CHAPTER IV
“Well, children, let us hasten. If we talk so much, the sun will rise and find us here. Come, Pinocchio! Jump on my back and let us start.”
There was no need for Tursio to repeat his command. In the twinkling of an eye, Pinocchio was riding on the dolphin’s back, holding on tightly to the dorsal fin.
“Gallop and gallop, my pretty horse,Swiftly over the boundless sea.Straight through the water take thy course,Till my dear father again I see.”“Gallop and gallop, my pretty horse,Gallop away under the sea.Swim to the south, and swim to the north,Till my dear father again I see.”
“Gallop and gallop, my pretty horse,Swiftly over the boundless sea.Straight through the water take thy course,Till my dear father again I see.”“Gallop and gallop, my pretty horse,Gallop away under the sea.Swim to the south, and swim to the north,Till my dear father again I see.”
“Gallop and gallop, my pretty horse,Swiftly over the boundless sea.Straight through the water take thy course,Till my dear father again I see.”“Gallop and gallop, my pretty horse,Gallop away under the sea.Swim to the south, and swim to the north,Till my dear father again I see.”
“Gallop and gallop, my pretty horse,Swiftly over the boundless sea.Straight through the water take thy course,Till my dear father again I see.”“Gallop and gallop, my pretty horse,Gallop away under the sea.Swim to the south, and swim to the north,Till my dear father again I see.”
“Gallop and gallop, my pretty horse,Swiftly over the boundless sea.Straight through the water take thy course,Till my dear father again I see.”
“Gallop and gallop, my pretty horse,
Swiftly over the boundless sea.
Straight through the water take thy course,
Till my dear father again I see.”
“Gallop and gallop, my pretty horse,
Gallop away under the sea.
Swim to the south, and swim to the north,
Till my dear father again I see.”
So sang Pinocchio gleefully.
Tursio and his swimming companions, with a few shakes of their strong tails, were soon far away from shore. This is not to be wondered at, for dolphins are known to be very swift. Very soon Pinocchio saw nothing but sea and sky. Always holding on tightly to Tursio’s fin, he looked to the right and to the left; but nothing could he see of his dear father.
“Hold fast, Pinocchio,” suddenly cried Tursio.
“All right, Mr. Tursio,” replied Pinocchio, but he could say no more. For suddenly, with a great jump, the dolphin was under water.
What a moment for our poor wooden hero!
“Now I understand it all,” he thought. “This dolphin wants to get me into the sea that he may eat me at his leisure. Oh, poor me! I shall never again see the light of day.”
But marvel of marvels! He suddenly awoke to the fact that, instead of drowning, he was breathing easily. Not only that, but he could actually talk!
“This is strange,” said he. “I have always thought that people would drown in the water.”
“And it is true,” answered the dolphin, “that men usually drown in the sea. But I have given you the power to live underwater. You see, then, you have become a real amphibian.”
“A real what? What am I now?”
“An amphibian. That is, you have the power to live both in the air and in the water.”
“But are there such animals?”
“Why, of course, child. Frogs, for example, which belong to the Batrachia family. In the water they breathe with branchiæ, or gills, and in the air with lungs. Usually, however, the name is given only to those mammals that live in the water and move only with great difficulty on the earth. To this class belong the seals and the sea lions.”
“Well, then, I shall never drown.”
“No; and you will have a wonderful journey under the sea. Just hold on to me, and I will carry you. Do not be afraid.”
“Afraid? Of course not. But I don’t like the darkness very much.”
“That is too bad. But the darkness will not last very long. You know, I promised that we should make our journey by the light of the sun. Wait awhile.”
Through the water Tursio went like an arrow, followed by Marsovino and the servant.
Pinocchio, to gain courage, shut his eyes. When he opened them again, wonder of wonders! Very near to him a large sun was moving back and forth. It looked as if it were alive.
“The sun at the bottom of the sea!” yelled Pinocchio, frightened almost to death. “Do you want me to believe that? You must be a wizard playing tricks on me.”
“I am not a wizard, Pinocchio, and thesun is not a trick. It is nothing more nor less than a fish.”
“I never heard of such a thing.”
“And you have been in all the schools of the kingdom! Marsovino, please explain to this boy what a sunfish is.”
“The sunfish is so called because of the bright light that comes from its body. When several of these fish are together, the sea looks as if it were full of little, shining suns.”
As usual, Pinocchio was silent. He was beginning to think that even dolphins knew more than he did.
Stretching out his hand, he touched a small fish that was passing by. Another surprise! As soon as he touched it, it began to swell and swell, until it was as round as a ball. And from this ball, countless points began to stick out.
“Suddenly, with a Great Jump, the Dolphin was under the Water.”
“Oh!” yelled Pinocchio again. “What is it this time?”
“It is only a globefish, my marionette. It is harmless, if you don’t touch it.”
“But why should it turn into a balloon?”
“It does that to protect itself,” answered Tursio. “It is possible for the globefish to do that, because it can take in a large quantity of air. With bristles ready, it can then meet the attacks of other fish, as each point is as sharp as a needle.”
“I never knew that before,” exclaimed Pinocchio, forgetting his previous boast.
Tursio and Marsovino looked at each other and laughed.