Books: Pinocchio in Africa
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Cherubini >> Pinocchio in Africa
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"It is for that very reason that I am going."
"You may never return."
"The good Fairy will protect me."
"Who is the Fairy?"
"How may things you want to know! If you are in need of nothing
else, I will bid you all good-by!"
"Farewell, marionette."
"Till we meet again."
"Good-by, blockhead."
"Don't be rude! said Pinocchio, greatly vexed, and out he went.
9. Pinocchio Does Not Sleep
WHEN Pinocchio arrived at his home he found his father already in
bed. Old Geppetto did not earn enough to provide a supper for two. He
used to say that he was not hungry, and go to bed. But there was always
plenty for Pinocchio. An onion, some beans moistened in water, and a
piece of bread which had been left over from the morning, were never
missing.
That night Pinocchio found a better meal than usual.
His good father, not having seen his son at the regular dinner hour,
knew that the boy would be very hungry. There would have to be
something out of the ordinary. He therefore added to the fare some
dried fish and a delicious morsel of orange peel. "He will even have
fruit," the good man had said to himself, smiling at the joy his dear
Pinocchio would feel on seeing himself treated like a man of the
world.
The marionette ate his supper with relish, and having finished his
meal, went over to his sleeping father and kissed him as a reward for
the fish and the orange peel. Pinocchio, to say the least, had a good
heart, and would have done anything for his father except study and
work.
That night he slept little. Lions, elephants, tigers, panthers,
beautiful women dressed in silk and mounted on butterflies as large as
eagles, men, in large boots, armed with knives and guns, palaces of
silver and gold! All these and a great many more strange sights floated
before his dreaming eyes, while he could hear animals roaring, howling,
and whistling to the sound of trumpets and drums.
At length the night needed and Pinocchio arose. First of all he went
to bid farewell to his friends in the circus, but they were no longer
to be found. During the night the director had quietly stolen away
with his company.
"A pleasant journey to you!" said Pinocchio, and he began to search
the ground for a forgotten piece of gold, or some precious stone which
might have fallen from a lady's diadem; but he found nothing.
"What shall I do now? Shall I go to Africa or to school? It might be
better to go to school, for the teacher says that I am a little behind
in reading, writing, composition, history, geography, and arithmetic.
In other subjects I am not so dull. Yes, yes; it will certainly do me
more good to go to school. Then I shall be a dunce no longer."
Having made this sensible decision, the marionette started for home
with the idea of studying his lessons and of going to school.
10. Pinocchio Eats Dates
SOON he met a man in a paper hat and a white apron. He was pushing a
cart filled with a kind of fruit that Pinocchio had never seen before.
"Dates! dates! fresh dates! sweet dates! real African dates!" came
the cry.
"Even he speaks of Africa!" thought Pinocchio. "Africa seems to
follow me. But what has Africa to do with dates, and what are these
dates? I have never heard of them." The man stopped; Pinocchio stopped
also. A lady bought some of the dates, and it happened that one of them
fell on the ground. The marionette picked it up and handed it to her.
"Thank you," she said with a smile. "Keep it yourself; you have
earned it."
The man with the cart went on, "Dates! dates! fresh dates! sweet
dates! real African dates!"
Pinocchio looked after him for a time and then put the date into his
mouth. Great Caesar! How delicious! Never before had he tasted
anything so sweet. The orange peel was nothing compared with this! What
the circus people had told him, then, was really true!
"To Africa I go," he said, "even if I break a leg. What do I care
about the Red Sea, the Yellow Sea, the Green, or any other sea? I will
go!"
And the rascal, forgetting his home and his father, who at that very
moment was waiting to give him his breakfast, set out toward the sea.
As he neared the water he heard a voice call, "Pinocchio!
Pinocchio!"
The marionette stopped and looked around, but seeing no one, he went
on.
"Pinocchio! Pinocchio! Be careful! You know not what you do!"
"Farewell and many thanks," answered the stubborn marionette, and
forthwith stepped into the sea.
"The water is like ice this morning. No wonder it makes me feel
cold; but I know how to get rid of a chill. A good swim, and I am as
warm as ever." Out shot his arms and he plunged into the water. The
journey to Africa had begun.
At noon he still swam on. It grew dark and on he swam. Later the
moon arose and grinned at him. He kept on swimming, without a sign of
fatigue, of hunger, or of sleepiness. A marionette can do things that
would tire a real boy, and to Pinocchio swimming was no task at all.
11. Pinocchio Lands On A Rock
THE moon grinned again and disappeared behind a cloud. The night
grew dark. Pinocchio continued to swim through the black waters. He
could see nothing ahead. He swam, swam, swam into the dark. Suddenly he
felt something scrape his body, and he gave a start.
"Who goes there?" he cried. No one answered. "Perhaps it is my old
friend the shark, who has recognized me," thought he; and he rapidly
swam on to get away from the spot which reminded him of that terrible
monster.
He had not gone more than fifty yards when his head ran against
something rough and hard. "Oh!" cried the marionette, and he raised his
hand to the injured part.
Then, as he noticed a large rock standing out of the water, he cried
joyously; "I have arrived! I am in Africa!"
He got up on his feet and began to feel of himself all over, his
ribs, his stomach, his legs. Everything was in order.
"Nothing broken!" he said. "The rocks on the way have been very
kind. However, I hope that day will break soon, for I have no matches,
and it seems to me that I am very hungry."
Then he began to move on carefully. First he put down one foot and
then the other, and thus crept along till he found a comfortable spot.
"I seem to be very tired and sleepy also," he said.
With that, he lay down and went off in to a deep slumber.
When he awoke it was daylight. The sun shone red and hot. There was
nothing to be seen but rocks and water.
"Is this Africa?" said the marionette, greatly troubled. "Even at
dawn it seems to be very warm. When the sun gets a little higher I am
likely to be baked." And he wiped the sweat from his brow on his coat
sleeve. Presently clouds began to rise out of the water. They grew
darker and darker, and the day, instead of being bright, gradually
became gloomy and overcast.
The sun disappeared.
"This is funny!" said Pinocchio. "What jokes the sun plays in these
parts! It shines for a while and then disappears."
Poor marionette! It did not occur to him at first that he had slept
the whole day, and that instead of the rising he saw the setting of the
sun.
12. The First Night In Africa
"AND now I must pass another night here alone on these bare rocks!"
he thought.
The unhappy marionette began to tremble. He tried to walk, but the
night was so dark that it was impossible to see where to go. The tears
rolled down his wooden cheeks. He thought of his disobedience and of
his stubbornness. He remembered the warnings his father had given him,
the advice of his teacher, and the kindly words of the good Fairy. He
remembered the promises he had made to be good, obedient, and studious.
How happy he had been! He recalled the day when his father's face
beamed with pleasure at his progress. He saw the happy smile with which
his protecting Fairy greeted him. His tears fell fast, and sobs rent
his heart.
"If I should die, here in this gloomy place! If I should die of
weariness, of hunger, of fear! To die a marionette without having had
the happiness of becoming a real boy!"
He wept bitterly, and yet his troubles had scarcely begun. Even
while his tears were flowing down his cheeks and into the dark water,
he heard prolonged howls. At the same time he saw lights moving to and
fro, as if driven by the wind.
"What in the world is this? Who is carrying those lanterns? asked
Pinocchio, continuing to sob.
As if in answer to his questions, two lights came down the rocky
coast and drew nearer to him.
Along with the lights came the howls, which sounded like those he
had heard at the circus, only more natural and terrible.
"I hope this will end well," the marionette said to himself, "but I
have some doubt about it."
He threw himself on the ground and tried to hide between the rocks.
A minute later and he felt a warm breath on his face. There stood the
shadowy form of a hyena, its open mouth ready to devour the marionette
at one gulp.
"I am done for!" and Pinocchio shut his eyes and gave a last thought
to his dear father and his beloved Fatina. But the beast, after
sniffing at him once or twice from head to foot, burst into aloud,
howling laugh and walked away. He had no appetite for wooden boys.
"May you never return! said Pinocchio, raising his head a little and
straining his eyes to pierce the darkness about him. "Oh, if there were
only a tree, or a wall, or anything to climb up on!"The marionette was
right in wishing for something to keep him far above the ground. During
the whole night these visitors were coming and going. They came around
him howling, sniffing, laughing, mocking. As each one ran off,
Pinocchio would say, "May you never return!" He lay there shivering in
the agony of his terror. If the night had continued much longer, the
poor fellow would have died of fright. But the dawn came at last. All
these strange night visitors disappeared. Pinocchio tried to get up. He
could not move. His legs and arms were stiff. A terrible weakness had
seized him, and the world swam around him. Hunger overpowered him. The
poor marionette felt that he should surely die. "How terrible," he
though, "to die of hunger! What would I not eat! Dry beans and cherry
stems would be delicious." He looked eagerly around, but there was not
even a cricket or a snail in sight. There was nothing, nothing but
rocks.
Suddenly, however, a faint cry came from his parched throat. Was it
possible? A few feet from him there was something between the rocks
which looked like food. The marionette did not know what it was. He
dragged himself along on hands and knees, and commenced to eat it. His
nose wished to have nothing to do with it, and would even have drawn
back, but the marionette said; "It is necessary to accustom yourself to
all things, my friends. One must have patience. Don't be afraid; if I
find any roses, I promise to gather them for you."
The nose became quiet, the mouth ate, the hunger was satisfied, and
when the meal was finished Pinocchio jumped to his feet and shouted
joyously; "I have had my first meal in Africa. Now I must begin my
search for wealth." He forgot the night, his father, and Fatina. His
only thought was to get farther away from home.
What an easy thing life is to a wooden marionette!
13. Pinocchio Is Well Received
"FIRST of all," he said, "I must go to the nearest castle I can
find. The master will not refuse me shelter and food. Some soup, a leg
of roast chicken, and a glass of milk will put me in fine spirits."
The journey across the rocks was full of difficulties, but the
marionette overcame them readily, leaping from rock to rock like a
goat. He walked, walked, walked! The rocks seemed to have no ending,
and the castle, which he imagined he saw in the distance, appeared to
be always farther and farther away. As the marionette drew nearer, the
towers began to disappear and the walls to crumble. He walked on
broken-hearted. Finally he sat down I despair and put his head in his
hands. "Farewell, castle! good-by, roast chicken and soup!" He was
about to weep again when he saw in the distance a village of great
beauty lying at the foot of a gentle slope.
At the sight he gave a cry of joy and without a moment's delay set
out in that direction. He leaped over the rocks and bushes, putting to
flight several flocks of birds in his haste. Of course only a
marionette could go as fast as he did. "How beautiful Africa is! said
he. "If I had known this I would have come here long ago."
In a short time he reached the main square of the town. Men, women,
and children were lounging about, gossiping, buying, and selling. When
they saw the marionette they gathered around him, and many began to
shout: "It is Pinocchio! Look, here is Pinocchio! Pinocchio!
Pinocchio!"
"Well, this is strange!" said the marionette to himself. "I am known
even in Africa. Surely I am a great person."
Like most great men, Pinocchio was annoyed at his noisy reception.
In some anger he made his way through the crowd, pushing people right
and left with his elbows. He ran down a side street and finally stopped
before a restaurant, over which was the sign printed in huge
letters:MARIONETTES SERVED HERE."This is what I have been looking for,"
said Pinocchio, and he went in.
14. Pinocchio Is Arrested
PINOCCHIO found himself facing a man of about fifty years of age. He
was stout and good-natured, and like all good hosts, asked what the
gentleman would have to eat. Pinocchio, hearing himself called
"gentleman," swelled with pride, and very gravely gave his order. He
was served promptly, and devoured everything before him in a way known
only to hungry marionettes.
In the meantime the innkeeper eyed his customer from head to foot.
He addressed Pinocchio in a very respectful manner, but the marionette
gave only short answers. Persons of rank ate here, and to appear like
one of them he could not allow himself to waste words on common folk.
Having finished his meal, the marionette asked for something to
drink.
"What is this drink called?" he asked, as he put down the glass and
thrust his thumb into his vest pocket after the manner of a gentleman.
"Nectar, your excellency."
Upon hearing himself called "excellency" Pinocchio fairly lost his
head. He felt a strange lightness in his feet; indeed, he found it hard
work to resist the temptation to get up and dance. "I knew that in
Africa I should make my fortune," he thought, and called for a box of
cigarettes.
Having smoked one of these, the brave Pinocchio arose to go out,
when the host handed him a sheet of paper on which was written a row of
figures.
"What is this?" asked the marionette.
"The bill, your excellency; the amount of your debt for the dinner."
Pinocchio stroked his wooden chin and looked at the innkeeper in
surprise.
"Is there anything astonishing about that, your excellence? Is it
not usual in your country to pay for what you eat?"
"It is amazing! I do not know what you mean! What strange custom is
this that you speak of?"
"In these parts, your excellency," remarked the innkeeper, "when one
eats, one must pay. However, if your lordship has no money, and intends
to live at the expense of others, I have a very good remedy. One
minute!"
So saying, the man stepped out of the door, uttered a curious sound,
and then returned.
Pinocchio lost his courage. He broke down and began to weep. He
begged the man to have patience. The first piece of gold he found would
pay for the meal. The innkeeper smiled as he said, "I am sorry, but
the thing is done."
"What is done?" asked the marionette.
"I have sent for the police."
"The police!" cried the marionette, shaking with fear. "The police!
Even in Africa there are policemen? Please, sir, send them back! I do
not want to go to prison."All this was useless talk. Two black
policemen were already there. Straight toward the marionette they went
and asked his name.
"Pinocchio," he answered in a faint voice.
"What is your business?"
"I am a marionette."
"Why have you come to Africa?"
"I will tell you," replied Pinocchio, "You gentlemen must know that
my poor father sold his coat to buy me a spelling book, and as I have
heard that there is plenty of gold and silver in Africa, I have come
here."
"What kind of talk is this?" asked the elder of the two policemen.
"No nonsense! Show us your papers."
"What papers! I left all I had at school."
The policemen cut short the marionette's words by taking out their
handcuffs and preparing to lead him away to prison. But the innkeeper
was a good-hearted man, and he was sorry for the poor blockhead. He
begged them to leave Pinocchio in his charge.
"So long as you are satisfied, we are satisfied," said the
policemen. "If you wish to give away your food, that is your own
affair;" and they went off without saying another word.
15. Pinocchio's Father
PINOCCHIO blushed with shame.
"Then you are the marionette Pinocchio?"
Upon hearing himself addressed in this familiar way, Pinocchio felt
a little annoyed, but recalling the unsettled account, he thought it
best to answer politely that he was Pinocchio.
"I am pleased," continued the man; "I am very much pleased, because
I knew your father."
"You knew my father?" exclaimed the marionette.
"Certainly I knew him! I was a servant in his house before you were
born."
"In my house as a servant? When has father Geppetto had servants?"
asked the marionette, his eyes wide with surprise.
"But who said Geppetto? Geppetto is not your father's name."
"Oh, indeed! Well, then, what is his name?"
"Your father's name is not Geppetto, but Collodi. A wonderful man,
my boy."
Pinocchio understood less and less. It was strange, he thought, to
have come to Africa to learn the story of his family. He listened with
astonishment to all that the innkeeper said.
"Remember, however, that even if you are not really the son of the
good Geppetto, it does not follow that you should forget the care he
has given you. What gratitude have you shown him? You ran away from
home without even telling him. Who knows how unhappy the poor old man
may be! You never will understand what suffering you cause your
parents. Such blockheads as you are not fit to have parents. They work
from morning till night so that you may want for nothing, and may grow
up to be good and wise men, useful to yourselves, to your family, and
to your country. What do you do? Nothing! You are worthless!"
Pinocchio listened very thoughtfully. He had never expected that in
Africa he was to hear so many disagreeable truths, and he was on the
verge of weeping.
"For your father's sake you have been let off easily. From now on
you may regard this as your home. I am not very rich, and I need a boy
to help me. You will do. You may as well begin to work at once." And he
handed the marionette a large broom.
Pinocchio was vexed at this, but the thought of the black policemen
and the unsettled bill cooled his anger, and he swept as well as he
knew how. "From a gentleman to a sweeper! What fine progress I have
made!" he thought, as the tears rolled down his cheeks.
"If my father were to see me now, or my good Fairy, or my companions
at school! What a fine picture I should make!" And he continued to
sweep and dust.
16. Pinocchio Sells Drinking Water
THE time passed quickly. At the dinner hour Pinocchio had a great
appetite and ate with much enjoyment. The master praised him highly for
the tidy appearance of the store and urged him to keep up his good
work.
"At the end of twenty years," he said, "You will have put aside
enough to return home, and a little extra money to spend on poor old
Geppetto. Now that you have eaten, take this leather bag and fill it
with water, which you are to sell about the city. When you return we
shall know how much you have made."
The bag was soon strapped on his shoulders and the marionette was
shown the door. "Remember," said his master, "a cent a glass!"
Pinocchio set out down the narrow street. He walked on, little
caring where he went. His wooden brains were far away. He was grieved.
Had the master known just how the marionette felt he would have run
after him and at least regained his leather bag.
Pinocchio walked on. He was soon among a hurrying crowd of people.
"Can this be Egypt in Africa? I have read about it often."
A Man, wrapped in a white cloak, touched him on the shoulder.
Pinocchio did not understand, and started to go on about his business,
but the man took him roughly by the nose. Pinocchio shrieked. The crowd
stopped. At last, he discovered that the man wanted water. Pinocchio
placed the bag on the ground. Then he poured the water into a glass.
The man drank, paid, and went his way.
"What a thirst for water Africans have!" thought the marionette, as
he remembered his companions of the circus. "I like ices better, and I
am going to try to get one with this penny." At once he started off,
leaving the leather bag behind.
17. A Ride On A Dog's Back
A CROWD of boys had by this time gathered in the street. They began,
after the manner of boys in nearly every part of the world, to annoy
one who was clearly a stranger. They did not know Pinocchio, however,
nor the force of his feet and elbows. There came a shower of kicks and
punches, and the boys scattered. Away flew Pinocchio. The people were
astonished to see those tiny legs fly like the wind. They shouted and
ran after him. Pinocchio resolved not to be caught. He turned into a
side street that led into the open country. A large dog, stretched out
upon the ground, was in his way. Pinocchio measured the distance and
leaped.
At that very moment the dog sprang up, and hardly knowing how it
happened, Pinocchio found himself astride his back. Barking furiously,
the animal shot along like a cannon ball. The poor boy felt sure that
he was going to break his neck and prayed for safety. On they rushed.
The dog jumped over rocks and ditches as if he had done nothing in all
his life but carry marionettes on his back.
"Is it possible that he is a horse-dog?" thought Pinocchio. "If he
is, I shall ride him always, and when I return home, I shall present
him to my father. My companions will die of envy when they see me
riding to school like a gentleman. I shall make him a saddle like those
I saw on the circus horses, and a pair of silver stirrups. A saddle is
really necessary, because it is very uncomfortable to ride in this
way."
The came to a deep gully and the dog prepared to make the leap.
Pinocchio muttered to himself: "This is the end. If I cross this in
safety, I will surely return home and go to school."
There was a leap, and a plunge into the black, empty air. When he
opened his eyes, he found himself lying at the bottom of a precipice in
total darkness. How long had he been in the air? The marionette did not
know. He remembered only that while flying down he had heard a familiar
voice call, "Pinocchio! Pinocchio! Pinocchio!"
"Farewell to the world and to Africa," said the marionette. "Wooden
marionettes will never learn. Here I shall stay forever. It serves me
right."
18. The Cave
IF I get out of this prison alive, it will be the greatest wonder I
have ever known." Pinocchio sat in the spot where he had fallen. He now
began to suffer from thirst. There had been a great deal of excitement,
and his throat was parched. He would have given anything for a sip of
the water he had so carelessly left in the middle of the street only a
little while before.
"I don't want to die here," he said. "I must get up and walk."
So saying, he moved slowly about, groping with his hands and feet as
if he were playing blindman's buff. The ground was soft, and the air
seemed fresh. In fact, it was not so bad as he had at first thought.
Only four things worried him, darkness, hunger, thirst, and fear. Aside
from these he was safe and sound.
He had gone but a short distance through the darkness when suddenly
he thought he heard a faint murmur. He saw a gleam of light. The blood
rushed through his veins. He walked on. The sound became clearer, and
the light grew brighter. At length Pinocchio found himself in a cave
lighted by soft rays. The murmuring sound was caused by a small stream
of water coming out from a high rock and forming a little waterfall.
Pinocchio rushed toward the rocks, opened his mouth wide like a funnel,
and drank his fill.
"I shall not die of thirst," said the marionette. "Unfortunately, I
am still hungry. What a fate is mine! Why can we not live without
eating? Some day I am going to find a way. If I succeed, I shall teach
the poor people to live without food as I do. How happy they will be!"
Meanwhile he looked about for a means of escape. Soon he discovered the
hole that lighted the cave, and walked out once more under the open
sky.
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