Pinocchio in Africa
Page 10
knife hiddenbeneath its wings and to make use of it. Yet the thing had happenedright before his eyes; there was no doubt about it.
While seeking an explanation for this very strange incident, he saw thevictorious ostrich draw first one arm, then the other, from beneath itsfeathers, and finally take off its beak and place it upon the ground.The second ostrich was a man.
Pinocchio now began to understand what had happened, and to hate thetrickster who had put on the feathers of an ostrich, in order to attackand kill the poor creature that lay there breathing its last.
The man approached the dying ostrich and tried to lift the huge bird tohis shoulders, but in spite of his great strength he failed. Thenlooking about in search of help, he saw the marionette, whose head wasout of the water, and signaled to him to come ashore. Pinocchio wouldhave refused, but there was the knife lying on the ground, and therewas the man. He decided to obey.
He came out of the pond as best he could, and the ugly black man beganto laugh. He laughed and laughed until he was able to stand no longer,and could only throw himself upon the ground, where he lay, breathlessand weak. The marionette, seeing this, said to himself: "If I do notescape now, it will be my own fault. My dear legs, it is no dishonor torun when you must!" and he went on at a gallop toward a hill whichcould be seen a short distance away.
"May you die of laughing, you villain!" he cried as he ran.
Presently he was somewhat alarmed to discover that the man was runningafter him. Feeling sure, however, that he could easily outrun hispursuer, he halted a moment, as if waiting for him. The man washurrying on, thinking that the boy could go no farther, when the saucymarionette, putting his hand to his mouth, shouted "Cuckoo!" Then at apace swifter than the wind he set off once more, pausing now and againto call out, "Cuckoo! Cuckoo!"
Pinocchio had nearly reached the top of the hill, and the man washalfway up, when a loud roar made them both stop. Turning around, theysaw that a lion was carrying off the dead ostrich. At that, the hunterthrust his fingers into his curly hair, and without paying furtherattention to the marionette, started off to regain the knife, which wasstill lying where it had fallen.
"Tit for tat," Pinocchio shouted after him, and went on up the hill.
CHAPTER XXIXPINOCCHIO IS SWALLOWED BY A CROCODILE
When Pinocchio reached the top of the hill he looked around for a placewhere he could rest. He thought of the lion that had carried off theostrich, and he did not like the idea of meeting him. Fortunately therewere no signs of life, but neither was there any place where he couldsit down in comfort. Sand and rocks, rocks and sand were everywhere. Inthe distance he saw water.
"At any rate," he said, "I shall at least be able to wash myself;" andhe turned his footsteps toward the water.
He arrived before long at the water's edge. How fresh and clean it was!He was so dusty and tired that there was only one thing to do,--take abath! When Pinocchio decided upon a course of action he did nothesitate. In an instant he was undressed.
As he started toward the water a voice cried, "Pinocchio! Pinocchio!"
"Oh, let Pinocchio alone!" the marionette said, and leaped into theair.
Horrors! As he came flying down, a green mass rose to the surface ofthe river. It was a crocodile! Pinocchio saw it and shuddered, butthere was no time to cry out. Down, down he went into that open mouth!But wooden marionettes are always fortunate. The crocodile's throat wasso wide that Pinocchio slipped into the stomach of the creature withgreat ease. Not even a scratch! As he was accustomed to being underwater and inside the bodies of animals, he was not at all frightened.In fact, when he noticed that he was being carried down to the bottomof the river, where it was cool and refreshing, he uttered no word ofcomplaint, but rather enjoyed the experience.
The crocodile crawled in to a cave, and prepared to digest themarionette at its leisure. Pinocchio was naturally annoyed at this andbegan to kick and squirm about.
At first this did not seem to cause any ill effects, but Pinocchiokicked and struggled until the poor reptile could not help wonderingwhat the trouble was, and began to twist and shake its whole body.Pinocchio did not stop. Presently the crocodile decided to return tothe surface and deposit the marionette upon the bank. Pinocchio desirednothing better. As soon as he saw a ray of light he became very quiet.The crocodile, now that the trouble seemed over, was about to return toits cave, but it had made this plan without consulting our woodenmarionette.
"Suppose I let the beast carry me a short distance! I can make it throwme upon the bank later as well as now! It may carry me to some placewhere--enough, I am going to try it! A green ship, without sails,without engines, and without a crew, is not to be found every day. Boo!boo! boo!" muttered the marionette.
The crocodile, frightened at the strange noises inside its body, beganto swim with all its strength. It swam and swam and swam! When itslowed up the marionette continued, "Boo! boo! boo!" and the crocodilewent on faster than ever.
The poor creature became thoroughly exhausted, and fairly wept withanger and fright, but the strange voice went on without ceasing.
At last, growing desperate, the crocodile stopped, opened its hugejaws, and with a great effort sent the marionette flying through theair to the bank of the river; then it disappeared in the deep water.
"Pleasant trip home! Remember me to everybody!" cried Pinocchio as heleaped about joyously.
CHAPTER XXXPINOCCHIO IS MADE EMPEROR
Finding himself without any clothes, the marionette began to think ofhis condition. To go back and search for his suit was out of thequestion. To go about in that state did not seem proper, although heknew that the Africans in general were dressed in the same fashion.
Finally he decided to make himself a suit of leaves. There were somebeautiful ones near by that were just suited to the purpose. He knewhow to go to work, for at home he had often made clothes out ofshavings and twigs. He set about his task at once and in a short timehad made a garment that reached from his waist down to his knees. Hewas busy selecting the leaves for a coat when he happened to raise hiseyes, and saw a crowd of men and women rushing about as if either veryhappy or frantic with terror.
"Lunatics!" he murmured, and went on with his work, for he disliked tobe seen half-dressed. All at once the marionette heard a hissing,humming sound. A cloud of arrows fell around him. He was amazed andterrified, not by the arrows,--for what harm could arrows do to him?--butby the idea that this meant more trouble for Pinocchio.
"So long as they shoot, I fear nothing; but if they try to capture me,I may have to jump into the river and take to my green ship."
The arrows continued to fall like hailstones on his shoulders, on hisbreast, on his arms and legs; but of course they dropped to the groundwithout doing any harm. The natives were astonished. They looked at oneanother in blank surprise.
Pinocchio, weary of the game, turned in anger toward them and shouted:"Give up shooting, stupid ones! Do you not see that you are wastingyour time?"
They had already perceived that this was true, and they stoppedshooting. A group braver than the rest now approached the marionetteand surrounded him. One of them shouted, "Hoi! Hoi! Hoi!"
"Pinocchio!" answered the marionette.
"Yah! Yah! Yah!"
"Pinocchio!" the boy repeated. "Are you deaf?"
Then they began to shout in chorus: "Yah! Yah! Hoi! Hoi! Uff! Uff!Uff!"
And Pinocchio replied: "Yah! Yah! Hoi! Hoi! Uff! Uff! Uff!"
This conversation soon began to be wearisome, and Pinocchio tried toescape. It was too late. The Africans, quick as a flash, closed inabout him and, seizing him by the legs, raised him from the ground,shouting: "Long live our emperor, Pinocchio the First! Long live ouremperor, Pinocchio!"
Pinocchio had never dreamed of such a welcome.
"Long live Pinocchio!"
"Ah! at last! I knew that in Africa my greatness would be recognized.Now I shall be revenged on you, my dear restaurant-keeper, and on you,dear policemen, who wanted to arrest me. Old man, yo
u who wanted tosell me for a rhinoceros horn, now it is my turn!" Thus thoughtPinocchio.
This was his first triumph. Flocking like ravens, his African subjectscame to render homage to the new emperor, who was carried aloft onwilling shoulders. As he passed, all bowed to the ground and thenfollowed in his train. Such a multitude joined the procession that itlooked, from a distance, like a vast blot of ink. They went alongsinging the praises of Pinocchio the First, Emperor and King of all theAfrican kings, sent from heaven to earth to replace the late emperor,who had died the preceding day.
As they marched a great chorus chanted: "He was to come forth from themouth of a crocodile! He was to remain unharmed by poisoned arrows! Hewas to have a wooden head! Long live our emperor, Pinocchio the First!Hurrah! hurrah! hurrah!"
"They shot poisoned arrows at me!" thought the marionette. "That is theway they