Pinocchio: The Tale of a Puppet

by Carlo Collodi

  "And, thanking you, I beg of you to help us with your inspiring presenceand to be indulgent to us."

  This speech was received with much laughter and applause, but theapplause redoubled and became tumultuous when the little donkeyPinocchio made his appearance in the middle of the circus. He was deckedout for the occasion. He had a new bridle of polished leather with brassbuckles and studs, and two white camelias in his ears. His mane wasdivided and curled, and each curl was tied with bows of colored ribbon.He had a girth of gold and silver round his body, and his tail wasplaited with amaranth and blue velvet ribbons. He was, in fact, a littledonkey to fall in love with!

  The director, in presenting him to the public, added these few words:

  "My respectable auditors! I am not here to tell you falsehoods of thegreat difficulties that I have overcome in understanding and subjugatingthis mammifer, whilst he was grazing at liberty amongst the mountains inthe plains of the torrid zone. I beg you will observe the wild rollingof his eyes. Every means having been tried in vain to tame him, and toaccustom him to the life of domestic quadrupeds, I was often forced tohave recourse to the convincing argument of the whip. But all mygoodness to him, instead of gaining his affections, has, on thecontrary, increased his viciousness. However, following the system ofGall, I discovered in his cranium a bony cartilage that the Faculty ofMedicine of Paris has itself recognized as the regenerating bulb of thehair, and of dance. For this reason I have not only taught him to dance,but also to jump through hoops and through frames covered with paper.Admire him, and then pass your opinion on him! But before taking myleave of you, permit me, ladies and gentlemen, to invite you to thedaily performance that will take place tomorrow evening; but in case theweather should threaten rain, the performance will be postponed tilltomorrow morning at 11 ante-meridian of post-meridian."

  Here the director made another profound bow, and, then turning toPinocchio, he said:

  "Courage, Pinocchio! before you begin your feats make your bow to thisdistinguished audience--ladies, gentlemen, and children."

  Pinocchio obeyed, and bent both his knees till they touched the ground,and remained kneeling until the director, cracking his whip, shouted tohim:

  "At a foot's pace!"

  Then the little donkey raised himself on his four legs and began to walkround the theater, keeping at a foot's pace.

  After a little the director cried:

  "Trot!" and Pinocchio, obeying the order, changed to a trot.

  "Gallop!" and Pinocchio broke into a gallop.

  "Full gallop!" and Pinocchio went full gallop. But whilst he was goingfull speed like a race horse the director, raising his arm in the air,fired off a pistol.

  At the shot the little donkey, pretending to be wounded, fell his wholelength in the circus, as if he were really dying.

  As he got up from the ground amidst an outburst of applause, shouts andclapping of hands, he naturally raised his head and looked up, and hesaw in one of the boxes a beautiful lady who wore round her neck a thickgold chain from which hung a medallion. On the medallion was painted theportrait of a puppet.

  "That is my portrait! That lady is the Fairy!" said Pinocchio tohimself, recognizing her immediately; and, overcome with delight, hetried to cry:

  "Oh, my little Fairy! Oh, my little Fairy!"

  But instead of these words a bray came from his throat, so sonorous andso prolonged that all the spectators laughed, and more especially allthe children who were in the theater.

  Then the director, to give him a lesson, and to make him understand thatit is not good manners to bray before the public, gave him a blow on hisnose with the handle of his whip.

  The poor little donkey put his tongue out an inch and licked his nosefor at least five minutes, thinking perhaps that it would ease the painhe felt.

  But what was his despair when, looking up a second time, he saw that thebox was empty and that the Fairy had disappeared!

  He thought he was going to die; his eyes filled with tears and he beganto weep. Nobody, however, noticed it, and least of all the director who,cracking his whip, shouted:

  "Courage, Pinocchio! Now let the audience see how gracefully you canjump through the hoops."

  Pinocchio tried two or three times, but each time that he came in frontof the hoop, instead of going through it, he found it easier to go underit. At last he made a leap and went through it, but his right legunfortunately caught in the hoop, and that caused him to fall to theground doubled up in a heap on the other side.

  When he got up he was lame and it was only with great difficulty that hemanaged to return to the stable.

  "Bring out Pinocchio! We want the little donkey! Bring out the littledonkey!" shouted all the boys in the theater, touched and sorry for thesad accident.

  But the little donkey was seen no more that evening.

  The following morning the veterinary, that is, the doctor of animals,paid him a visit, and declared that he would remain lame for life.

  The director then said to the stable-boy:

  "What do you suppose I can do with a lame donkey? He would eat foodwithout earning it. Take him to the market and sell him."

  When they reached the market a purchaser was found at once. He asked thestable-boy:

  "How much do you want for that lame donkey?"

  "Twenty dollars."

  "I will give you two dollars. Don't suppose that I am buying him to makeuse of; I am buying him solely for his skin. I see that his skin is veryhard and I intend to make a drum with it for the band of my village."

  Imagine poor Pinocchio's feelings when he heard that he was destined tobecome a drum!

  As soon as the purchaser had paid his two dollars he conducted thelittle donkey to the seashore. He then put a stone round his neck and,tying a rope, the end of which he held in his hand, round his leg, hegave him a sudden push and threw him into the water.

  Pinocchio, weighted down by the stone, went at once to the bottom, andhis owner, keeping tight hold of the cord, sat down quietly on a pieceof rock to wait until the little donkey was drowned, intending then toskin him.

  CHAPTER XXXIV

  PINOCCHIO IS SWALLOWED BY THE DOG-FISH

  After Pinocchio had been fifty minutes under the water, his purchasersaid aloud to himself:

  "My poor little lame donkey must by this time be quite drowned. I willtherefore pull him out of the water, and I will make a fine drum of hisskin."

  And he began to haul in the rope that he had tied to the donkey's leg,and he hauled, and hauled, and hauled, until at last--what do you thinkappeared above the water? Instead of a little dead donkey he saw a livepuppet, who was wriggling like an eel.

  Seeing this wooden puppet, the poor man thought he was dreaming, and,struck dumb with astonishment, he remained with his mouth open and hiseyes starting out of his head.

  Having somewhat recovered from his first stupefaction, he asked in aquavering voice:

  "And the little donkey that I threw into the sea? What has become ofhim?"

  "I am the little donkey!" said Pinocchio, laughing.

  "You?"

  "I."

  "Ah, you young scamp!! Do you dare to make game of me?"

  "To make game of you? Quite the contrary, my dear master? I am speakingseriously."

  "But how can you, who but a short time ago were a little donkey, havebecome a wooden puppet, only from having been left in the water?"

  "It must have been the effect of sea water. The sea makes extraordinarychanges."

  "Beware, puppet, beware! Don't imagine that you can amuse yourself at myexpense. Woe to you if I lose patience!"

  "Well, master, do you wish to know the true story? If you will set myleg free I will tell it you."

  The good man, who was curious to hear the true story, immediately untiedthe knot that kept him bound; and Pinocchio, finding himself free as abird in the air, commenced as follows:

  "You must know that I was once a puppet as I am now, and I was on thepoint of becoming a boy like the m
any who are in the world. But instead,induced by my dislike for study and the advice of bad companions, I ranaway from home. One fine day when I awoke I found myself changed into adonkey with long ears, and a long tail. What a disgrace it was tome!--a disgrace, dear master, that even your worst enemy would notinflict upon you! Taken to the market to be sold I was bought by thedirector of an equestrian company, who took it into his head to make afamous dancer of me, and a famous leaper through hoops. But one nightduring a performance I had a bad fall in the circus and lamed both mylegs. Then the director, not knowing what to do with a lame donkey, sentme to be sold, and you were the purchaser!"

  "Only too true. And I paid two dollars for you. And now, who will giveme back my good money?"

  "And why did you buy me? You bought me to make a drum of my skin!"

  "Only too true! And now, where shall I find another skin?"

  "Don't despair, master. There are such a number of little donkeys in theworld!"

  "Tell me, you impertinent rascal, does your story end here?"

  "No," answered the puppet; "I have another two words to say and then Ishall have finished. After you had bought me you brought me to thisplace to kill me; but then, yielding to a feeling of compassion, youpreferred to tie a stone round my neck and to throw me into the sea.This humane feeling does you great honor and I shall always be gratefulto you for it. But, nevertheless, dear master, this time you made yourcalculations without considering the Fairy!"

  "And who is the Fairy?"

  "She is my mamma and she resembles all other good mammas who care fortheir children, and who never lose sight of them, but help themlovingly, even when, on account of their foolishness and evil conduct,they deserve to be abandoned and left to themselves. Well, then, thegood Fairy, as soon as she saw that I was in danger of drowning, sentimmediately an immense shoal of fish, who, believing me really to be alittle dead donkey, began to eat me. And what mouthfuls they took; Ishould never have thought that fish were greedier than boys! Some ate myears, some my muzzle, others my neck and mane, some the skin of my legs,some my coat. Amongst them there was a little fish so polite that heeven condescended to eat my tail."

  "From this time forth," said his purchaser, horrified, "I swear that Iwill never touch fish. It would be too dreadful to open a mullet, or afried whiting, and to find inside a donkey's tail!"

  "I agree with you," said the puppet, laughing. "However, I must tell youthat when the fish had finished eating the donkey's hide that covered mefrom head to foot, they naturally reached the bone, or rather the wood,for, as you see, I am made of the hardest wood. But after giving a fewbites they soon discovered that I was not a morsel for their teeth, and,disgusted with such indigestible food, they went off, some in onedirection and some in another, without so much as saying 'Thank you' tome. And now, at last, I have told you how it was that when you pulled upthe rope you found a live puppet instead of a dead donkey."

  "I laugh at your story," cried the man in a rage. "I know only that Ispent two dollars to buy you, and I will have my money back. Shall Itell you what I will do? I will take you back to the market and I willsell you by weight as seasoned wood for lighting fires."

  "Sell me if you like; I am content," said Pinocchio.

  But as he said it he made a spring and plunged into the water. Swimminggaily away from the shore, he called to his poor owner:

  "Good-bye, master; if you should be in want of a skin to make a drum,remember me."

  And he laughed and went on swimming, and after a while he turned againand shouted louder:

  "Good-bye, master; if you should be in want of a little well seasonedwood for lighting the fire, remember me."

  In the twinkling of an eye he had swum so far off that he was scarcelyvisible. All that could be seen of him was a little black speck on thesurface of the sea that from time to time lifted its legs out of thewater and leaped and capered like a dolphin enjoying himself.

  Whilst Pinocchio was swimming, he knew not whither, he saw in the midstof the sea a rock that seemed to be made of white marble, and on thesummit there stood a beautiful little goat who bleated lovingly and madesigns to him to approach.

  But the most singular thing was this. The little goat's hair, instead ofbeing white or black, or a mixture of two colors as is usual with othergoats, was blue, and a very vivid blue, greatly resembling the hair ofthe beautiful Child.

  I leave you to imagine how rapidly poor Pinocchio's heart began to beat.He swam with redoubled strength and energy towards the white rock; andhe was already half-way there when he saw, rising up out of the waterand coming to meet him, the horrible head of a sea-monster. Hiswide-open, cavernous mouth and his three rows of enormous teeth wouldhave been terrifying to look at even in a picture.

  And do you know what this sea-monster was?

  This sea-monster was neither more nor less than that gigantic Dog-Fish,who has been mentioned many times in this story, and who, for hisslaughter and for his insatiable voracity, had been named the "Attila ofFish and Fishermen."

  Only to think of poor Pinocchio's terror at the sight of the monster. Hetried to avoid it, to change his direction; he tried to escape, but thatimmense, wide-open mouth came towards him with the velocity of an arrow.

  "Be quick, Pinocchio, for pity's sake!" cried the beautiful little goat,bleating.

  And Pinocchio swam desperately with his arms, his chest, his legs, andhis feet.

  "Quick, Pinocchio, the monster is close upon you!"

  And Pinocchio swam quicker than ever, and flew on with the rapidity of aball from a gun. He had nearly reached the rock, and the little goat,leaning over towards the sea, had stretched out her fore-legs to helphim out of the water!

  But it was too late! The monster had overtaken him and, drawing in hisbreath, he sucked in the poor puppet as he would have sucked a hen'segg; and he swallowed him with such violence and avidity that Pinocchio,in falling into the Dog-Fish's stomach, received such a blow that heremained unconscious for a quarter of an hour afterwards.

  When he came to himself again after the shock he could not in the leastimagine in what world he was. All around him it was quite dark, and thedarkness was so black and so profound that it seemed to him that he hadfallen head downwards into an inkstand full of ink. He listened, but hecould hear no noise; only from time to time great gusts of wind blew inhis face. At first he could not understand where the wind came from, butat last he discovered that it came out of the monster's lungs. For youmust know that the Dog-Fish suffered very much from asthma, and when hebreathed it was exactly as if a north wind was blowing.

  Pinocchio at first tried to keep up his courage, but when he had oneproof after another that he was really shut up in the body of thissea-monster he began to cry and scream, and to sob out:

  "Help! help! Oh, how unfortunate I am! Will nobody come to save me?"

  "Who do you think could save you, unhappy wretch?" said a voice in thedark that sounded like a guitar out of tune.

  "Who is speaking?" asked Pinocchio, frozen with terror.

  "It is I! I am a poor Tunny who was swallowed by the Dog-Fish at thesame time that you were. And what fish are you?"

  "I have nothing in common with fish. I am a puppet."

  "Then, if you are not a fish, why did you let yourself be swallowed bythe monster?"

  "I didn't let myself be swallowed; it was the monster swallowed me! Andnow, what are we to do here in the dark?"

  "Resign ourselves and wait until the Dog-Fish has digested us both."

  "But I do not want to be digested!" howled Pinocchio, beginning to cryagain.

  "Neither do I want to be digested," added the Tunny; "but I am enough ofa philosopher to console myself by thinking that when one is born aTunny it is more dignified to die in the water than in oil."

  "That is all nonsense!" cried Pinocchio.

  "It is my opinion," replied the Tunny, "and opinions, so say thepolitical Tunnies, ought to be respected."

  "To sum it all up, I want to get away from here
. I want to escape."

  "Escape, if you are able!"

  "Is this Dog-Fish who has swallowed us very big?" asked the puppet.

  "Big! Why, only imagine, his body is two miles long without counting histail."

  Whilst they were holding this conversation in the dark, Pinocchiothought that he saw a light a long way off.

  "What is that little light I see in the distance?" he asked.

  "It is most likely some companion in misfortune who is waiting, like us,to be digested."

  "I will go and find him. Do you not think that it may by chance be someold fish who perhaps could show us how to escape?"

  "I hope it may be so, with all my heart, dear puppet."

  "Good-bye, Tunny."

  "Good-bye, puppet, and good fortune attend you."

  "Where shall we meet again?"

  "Who can say? It is better not even to think of it!"

  CHAPTER XXXV

  A HAPPY SURPRISE FOR PINOCCHIO

  Pinocchio, having taken leave of his friend the Tunny, began to gropehis way in the dark through the body of the Dog-Fish, taking a step at atime in the direction of the light that he saw shining dimly at a greatdistance.

  The farther he advanced the brighter became the light; and he walked andwalked until at last he reached it; and when he reached it--what did hefind? I will give you a thousand guesses. He found a little table spreadout and on it a lighted candle stuck into a green glass bottle, and,seated at the table, was a little old man. He was eating some live fish,and they were so very much alive that whilst he was eating them theysometimes even jumped out of his mouth.