a few seconds. Anotherthought flashed across his mind, and he forgot his poor father.
"If these people run away, it means that they are afraid, and if theyare afraid, it means that they have no courage. Now then, I, being verybrave, may in a short time come to rule over everything in Africa.Perhaps--who knows!--I may become a king or an emperor!"
Pinocchio, you lazy dreamer, are you never going to learn wisdom? Onlya blockhead like you could be so foolish. A wooden emperor, indeed!
CHAPTER XXVTHE MONKEYS STONE THE MARIONETTE
Filled with these hopes and forgetting his fright, Pinocchio set boldlyforth without the least alarm at the difficulties of the journey. Hewas going merrily along, dreaming of all the great things he would doas emperor of Africa, when at a turn in the road there came flyingafter him a volley of stones. Had any struck him he would have beenkilled. Astonished and frightened at this strange turn of affairs, heglanced around, but saw no one. He looked up at the trees, and thenfrom right to left, but nobody was in sight.
"This is pleasant!" exclaimed the marionette. "Have those pebblesfallen from the sky?" And he started to go on his way.
He had taken only a few steps, when a second discharge drove him to theshelter of a large tree. Thence he looked carefully in the directionfrom which the stones continued to come. To his surprise he discoveredamong the bushes and twigs a large number of monkeys.
"Well! What is this?" cried the marionette. "Those rogues must not beallowed to play such mean tricks. I had better be on my guard."
He picked up a stout stick lying on the ground near by. To hisamazement, the monkeys threw away the stones and began to pick upsticks likewise.
"I hope I shall get through this safely!" thought Pinocchio. He raisedhis stick and threatened the whole army of monkeys.
The monkeys, as if obeying his command, raised their sticks and heldthem erect, imitating exactly the action of the marionette. ThenPinocchio lowered his stick, and the monkeys lowered theirs. AgainPinocchio lifted his stick as high as he could, and the monkeys raisedtheirs, holding them stiffly like soldiers on drill.
"Arms rest!" cried Pinocchio.
All the monkeys, imitating the marionette, lowered their sticks inperfect order, just as soldiers do at the officer's command.
"That's a good idea," thought Pinocchio, "I might become the leader ofthe monkeys, and within a month conquer all Africa." And he laughed atthe joke.
The monkeys looked straight at him, standing erect and in line waitingfor further orders.
"Ah! you wish to follow me!" said the marionette. "This might suit yourtaste, but not mine, thank you! I will give you marching orders. Then Ishall be left in peace."
Accordingly Pinocchio, who was determined to get away from theseannoying beasts, moved two steps forward. The monkeys advanced twosteps also. Then he took three steps to the rear, and the monkeys wentback three steps.
"At--tention!" and facing about quickly, he started to run. All themonkeys also turned, and began to run in the direction opposite to thattaken by the marionette. Pinocchio, laughing at his own cunning, wenthis way, only now and then turning to watch the dark forms as theydisappeared in the distance.
"They all run away in this country," he said to himself, and he too ranon, fearing that the worthy beasts would return for further orders.
CHAPTER XXVIPINOCCHIO DREAMS AGAIN
"If these people are such cowards that they run at the sound of myvoice, in a few days I shall be master of all Africa. I shall be agreat man. However, this is a country of hunger and thirst and fatigue.I must find a place where I can rest a little before I begin my careerof conquest."
Fortune now seemed to favor Pinocchio. Not far off he thought he saw agroup of huts at the foot of a hill. He felt that besides getting restand shelter, he might also find something to eat. Greedy marionette!
As he approached he was struck by the strangeness of these buildings.They looked like little towers topped with domes. He went alongwondering what race of people lived in houses built without windows ordoors. He saw no one, and he was filled with a sort of fear.
"Shall I go on or not?" he mused. "Perhaps it would be best to callout, Some one will show me where to go for food and shelter."
"Hello there!" he said in a low voice. No one answered.
"Hello there!" repeated the marionette a little louder. But there wasno answer.
"They are deaf, or asleep, or dead!" concluded the marionette, aftercalling out at the top of his voice again and again.
Then he thought it might be a deserted village, and he entered bravelybetween the towers. There was no one to be seen. As he stretched outhis tired limbs on the ground he murmured. "Since it is useless tothink of eating, I may at least rest." And in a few minutes he wassound asleep.
He dreamed that he was being pulled along by an army of small insectsthat resembled ants. It seemed to him that he was making every effortto stop them, but he could not succeed. They dragged and rolled himdown a slope toward a frightful precipice, over which he must fall. Iteven seemed as if they had entered his mouth by hundreds, busyingthemselves in tearing out his tongue. It served him right, too, becausehis tongue had made many false promises and caused everybody muchsuffering.
"You will never tell any more lies!" the ants seemed to say.
Then the marionette awoke with a struggle and a cry of fear. His dreamwas a reality. He was covered with ants. He brushed them off his face,his arms, his legs,--in short, his whole body. They had tortured him forfour or five hours, and only the fact that he was made of very hardwood had saved his life.
"Thanks to my strong constitution." thought the marionette, "I am asgood as new."
CHAPTER XXVIIPINOCCHIO IS CARRIED AWAY IN AN EGGSHELL
Pinocchio now found himself in a dense growth of shrubbery which madehis progress difficult. He pushed on among the thorny plants. Theywould have stopped any one but a wooden marionette. His clothes weretorn, to be sure, but he did not mind that.
"Soon I shall have a suit that will make me look like a prince. Goodsof the best quality, and tailoring that has never been equaled! Thegold, the silver, and the diamonds must be found." And he went on at abrisk gait as if he had been on the highway.
Trees, shrubs, underbrush,--nothing else! The scene would have growntiresome had it not been for a swarm of butterflies of the mostbeautiful and brilliant colors. They flew here and there, now lettingthemselves be carried by the wind, now hovering about in search of theflowers hidden in the thick foliage.
From time to time a hare would run between Pinocchio's feet, and aftera few bounds would turn sharply around to stare at him with curiouseyes, as much as to say that a marionette was a comical sight. Youngmonkeys peeped through the leaves, laughed at him, and then scamperedaway.
Pinocchio walked along fearlessly, caring little for what went onaround him, and thinking only of the treasures for which he wasseeking.
On and on he walked until at length he found himself at the edge of avast plain. He gave a great sigh of relief. The long march through thewoods had tired him. However, he kept his eyes open, now and thenlooking down at his feet to see if any precious stones were lyingabout. Presently his attention was drawn to a great hole or nest, inwhich he saw some white objects shaped like hen's eggs, butconsiderably larger than his head.
Curious to see whether or not he could lift one, Pinocchio approachedthe nest. Just then he heard a frightful noise behind him.
Turning quickly, the marionette saw a huge bird running toward him. Thenext moment a powerful push sent him head over heels upon one of theeggs! As he fell he heard a loud crash, and at almost the same instantfound himself carried through the air. What had befallen him?
Of course, the hole was the nest of an ostrich. Enraged at the sight ofthe broken egg, the fierce bird had seized in its powerful beak thatpart of the shell into which the unfortunate marionette had fallen, andwas now rushing across the plain with the swiftness of an expresstrain.
The marionette screamed in terror, an
d with the stick which he stillheld in his hand rained blows upon the bird's long neck. But the blowshad 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 intoa muddy pool, in which he sank up to his neck like a frog. Having nodesire 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 beyondmeasure.
CHAPTER XXVIIIPINOCCHIO 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 ofa knife, and an instant later the ostrich that had carried him thus farfell to the ground, wounded to death. The marionette could notunderstand how it was possible for a bird to carry a
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