fruit and cake. He waspleased. Africa, after all, was a country where one could live. Hishunger satisfied, he did what marionettes usually do,--talked abouthimself. In a short time all the people knew who he was and why he hadcome to Africa. The old man with the pipe asked him, "Who told you thathere in Africa there is so much gold?"
"Who told me? He who knows told me!"
"But are you sure that he did not wish to deceive you?"
"Deceive me?" replied the marionette, "My dear sire, to deceive me onemust have a good--" and he touched his forehead with his forefinger asmuch as to say that within lay a great brain. "Before leaving home Istudied so much that the teacher feared I should ruin my health."
"Very well," replied the old man, "let us travel together, for we alsoare in search of gold and precious stones."
Pinocchio's heart beat fast with hope. At last there was some one tohelp him in his search. He could scarcely control himself enough tosay: "Willingly, most willingly! I have no objections. Suityourselves."
CHAPTER XXPINOCCHIO TRAVELS WITH THE CARAVAN
The camels, refreshed by the large amount of water they had taken,stood up, proud of their loads. Even the donkey brayed. Yes, there wasa donkey! And this fact displeased Pinocchio. He had for a long timefelt a great dislike for these animals. In fact, he had once been adonkey, and his dislike was a natural one.
The donkey did not carry any load, and for that reason the marionettewas asked to ride on its back. He hesitated. It was stupid to ride adonkey, and he would have preferred to walk, but he did not like toseem rude to the good people, and up he mounted.
They traveled all day along the narrow road which gradually woundaround the slope of a mountain. The old man rode by the side ofPinocchio, asking him many questions about the studies he had taken upto prepare himself for this trip to Africa.
The marionette talked a great deal, and as might have been expected,made many blunders. He began to think that his companions were verysimple, and that in Africa one could tell any kind of lie without beingdiscovered. He even went so far as to assure the old man that he knewthe very spot where they could find gold and diamonds, and ended bysaying that within a week they should all be men of great wealth.
"You must walk straight ahead," the saucy marionette was saying, "thento the right, and you will arrive at the bottom of a valley, throughwhich flows a beautiful brook of yellow water. By the side of thisbrook is a tree, and beneath the tree there is gold in plenty."
The old man was amazed to hear the tales he told. Pinocchio himselffelt ashamed of all these lies. He was afraid his nose would grow as ithad done one day at home. But no, it was still its natural size!
"Well!" he thought, "if it has not grown longer this time, it willnever grow again, no matter how many lies I tell."
CHAPTER XXIHE IS OFFERED FOR SALE
They went on until they met a second caravan resting at a well. Everyone admired Pinocchio, and the old man who had him in charge treatedhim as if he were his own son.
Pinocchio was greatly pleased. Yet to tell the truth he was worried.Suppose they discovered that he had lied, and that he knew nothingabout Africa, or the gold, or the diamonds! What would happen then?
The old man was talking to three or four men of the new caravan.Pinocchio did not like their faces. Now and then they looked toward themarionette with open eyes of astonishment.
Pinocchio pricked up his ears to listen to the good things the old manwas saying about him. He felt highly flattered on hearing himselfpraised for his character, his intelligence, and his ability to eat anddrink.
Then the men lowered their voices, and the marionette only now and thencaught some stray words.
"How much do you want?"
"Come!" replied the good old man, "between us there should not be somuch talk. I cannot give him to you unless you give me twenty yards ofEnglish calico, thirty yards of iron wire, and four strings of glassbeads."
"It is too much. It is too much," replied one.
"They are bargaining for the donkey," said Pinocchio, and he felt sorryfor the poor beast.
"I am sorry for you," he went on, addressing the donkey, "because youhave made me quite comfortable. Now I must give you up and walk."
"It is too much. It is too much," the men were saying.
"Yes, yes, all you say is very true," spoke one in a high voice, "but,after all, he is made of wood."
"Of wood? Who is made of wood? The donkey?" thought Pinocchio, lookingat the animal, which stood still, its ears erect as if it also werelistening.
"Here!" put in one of the men, "the bargain is made if you will givehim up for an elephant's tooth; if not, let us talk no more of it."
The old man was silent. He looked at the marionette, and then with asigh which came from his heart he said: "You drive a hard bargain! Addat least the horn of a rhinoceros and let us be done with it."
"Put in the horn!" replied the man, and they shook hands. "You havedone well, my friends," the old man said. "That fellow there,"--and thistime pointed directly at Pinocchio,--"that fellow there has some greatideas in his head. He knows a thing or two! He says he knows the exactspot where one may find gold and diamonds."
Pinocchio was thunderstruck! It was he and not the donkey that had beensold.
"Dogs!" he cried, "farewell. I go from you forever." And away he leapedas fast as the north wind. They did not even try to follow him. Whocould have caught him.
CHAPTER XXIITHE BIRD IN THE FOREST
After two hours of hard running, Pinocchio, still angry at thetreatment he had received, came to a forest. "It's better to be a birdin the bushes than a bird in a cage!" he thought.
Although the walk in the forest was refreshing, he began, as usual, tobe hungry. The place was very beautiful, but beauty could not satisfy amarionette's appetite. He looked here and there in the hope that hemight see trees loaded with the fruit about which the elephant man hadspoken. He saw nothing but branches and leaves, leaves and branches. Onhe walked. Both the forest and his hunger seemed without end.
Fortunately Pinocchio was very strong. Being made of wood, he couldendure a great many hardships. He was sure that his good Fairy wouldcome to help him, so he kept on bravely. He had walked a long waybefore he saw a large tree, bearing fruit that resembled oranges.
"At last!" he cried aloud. The birds flew away at the sound. Pinocchioclimbed over the rocks and up the tree as fast as he could.
"I will eat enough to last for a week!" he said, as he thought of theorange peel his father Geppetto had given him for supper.
He picked the largest of the fruit and put it into his mouth. It was ashard as ivory. He pulled out his penknife, with which he used tosharpen his pencil at school. With great difficulty he cut the fruit intwo, to find within only a soft, bitter pulp. Then he tried another andanother. All were like the first one, and he gave up trying because hewas at length convinced that none of the fruit was fit to eat.
Tired and unhappy, with bowed head and dangling arms, he pushed onslowly, stumbling over rocks, and becoming entangled again and again inthe briers. He thought sadly of the disappointments he had met with inAfrica.
"It is settled. I am to die of hunger. Where are the delicious fruitsand the precious stones? Should I not do better to go home and leavethe gold and silver to those who want them?"
As he went along, thinking over these things, he noticed ahead of him abird about the size of a canary, which looked at him as if it longed toconsole him in his misery.
It went on before Pinocchio, flying from one branch to another,stopping when the marionette stopped, and moving every time themarionette moved. Pinocchio said to himself: "Does this dear littlebird wish to be eaten? I'll pluck its feathers, stick a twig throughit, put it in the sun, and in half an hour it will be cooked and readyto eat."
While the hungry marionette was giving himself up to this thought, thebird began to sing,
"Pinocchio, my dear,If you would honey eat,Come closer to me here,And you will find a treat."
&nb
sp; Imagine Pinocchio's surprise! He approached the little songster andlooked up. Sure enough, there on a branch of a great tree was abeehive.
One would think that Pinocchio would at least stop to thank the bird,but not he! Up the tree he went like a squirrel, while the bees buzzedabout him angrily. The marionette laughed.
"Sting away! sting away, brave bees! I am a marionette and made ofwood. You may sting me as much as you please." He thrust his hand intothe hive and drew out a handful of sweet honey.
"This time at least I shall not die of hunger."
CHAPTER XXIIIHIS ADVENTURE WITH A LION
The marionette was on the point of filling his mouth a second time,when he heard a frightful roar directly under his feet. The shockalmost tumbled him down headfirst. Had he
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