooner said than done. Pinocchio went out into the street and filled his lungs with the fresh morning air.
The Circus Arrives
“Ah! here, at least, one can breathe. It is a pity that I am beginning to feel hungry! Strange how things go wrong sometimes! Take the lessons—” he went on.
Listen! A noise of creaking wheels, of bells ringing, the voices of people, the cries of animals! Pinocchio stopped short. What could it all mean?
Down the street came a huge wagon drawn by three big mules. Behind it was a long train of men and women dressed in the strangest fashion. Some were on foot, some on horseback, some sat or lay on other wagons larger and heavier than the first. Two Moors, their scarlet turbans blazing in the sun, brought up the rear. With spears at rest and with shields held before them, they rode along, mounted on two snow-white horses.
Pinocchio stood with his mouth open. Only after the two Moors had passed did he discover the fact that he had legs, and that these were following on behind the procession. And he walked, walked, walked, until the carriages and all the people stopped in the big town square. A man with a deep voice began to give orders. In a short time there arose an immense tent, which hid from Pinocchio and the many others who had gathered in the square all those wonderful wagons, horses, mules, and strange people.
It may seem odd, but it is a fact that the school bell began to ring and Pinocchio never heard it!
Pinocchio follows the parade
The Director Arrives
That day the school bell rang longer and louder perhaps than it was wont to ring on other days. What of that? From the tent came the loud clanging of hammers, the sounds of instruments, the neighing of horses, the roaring of lions and tigers and panthers, the howling of wolves, the bleating of camels, the screeching of monkeys! Wonderful noises! Who cared for the school bell? Pinocchio? No, not he.
Suddenly there was a loud command. All was still.
The two Moors raised the tent folds with their spears. Out came a crowd of men dressed in all sorts of fine clothes, and women in coats of mail and beautiful cloaks of silk, with splendid diadems on their heads. They were all mounted upon horses covered with rich trappings of red and white.
Out they marched, and behind them came a golden carriage drawn by four white ponies. In it was the big man with the deep voice. There he sat in the beautiful carriage with his dazzling high hat and his tall white collar. He wore a black suit with a pair of high boots. As he rode on he waved his white gloves and bowed right and left. The band with its trumpets and drums and cymbals struck up a stirring march, and a parade such as the townsfolk had never seen before passed out among the crowds that now filled the square.
The marionette could not believe his eyes. He rubbed them to see if he was really awake. He forgot all about his hunger. What did he care for that? The wonders of the whole world were before him.
The parade soon reentered the tent. The two Moors, mounted upon their snow-white horses, again stood at the entrance. Then the director, the man with the loud voice, came out, hat in hand, and began to address the people.
The Pitch to the Crowd
“Ladies and gentlemen! kind and gentle people! citizens of a great town! officers and soldiers! I wish you all peace, health, and plenty.
“Ladies and gentlemen, first of all, let me make a brief explanation. I am not here for gain. Far be it from me to think of such a thing as money. I travel the world over with my menagerie, which is made up of rare animals brought by me from the heart of Africa. I perform only in large cities. But to-day one of the monkeys in the troupe is fallen seriously ill. It is therefore necessary to make a short stop in order that we may consult with some well-known doctor in this town.
“Profit, therefore, by this chance, ladies and gentlemen, to see wonders which you have never seen before, and which you may never see again. I labor to spread learning, and I work to teach the masses, for I love the common people. Come forward, and I shall be glad to open my menagerie to you. Forward, forward, ladies and gentlemen! two small francs will admit you. Children one franc, yes, only one franc.”
Pinocchio, who stood in the front row, and who was ready to take advantage of the kind invitation, felt a sudden shock on hearing these last words. He looked at the director in a dazed fashion, as if to say to him, “What are you talking about? Did you not say that you traveled around the world for—”
Then, as he saw one of the spectators put down a two-franc piece and walk inside, he hung his head and suffered in silence.
Having passed two or three minutes in painful thinking, the forlorn marionette put his hands into his pockets, hoping to find in them a forgotten coin. He found nothing but a few buttons.
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 came 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!
Looking into the tent
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.
Pinocchio with the wild animals
The bear and tiger fight
“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.
Pinocchio talks with the animals
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.”
The animals ask for water
Pinocchio goes for water
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. To-day 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.
The director gives a pitch
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 who 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 many 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.
Pinocchio leaves the animals
Pinocchio arrives home
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.
Pinocchio had vivid dreams
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.
At length the night ended and Pinocchio arose. First of all he went to bid farewell to his friends in the circus, but they were no longer to be found. During the night the director had quietly stolen away with his company.
“A pleasant journey to you!” said Pinocchio, and he began to search the ground for a forgotten piece of gold, or some precious stone which might have fallen from a lady’s diadem; but he found nothing.
“What shall I do now? Shall I go to Africa or to school? It might be better to go to school, for the teacher says that I am a little behind in reading, writing, composition, history, geography, and arithmetic. In other subjects I am not so dull. Yes, yes; it will certainly do me more good to go to school. Then I shall be a dunce no longer.”
Having made this sensible decision, the marionette started for home with the idea of studying his lessons and of going to school.
The Date peddler
Soon he met a man in a paper hat and a white apron. He was pushing a cart filled with a kind of fruit that Pinocchio had never seen before.
“Dates! dates! fresh dates! sweet dates! real African dates!” came the cry.
“Even he speaks of Africa!” thought Pinocchio. “Africa seems to follow me. But what has Africa to do with dates, and what are these dates? I have never heard of them.” The man stopped; Pinocchio stopped also. A lady bought some of the dates, and it happened that one of them fell on the ground. The marionette picked it up and handed it to her.
“Thank you,” she said with a smile. “Keep it yourself; you have earned it.”
The man with the cart went on, “Dates! dates! fresh dates! sweet dates! real African dates!”
Pinocchio looked after him for a time and then put the date into his mouth. Great Caesar! How delicious! Never before had he tasted anything so sweet. The orange peel was nothing compared with this! What the circus people had told him, then, was really true!
“To Africa I go,” he said, “even if I break a leg. What do I care about the Red Sea, the Yellow Sea, the Green, or any other sea? I will go!”
And the rascal, forgetting his home and his father, who at that very moment was waiting to give him his breakfast, set out toward the sea.
As he neared the water he heard a voice call, “Pinocchio! Pinocchio!”
The marionette stopped and looked around, but seeing no one, he went on.
“Pinocchio! Pinocchio! Be careful! You know not what you do!”
“Farewell and many thanks,” answered the stubborn marionette, and forthwith stepped into the sea.
“The water is like ice this morning. No wonder it makes me feel cold; but I know how to get rid of a chill. A good swim, and I am as warm as ever.” Out shot his arms and he plunged into the water. The journey to Africa had begun.
At noon he still swam on. It grew dark and on he swam. Later the moon arose and grinned at him. He kept on swimming, without a sign of fatigue, of hunger, or of sleepiness. A marionette can do things that would tire a real boy, and to Pinocchio swimming was no task at all.
Pinocchio swims to Africa
Pinocchio hits the rocks
The moon grinned again and disappeared behind a cloud. The night grew dark. Pinocchio continued to swim through the black waters. He could see nothing ahead. He swam, swam, swam into the dark. Suddenly he felt something scrape his body, and he gave a start.
“Who goes there?” he cried. No one answered. “Perhaps it is my old friend the shark, who has recognized me,” thought he; and he rapidly swam on to get away from the spot which reminded him of that terrible monster.
He had not gone more than fifty yards when his head ran against something rough and hard. “Oh!” cried the marionette, and he raised his hand to the injured part.
Then, as he noticed a large rock standing out of the water, he cried joyously; “I have arrived! I am in Africa!”
He got up on his feet and began to feel of himself all over,—his ribs, his stomach, his legs. Everything was in order.
“Nothing broken!” he said. “The rocks on the way have been very kind. However, I hope that day will break soon, for I have no matches, and it seems to me that I am very hungry.”
Then he began to move on carefully. First he put down one foot and then the other, and thus crept along till he found a comfortable spot. “I seem to be very tired and sleepy also,” he said.
With that, he lay down and went off in to a deep slumber.
When he awoke it was daylight. The sun shone red and hot. There was nothing to be seen but rocks and water.
“Is this Africa?” said the marionette, greatly troubled. “Even at dawn it seems to be very warm. When the sun gets a little higher I am likely to be baked.” And he wiped the sweat from his brow on his coat sleeve. Presently clouds began to rise out of the water. They grew darker and darker, and the day, instead of being bright, gradually became gloomy and overcast.
The sun disappeared.
“This is funny!” said Pinocchio. “What jokes the sun plays in these parts! It shines for a while and then disappears.”
Poor marionette! It did not occur to him at first that he had slept the whole day, and that instead of the rising he saw the setting of the sun.
The Sun comes up on the rocks
Pinocchio crying
“And now I must pass another night here alone on these bare rocks!” he thought.
The unhappy marionette began to tremble. He tried to walk, but the night was so dark that it was impossible to see where to go. The tears rolled down his wooden cheeks. He thought of his disobedience and of his stubbornness. He remembered the warnings his father had given him, the advice of his teacher, and the kindly words of the good Fairy. He remembered the promises he had made to be good, obedient, and studious. How happy he had been! He recalled the day when his father’s face beamed with pleasure at his progress. He saw the happy smile with which his protecting Fairy greeted him. His tears fell fast, and sobs rent his heart.
“If I should die, here in this gloomy place! If I should die of weariness, of hunger, of fear! To die a marionette without having had the happiness of becoming a real boy!”
He wept bitterly, and yet his troubles had scarcely begun. Even while his tears were flowing down his cheeks and into the dark water, he heard prolonged howls. At the same time he saw lights moving to and fro, as if driven by the wind.
“What in the world is this? Who is carrying those lanterns?” asked Pinocchio, continuing to sob.
As if in answer to his questions, two lights came down the rocky coast and drew nearer to him.
Along with the lights came the howls, which sounded like those he had heard at the circus, only more natural and terrible.
“I hope this will end well,” the marionette said to himself, “but I have some doubt about it.”
He threw himself on the ground and tried to hide between the rocks. A minute later and he felt a warm breath on his face. There stood the shadowy form of a hyena, its open mouth ready to devour the marionette at one gulp.
“I am done for!” and Pinocchio shut his eyes and gave a last thought to his dear father and his beloved Fatina. But the beast, after sniffing at him once or twice from head to foot, burst into a loud, howling laugh and walked away. He had no appetite for wooden boys.
“May you never return!” said Pinocchio, raising his head a little and straining his eyes to pierce the darkness about him. “Oh, if there were only a tree, or a wall, or anything to climb up on!”
Hyenas
The marionette was right in wishing for something to keep him far above the ground. During the whole night these visitors were coming and going. They came around him howling, sniffing, laughing, mocking. As each one ran off, Pinocchio would say, “May you never return!” He lay there shivering in the agony of his terror. If the night had continued much longer, the poor fellow would have died of fright. But the dawn came at last. All these strange night visitors disappeared. Pinocchio tried to get up. He could not move. His legs and arms were stiff. A terrible weakness had seized him, and the world swam around him. Hunger overpowered him. The poor marionette felt that he should surely die. “How terrible,” he thought, “to die of hunger! What would I not eat! Dry beans and cherry stems would be delicious.” He looked eagerly around, but there was not even a cricket or a snail in sight. There was nothing, nothing but rocks.
Suddenly, however, a faint cry came from his parched throat. Was it possible? A few feet from him there was something between the rocks which looked like food. The marionette did not know what it was. He dragged himself along on hands and knees, and commenced to eat it. His nose wished to have nothing to do with it, and would even have drawn back, but the marionette said; “It is necessary to accustom yourself to all things, my friends. One must have patience. Don’t be afraid; if I find any roses, I promise to gather them for you.”
The nose became quiet, the mouth ate, the hunger was satisfied, and when the meal was finished Pinocchio jumped to his feet and shouted joyously; “I have had my first meal in Africa. Now I must begin my search for wealth.” He forgot the night, his father, and Fatina. His only thought was to get farther away from home.
What an easy thing life is to a wooden marionette!
Pinocchio is homesick
“First of all,” he said, “I must go to the nearest castle I can find. The master will not refuse me shelter and food. Some soup, a leg of roast chicken, and a glass of milk will put me in fine spirits.”
The journey across the rocks was full of difficulties, but the marionette overcame them readily, leaping from rock to rock like a goat. He walked, walked, walked! The rocks seemed to have no ending, and the castle, which he imagined he saw in the distance, appeared to be always farther and farther away. As the marionette drew nearer, the towers began to disappear and the walls to crumble. He walked on broken-hearted. Finally he sat down in despair and put his head in his hands. “Farewell, castle! good-by, roast chicken and soup!” He was about to weep again when he saw in the distance a village of great beauty lying at the foot of a gentle slope.
At the sight he gave a cry of joy and without a moment’s delay set out in that direction. He leaped over the rocks and bushes, putting to flight several flocks of birds in his haste. Of course only a marionette could go as fast as he did. “How beautiful Africa is!” said he. “If I had known this I would have come here long ago.”
In a short time he reached the main square of the town. Men, women, and children were lounging about, gossiping, buying, and selling. When they saw the marionette they gathered around him, and many began to shout: “It is Pinocchio! Look, here is Pinocchio! Pinocchio! Pinocchio!”
“Well, this is strange!” said the marionette to himself. “I am known even in Africa. Surely I am a great person.”
Like most great men, Pinocchio was annoyed at his noisy reception. In some anger he made his way through the crowd, pushing people right and left with his elbows. He ran down a side street and finally stopped before a restaurant, over which was the sign printed in huge letters:
MARIONETTES SERVED HERE.
“This is what I have been looking for,” said Pinocchio, and he went in.
Pinocchio at the restaurant
Pinocchio found himself facing a man of about fifty years of age. He was stout and good-natured, and like all good hosts, asked what the gentleman would have to eat. Pinocchio, hearing himself called “gentleman,” swelled with pride, and very gravely gave his order. He was served promptly, and devoured everything before him in a way known only to hungry marionettes.
In the meantime the innkeeper eyed his customer from head to foot. He addressed Pinocchio in a very respectful manner, but the marionette gave only short answers. Persons of rank ate here, and to appear like one of them he could not allow himself to waste words on common folk.
Having finished his meal, the marionette asked for something to drink.
“What is this drink called?” he asked, as he put down the glass and thrust his thumb into his vest pocket after the manner of a gentleman.
“Nectar, your excellency.”
Upon hearing himself called “excellency” Pinocchio fairly lost his head. He felt a strange lightness in his feet; indeed, he found it hard work to resist the temptation to get up and dance. “I knew that in Africa I should make my fortune,” he thought, and called for a box of cigarettes.
Having smoked one of these, the brave Pinocchio arose to go out, when the host handed him a sheet of paper on which was written a row of figures.
“What is this?” asked the marionette.
“The bill, your excellency; the amount of your debt for the dinner.”
Pinocchio stroked his wooden chin and looked at the innkeeper in surprise.
“Is there anything astonishing about that, your excellence? Is it not usual in your country to pay for what you eat?”
“It is amazing! I do not know what you mean! What strange custom is this that you speak of?”
“In these parts, your excellency,” remarked the innkeeper, “when one eats, one must pay. However, if your lordship has no money, and intends to live at the expense of others, I have a very good remedy. One minute!”
So saying, the man stepped out of the door, uttered a curious sound, and then returned.
Pinocchio lost his courage. He broke down and began to weep. He begged the man to have patience. The first piece of gold he found would pay for the meal. The innkeeper smiled as he said, “I am sorry, but the thing is done.”
“What is done?” asked the marionette.
“I have sent for the police.”
“The police!” cried the marionette, shaking with fear. “The police! Even in Africa there are policemen? Please, sir, send them back! I do not want to go to prison.”
Policemen confront Pinocchio
All this was useless talk. Two black policemen were already there. Straight toward the marionette they went and asked his name.
“Pinocchio,” he answered in a faint voice.
“What is your business?”
“I am a marionette.”
“Why have you come to Africa?”
“I will tell you,” replied Pinocchio, “You gentlemen must know that my poor father sold his coat to buy me a spelling book, and as I have heard that there is plenty of gold and silver in Africa, I have come here.”
“What kind of talk is this?” asked the elder of the two policemen. “No nonsense! Show us your papers.”
“What papers! I left all I had at school.”
The policemen cut short the marionette’s words by taking out their handcuffs and preparing to lead him away to prison. But the innkeeper was a good-hearted man, and he was sorry for the poor blockhead. He begged them to leave Pinocchio in his charge.
“So long as you are satisfied, we are satisfied,” said the policemen. “If you wish to give away your food, that is your own affair;” and they went off without saying another word.
The policemen leave