CHAPTER XVI
Afterracing along madly for a while, Marsovino became so tired that he had to stop.
“I must rest,” he said to Pinocchio.
“Very well, I’m willing,” answered the marionette.
In front of them the two friends could see a dark mass. Seen from the sea, it looked like a strip of land. But on approaching, one could see that it was nothing but a high rock.
This strip was separated from the shore of a small island by a long narrow channel of water. Marsovino swam a few yards up the channel, and then stopped to let Pinocchio jump on land.
“That battle in the sea has upset me greatly,” said Pinocchio to his friend. “I must strengthen myself with some food. But I don’t see anything around. What shall I eat?”
The last words were interrupted by a soft whistle from the channel. A second whistle was heard, then a third, then a fourth. Our two friends turned. Large, clumsy, black bodies were coming out of the water. They were trying very hard to get to shore.
Pinocchio knew them at once. They were sea tortoises, and it was they who had made those strange sounds. After dragging themselves to the shore, they stood on the sand, moving their heads and blinking up at the sun.
“You said you wanted something to eat, Pinocchio. Well, do you see those large holes on the sand there? Look in them.You will surely find some tortoise eggs in them. They will make a delicious dinner for you.”
Pinocchio did not have to be told twice. In a moment he was gone. In a short time he returned with two large eggs in his hands.
“Make haste, now, eat them. We must continue our journey, and we have no time to lose.”
“You are going to wait, my dear Marsovino. I really do not see why you should be in such a hurry.”
“Because father told me never to stop needlessly. That’s why.”
“Yes, I know; but you shall wait now. Since I have been with you I have eaten nothing but raw fish. Fish and mollusks,mollusks and fish, and I’m getting tired of it. To-day I am going to eat boiled eggs.”
“Boiled eggs! How, pray, and in what are you going to boil them?”
“Ha, ha! That’s my secret. That day in the ship I found an iron box with the word matches written on it. I kept it, but I never opened it. Here it is.” And Pinocchio showed the dolphin a small black box firmly closed.
“Now I’m going to use the matches. Do you want to see me build a fire and cook my eggs?”
“Very well, have your own way. But make haste, you disobedient boy.”
In no time Pinocchio had a good fire started.
“Now in what shall I put the water to boil?” he thought.
He looked around, and not very far away he saw a huge empty tortoise shell.
“Marsovino!” he called. “Come here! Will you please blow on this fire for me? I don’t want it to go out, and I want to get that tortoise shell and some water.”
“But I can’t move out of the water,” answered Marsovino.
“Oh, yes, you can. Come! Drag yourself as near as possible to the water. You amphibians can live out of the water for a while. So make haste!”
“But Mr. Tursio told me never to leave the water.”
“Well, just for once.”
Marsovino finally gave in. There was no great harm in just one little disobedience, he thought.
Pinocchio hastened away, and soon he was back with the shell full of fresh water.
“Oh, how good that spring water was,” he said to his friend, who was busily blowing the fire. “Now for a good dinner!”
The eggs were soon cooked, and Pinocchio certainly enjoyed them.
“I feel so well after that dinner I could travel to the end of the world,” he said when he had finished.
The two travelers then turned toward the sea. But Marsovino gave a cry of horror. In the channel hardly any water was left. The pebbly bottom could be seen, and beyond that the steep rock.
“The tide!” cried Marsovino. “I forgot the tide! Poor me! I am lost!”
“What is the matter?”
“Don’t you see the water is gone? The tide has gone out, and now how am I to get back to the sea? Before the tide comes in again I shall be dead. Oh, oh, I shallnever see dear father again.” And as he talked poor Marsovino was beginning to breathe with difficulty, and to suffer greatly.
Pinocchio understood little about tides, but he knew what Marsovino meant by dying.
“And it is all my fault,” he cried, pulling at his hair. “If he dies, poor me, what shall happen to me? I must find some way of saving him.”
Marsovino was now giving little sign of life. He lay on the sand, with eyes closed, and breathing heavily.
With two bounds, Pinocchio was on top of the rocky ledge. Before him was the sea.
“If only it were possible to break a hole in this rock,” he thought.
As if in answer, a strange object made its appearance in front of him. It was a white spiral pole about two yards long. Behind the pole Pinocchio saw a round gray headspotted with black. Against the rocks the animal came with such force that they trembled. Suddenly an idea struck our hero.
“Pardon me,” he called, “but will you allow me to speak with you a moment?”
The immense animal, about six yards long, looked the boy over.
“What do you want, you small piece of humanity?” he asked proudly.
Pinocchio very humbly and very quickly told him the story of the poor dolphin.
“And as it is my fault that he is in this condition, I want to try to save him!” he exclaimed. “You seem so strong, will you please give this rock a few knocks with that tooth of yours? I know you’ll be able to break it.”
At this earnest supplication the narwhal, for that is what the animal was, washighly pleased. He looked at Pinocchio in a tolerant way.
“First of all,” he answered, “before I do anything for you, let me ask you a question.”
“Yes, sir, but please make haste, or Marsovino will die.”
“Do not interrupt me again, boy. First of all, what are you willing to give me in return for this favor?”
“I have nothing, sir. I would give you anything I have—I wish I had something—but I have nothing.”
“I do nothing for nothing. Good-by, then,” the narwhal replied. “But answer me this. What have you in that box in your hands? That box you are trying to hide.”
“This box? Oh, do not ask me for this. This will make my father rich and happy.Oh, no, not this! It is full of beautiful pearls.”
“Pearls! Well, then, give them to me. For them, and for them only, shall I grant your request. No?” he asked, as Pinocchio shook his head. “Very well, then. Good-by.”
“Come back! Come back!” cried Pinocchio. “Only hasten to save Marsovino!”
Without a word more he handed his precious pearls to the narwhal, and then quick as a flash was back at Marsovino’s side.
“Marsovino! Marsovino! Open your eyes, dear friend! You are saved!”
He had not finished speaking when with a crash a great piece of rock fell. Another crash, and the hole widened; another, and the hole was wide enough for Marsovino to pass through. The water from the sea flowed in. Marsovino opened his eyes at the great noise. He was so surprised that he felt almost entirely well.
“What is it?” he asked feebly.
“Come, Marsovino, come! Try to drag yourself this short space, and you’ll be in the water again. Come!”
Pinocchio helped him all he could. He lifted the heavy treasure boxes off the poor dolphin’s back. He smoothed the sand. He cleared away the stones. Still poor Marsovino’s body wasall torn and bleeding before the short trip was finished.
Finally, with a great sigh of relief, Marsovino was again in the cool water. Pinocchio was as happy as a boy can be. When he saw Marsovino safely in the water again he ran back to get the boxes. He dragged and dragged and pulled, and at last he had them both on Marsovino’s back again.
“It was lucky he didn’t know anything about these, otherwise—” said Pinocchio to himself.
“He? Whom are you talking about?” asked Marsovino, who was now well again.
“Yes, he, the one who helped me save you. He had a long white tooth, and he made a hole in the rock with it.”
“A narwhal! You must be talking about a narwhal! Do you mean to tell me thatyou asked a narwhal to help you and that he did?”
“I suppose so.”
“But how did you ever get him to do it?”
“That’s my secret. Now that you are rested, let us go home to Tursio.”
“Very well. But still I should like to know why that narwhal was so very obliging.”
With a laugh Pinocchio jumped on the dolphin’s back, and they were off.
Without stopping anywhere, the two friends traveled straight to the coral island. And as soon as they reached it, they turned straight to the place where Beluga lived. They found every one healthy and happy and overjoyed to see them.
Tursio asked Pinocchio to tell him all his adventures, and the boy was only too happy to please him. He told of the seals, of the old ship, of the meeting with theoctopus, of the battle on the high seas. But of his last adventure and of the loss of his pearls he said never a word.
“And then? Is that all?” asked Tursio.
“Yes; what else should there be?”
“You had a very pleasant voyage, then, after all.”
“Yes, a splendid voyage.”
“With no very unpleasant adventures?”
“No, none—well, yes, one; but it has been forgotten long ago.” Pinocchio was beginning to learn the value of truth.
“And what was that?”
“But it has been forgotten.”
“I want to know about it,” said Tursio, in a voice that had to be obeyed.
“Very well,” and Pinocchio told him.
“And if it had not been for a kind narwhal passing by just then, Marsovino would now be dead,” he finished.
“A kind narwhal? What did he do?”
“I asked him to help me, and he did.”
“But what did you give him in return for his kindness? A narwhal is not kind for nothing.”
“I just gave him something, that’s all.”
Pinocchio finally told him.
“Well done, my boy. You were certainlycourageous, and you deserve to be forgiven for your disobedience. And, remember, Pinocchio, you shall be rewarded for your act of kindness.”
The next day the four friends traveled far, and by sunset they came to a strange land.
“Well, good-by, my boy,” said Tursio, turning to Pinocchio. “Our journey is finished. I hope you have learned something. You must go back to the world now.”
“Are you going to leave me here alone?”
“You shall not be alone very long. Do not be afraid. Walk a short distance inland. You’ll come to a little house. There you will find some one waiting for you.”
“Not only did he find his Father, but he also found a Beautiful Little Home, and a Comfortable Happy Life waiting for Him.”
“My father!” cried Pinocchio, overjoyed. “At last! Hurrah!”
The marionette then thanked his kind friends and jumped on land.
The dolphins shook their fins in good-by, and then swam away.
“Good-by, Tursio! Good-by, Marsovino! Good-by, Globicephalous!” screamed Pinocchio, watching the sea until the three had disappeared.
“Well, now for my father!” and turning toward the land, he started to run.
All happened as Tursio had told him.
Not only did he find his father, but he also found a beautiful little home, and a comfortable happy life waiting for him.
He remembered then Tursio’s words, “You will be rewarded.”