Books: Pinocchio in Africa
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Cherubini >> Pinocchio in Africa
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"I shall make pockets as soon as I have time," he said, and striking
the pan, ordered the servants to bring in his breakfast.
35. His Duties As Emperor
PINOCCHIO was served with a piece of elephant's nose, cooked in a
highly seasoned sauce. How he twisted his face and ground his teeth!
Evidently the meal was not to his liking. He would have preferred some
fish, some grapes, and a dozen figs, but he was ashamed to ask for
these dainties. He gulped down the food as best he could, and drank
from a gourd a great deal of water; then he felt more comfortable.
His ministers had been waiting some time, and Pinocchio did not
think it wise to prolong his first meal. With a truly stately stride he
entered the audience chamber.
Pinocchio the First, Emperor and King of all Africa, felt it to be
his first duty to express his gratitude for the magnificent reception
that had been given to him. The ministers made an equally polite
response.
Persons of rank now came to pay homage to the new king. Among them
were great chiefs of tribes, princes, and kings of the neighboring
states. Pinocchio received them all with much pomp. This sort of thing
was at first very pleasing to him. But day after day the visitors and
the feasts continued. As Pinocchio was the host, he had to eat with all
these newcomers. He became very stout, and his jaws ached from so much
chewing. Eating was becoming a burden to him. He even longed for the
days when he had gone hungry. However, one must take things as they
come and be ready to suffer for the good of one's country.
One day there came to the court three kings, the most powerful
within a range of a thousand miles. The first was clad in a white
skirt, and a military coat which he had bought from an English captain.
He came with his head uncovered and a high hat in his hand. The second
wore an old helmet on the back of his head. The third carried a clumsy
sword in one hand and in the other a broken umbrella.
They bowed to the ground very respectfully, and then each in turn
slapped Pinocchio in the face.
The marionette, who did not expect this sort of greeting, was about
to express his anger, when the master of ceremonies whispered in his
ear that such a greeting was given only to great people.
"When in Rome, do as the Romans do," thought Pinocchio, and he
smiled at the visitors.
Dinner was then announced. Pinocchio felt sick at the thought of
eating again. It was the fifth time that day, and the sun was still
high in the sky, but of course it was not proper to dismiss three kings
without having feasted them.
They went out to the dining room, which was under a tree. Beneath
the branches were more than a thousand people. They all sat on the
ground, and were waited upon by tall young men, who carried around
large plates of meat.The three kings gave themselves up to the joys of
eating. They took their food in their hands and swallowed it without
even stopping to chew it. Each man ate enough to satisfy a score of
ordinary people, for African kings are great eaters. The poor
marionette tried to eat as much as the others did. He felt that his
reputation depended upon it. How he suffered!
At sunset, when all had satisfied their hunger, there was placed
before them a strange-looking affair with a long tube fastened to it. A
disagreeable smoke came out of it.
"What new thing is this?" thought the marionette, but he did not say
a word, for by this time he had learned that an emperor must appear to
know everything.
The matter, however, was quickly made clear. The outfit was a huge
pipe, with a long mouthpiece. The master of ceremonies presented the
mouthpiece to the emperor and asked him to have the kindness to smoke.
"What blockheads!" the marionette muttered to himself. "I never
smoke anything but the finest cigars!"
Still, he considered it wise to make no objections. He puffed twice
on the pipe stem, and then passed it to the king that sat at his right
hand.
The king drew a mouthful and then passed the pipe to his next
neighbor. Thus the pipe moved along in regular order until it came back
to Pinocchio. Poor Pinocchio! he was already feeling a little queer
after his first attempt, and did not enjoy the idea of smoking again;
but he knew that he must live up to the reputation of a great emperor.
Accordingly he bravely took the pipe and puffed half a dozen times.
Alas! It would have been better for him had he not tried it again!
He was wretchedly sick. His head swam dizzily, and the sweat stood out
on his forehead. He tried to hide his feelings by talking, but what he
said was sheer nonsense.
"When I was king in my own country, the Talking Cricket told me -
because my feet burned - that the alphabet had been swallowed by the
cat - that was hung to a tree by a dog - that was owned by the director
of the circus."
He gazed around him, frightened at his own words, but he saw the
flushed faces of the people and heard them whisper: "The sea talks - "
"The sun is filled with stars - " "The tiger laughs - " "The summer is
red - " and similar phrases equally sensible.
"What is the matter with everybody?" thought the marionette, as he
looked about, and saw one of the kings asleep on the ground beside him.
Other forms were stretched out around them. Even as he looked,
Pinocchio the First, Emperor and King of all Africa, fell over on his
wooden nose, and he too was soon fast asleep.
36. Pinocchio Makes His First Address
THE next day was a splendid one. The sky was a clear blue, the earth
was green and fresh. Thousands upon thousands shouted with joy.
Pinocchio was to be crowned king and emperor.
He had carefully prepared the royal address, and came proudly
forward mounted upon a large elephant, towering above his people. The
trumpets sounded, the drums beat, the children rolled on the ground. At
a signal from the master of ceremonies all was still. Even the birds
ceased to sing. A troop of monkeys, leaping about in the trees, paused
to listen. The emperor spoke as follows:
"Ministers of Africa, officers of the army, chiefs and underchiefs,
servants and slaves, men, women, and children, all, beloved subjects,
listen to the voice of your emperor!" - and Pinocchio looked around at
the multitude.
"We, Pinocchio the First, speak to you, and bring to you the word of
peace and of love. A new day is about to open to you. Rejoice, O
people! We have concluded to bring happiness to every heart and riches
to every home. We shall not reveal all the plans which, in time, we
hope to see carried out. We shall begin very modestly. Our first gift
to you, O people, is Time. Time is very valuable. We have a great deal
of it in store. Our kingdom is rich in Time; therefore we have decreed
to give each of you as much Time as you want. How can we be more
generous!
"Behold the bright sun in the clear blue sky! There is not its equal
anywhere else in the world. Kings are proud of it. We, your emperor and
ruler, have decreed that every one of you, our faithful subjects, may
enjoy the sunlight free of any charge, without tax or duty. Can we be
more unselfish?
"You hear the song of the birds, the voices of the animals, the
rustling of the leaves in the wind! These also we give you to enjoy at
your leisure, and without expense.
"There is one thing, however, that needs our special notice, and
this we shall now bring to your attention. Remember, we shall enforce
with all our power this law we are about to propose."
Here Pinocchio placed his hand upon his breast and looked toward the
sky.
"We will never introduce into our kingdom that shameful system which
brings sorrow to many countries known to us. We speak of the horrible
scheme called Compulsory Education! What a disgrace it is, beloved
subjects, to see so many bright, intelligent children seated for hours
and hours before books which ruin their eyesight! The eye is a precious
jewel, and it is improved, not by books, but by looking here and there,
above and below, everywhere and anywhere, as the butterflies and the
birds do. Let us teach our children as nature teaches us. Let us burn
our books and our schools. Do not drive our dear little ones to silly
words and cruel numbers. It makes our heart bleed to see parents call
their children from some pleasant game and shut them up in ugly
schoolrooms."
At this point Pinocchio was so moved that he had to stop. He looked
around at the many mothers, and saw them wipe the tears from their
eyes. Proud of the impression his words had made on these kind hearts,
he went on in a tone so pathetic that it touched even the elephant
which carried him."These are gentle tears, dear subjects, and they show
how noble are your hearts. You love your children. We ourselves will
never see them suffer. No, a thousand times no! We are not so cruel as
to tear you away from your dear ones. They may continue to roll upon
the grass, free as the birds that fly. They are free to hunt for
crickets, to steal birds' nests, to bite and to kick each other, to run
and play in the fields and woods with the monkeys.
"We consider these exercises very necessary, and whenever the grave
affairs of the state will permit we will visit you and encourage these
sports. You perceive that in this matter you owe much to your emperor,
who was made to go to school, and who saw the evils of education. Alas!
too many of his young companions were completely ruined so far as their
eyes and brains were concerned.
"Officers and soldiers, ministers of the crown, beloved subjects,
we, Pinocchio the First, Emperor and King, ask you to shout with all
the breath in your lungs: 'Down with Compulsory Education! Down with
the school!'"
A deafening roar, louder than thunder, arose from the people: "Down
with Compulsory Education! Down with the school!"
This speech was followed by a review of the troops, which lasted
till night.
Emperor Pinocchio, tired but satisfied, then returned in state to
the royal palace.
37. The Emperor Becomes As Black As A Crow
IT was no easy matter to be an emperor. There was a great deal of
work to be done, and work was always tiresome to Pinocchio. Each day he
must get out of bed at a fixed hour, and allow himself to be washed and
oiled. Then came breakfast, and after that the ministers with the
affairs of state.
True, his work did not seem hard. He had only to say "Yes" or "No."
But in the task of deciding whether it should be "Yes" or "No" lay the
real difficulty.
Sometimes he would be left with only a few servants, among them some
boys to entertain him or to drive away the flies with big feather
dusters, which tickled his nose and made him sneeze. These were
pleasant moments in his life, but he was often bored, and being a
cunning rogue he thought out a plan by which once in a while he could
be freed from care.
Among the boys at the court was one who resembled him in all things
except in the color of his skin. What had Pinocchio planned?
One day, while strolling through the woods near the capital, he
called the boy to him and taking his arm, said to him in a gentle
voice, "Do you love your emperor?"
"Is it necessary to ask, your majesty?" replied the boy, moved to
tears at such an honor.
"And should you like to do your emperor a favor?"
"Your majesty, to do you a service I would go at once, with only my
feather duster to protect me, and pinch a boa constrictor's tongue!"
"Good!" replied Pinocchio. "You are a fine lad, and you will become
a great man. But let us put aside boa constrictors for the time. I have
often been sad because I am not like my subjects. I should like to
color my skin so that it would be like a native's, dear Marameho, like
yours. You know how pleased the ministers would be."
"Your majesty, it would be the brightest day of our lives!"
"Good boy!" exclaimed the marionette. "If you always answer so well,
I promise you the place of keeper of the king's treasures."
The boy's eyes shone.
"Well, can it be done?" asked the marionette.
"Nothing more simple, your majesty," replied Marameho. "I know of a
plant, the fruit of which will serve our purpose."
"When can we get this wonderful dye?"
"To-day, if your majesty will permit me to absent myself for a short
time," replied Marameho with great respect.
"Go, go at once," ordered the marionette, greatly delighted. "But
wait; there is something more. We are alone and may drop our titles.
Your majesty, your highness, weary me to death. Call me plain
Pinocchio, and I will call you my dear Marameho."
The poor boy was overcome with all this kindness, and planting a
kiss upon the point of his emperor's nose, he vanished through the
trees.
The next day a proclamation was made throughout the empire. His
royal and imperial highness had become as black as the blackest of his
subjects.The ministers were joyous, and they celebrated this happy
event with a great feast. That day they did nothing but eat and
dance.
As a rule the emperor, of course, could not take part in such
amusements. It was his business to sit upon the throne while the
ministers and the people danced and played before him. This time,
however, the ancient law was broken. Pinocchio danced like a madman
the entire night, while the faithful Marameho, clothed in the emperor's
garments, sat upon the throne. No one even dreamed of the exchange.
38. The Hippopotamus Hunt
THE next day was set aside for a hunt in honor of the young emperor,
Pinocchio the First. He would have been content to stay home, but this
would have been taken as a grave insult to the people.
A herd of hippopotamuses had been discovered a few miles from the
capital. His ministers agreed that the emperor must go. There was
nothing else for him to do.
Besides, the hunt was for scientific purposes. As Pinocchio had made
known his views on schools, he could do no less than encourage this
expedition, which was the only educational training allowed in the
country.
The hunters, in fact, were persons of high rank, who spent their
time in searching for traces of wild animals. It seemed strange to
Pinocchio that these learned hunters did not study how to protect their
animals, instead of trying to kill them.
"I suppose it is the custom of the country," thought the
marionette.
Two hours before sunrise the leaders in the hunt, armed with bows,
arrows, and javelins, stood before the royal palace waiting for the
emperor. He was to ride on the back of a bull, which the prime minister
held by a rope.
They were not kept waiting long. Pinocchio the First came forth with
a pleasant smile upon his lips. Inwardly, he was very angry, but little
did his faithful subjects suspect how he felt.
"A fine time for a king to rise!" he thought. "Am I or am I not
emperor? If I am emperor, I should sleep as long as I wish, eat what I
please, and do anything I like. It seems to me that I am the slave of
my people rather than their ruler. Wait, my dear subjects; I will soon
prove to you what stuff I am made of."
The people waited. The ministers explained to the emperor that he
was to ride on the bull.
"My dear subjects, have you lost your senses?" thought the
marionette. "I certainly will not ride on a bull. How long have bulls
been used as horses? This beast will hurl me into the first ditch we
come to. A fine regard you have for your emperor! I almost begin to
believe that you want to get rid of me and have another king."
However, there was no way of escape, and he decided to do as he was
told. He leaped squarely upon the bull, and calmly sat there. The bull,
fortunately, did not move.
"Good beast!" said Pinocchio, somewhat encouraged, as he gave the
signal to depart.
The sun was already up when they reached the river where the hunt
was to take place.
Hippopotamus hunting is a very dangerous sport, but it was one that
the people dearly loved.
Scouts were sent on ahead while the hunters crawled like snakes
through the high, thick grass. As they neared the river, they became
very careful. With their eyes fixed, their ears wide open, their spears
firmly grasped, they were ready to attack at any moment.
Pinocchio pretended that he was suffering with a pain in the left
foot, and slowly dropped behind the others. He had never had any great
liking for the hunt. He felt annoyed that he should always have to do
things that he did not enjoy. He would have stayed where he was, but
the prime minister came along in search of him.
Tired of the insolence of this man, the marionette thrust back his
hat with a bold sweep of his hand, as if to say, "Now I shall show you
who I am, and who I was." Pinocchio then hastened toward the river,
reaching the bank at the very moment when the hunters had started a
large hippopotamus out of the weeds.
The huge animal tried to get away and made for the river.
"Some one must jump into the water and kill it with the javelin,"
said the prime minister. Nobody stirred.
Suddenly a loud voice rang through the stillness:
"I will go."
And Pinocchio, amid shouts of admiration and terror from his
subjects, dived into the river and swam toward the animal.
The hippopotamus scented the enemy and turned upon him, but the
nimble marionette, swimming around the great creature, grasped it by
its short, thick tail.
When the beast felt itself gently pulled in this manner it began to
turn round and round like a dog chasing a troublesome fly.
This performance, which was both funny and terrible, lasted for
fully five minutes. During all that time Pinocchio did nothing but
laugh. He did not seem to realize what would happen to him if he were
clutched by those terrible jaws.
At length the animal, blind with rage, plunged below the surface of
the water, leaving the marionette and the others dumbfounded.
This adventure increased tenfold the admiration of the black hunters
for their emperor, although it was not wholly satisfactory to the chief
cook of the royal household, who had already planned a great dinner.
But Pinocchio quickly consoled him, assuring him that when it came to
eating the tongue and feet of a hippopotamus, the emperor would
cheerfully forego the pleasure.
39. The Emperor Surprises His Subjects By His Wisdom
PINOCCHIO'S power grew greater and greater. The courage shown by him
in the hand-to-hand fight with the hippopotamus had made a great
impression on the ministers.
The grand council, for instance, had assembled the high court of
justice, which was to try a large number of important cases. The very
next morning the wise and brave Pinocchio was urged to pass judgment
upon the cases to be presented that day.
Pinocchio thought of playing the usual trick upon his ministers by
placing Marameho in his seat; but this was an important affair, and
must be attended to in person.
"Dignitaries! chamberlains! ministers! royal judges! guards! To the
court!"
The persons called came forward and knelt down to kiss the earth
before his majesty; then, rising, they all moved on to the court of
justice.
Beneath a canopy of ostrich feathers, held aloft by a stately
African, walked Pinocchio the First, Emperor and King of all the
African kings. He was wrapped in a large green and red cloak covered
with precious stones, that is to say, with bits of broken glass of all
colors, and shining pebbles collected with great labor from the rich
mines of the country.
The court was to sit in the open air. This greatly pleased
Pinocchio, for the day was very beautiful. When his majesty arrived all
the great crowd of people knelt and buried their heads in their hands.
They did not rise till the judges were comfortably seated on the bare
ground.
At a signal from the emperor the first case was called. There
appeared two men, each with his head completely covered by a large bag
which had in it holes for eyes and mouth. The men bowed again and again
to his highness and to the court, scraping their noses along the
ground. At last they stood stiff and erect like posts.
The grand chamberlain made a sign to Pinocchio, and his majesty,
turning to one of the men, asked, "What brings you before the emperor's
court?"
The person addressed twisted his whole body and sprinkled sand over
his head. Finally he said, "There was once - "
"A king!" thought Pinocchio, "Is he going to tell a story? I, for
one, should be pleased. African stories must be amusing."
"There was once an old man - a kind old man - blacker than I am, who
had many sons, and I was one of them. For this reason, the old man,
being my father - "
"He was his son. He reasons well," thought the marionette, but he
did not move an eyelash, pretending to be all attention.
"For this reason, the old man, my father, sent me to tend his
flocks. One night I arrived at the brink of the river to water the
flock. There I discovered that a sheep was missing. I was heartbroken
over this, and, not wishing to return home without my little sheep, I
searched everywhere, but in vain. The sheep could not be found. I sat
down and began to weep. Behind me was a thick cane field. Upon a rock
within the field was that man, with a sheep between his knees. I rushed
to the spot and shouted out to him, 'Why have you stolen my sheep?' He
appeared not to hear me. 'Why have you stolen my sheep?' It was like
talking to a stone. Blinded by anger, I drew nearer. When he saw me
approach he arose and ran away. I hastened to my sheep and raised it
from the ground, and then I saw - it horrifies me to tell it - that
what I held in my hand was only the sheep's coat. The robber had eaten
the rest. My sheep! My poor little sheep! I shall never see it again!"
Pinocchio was greatly touched by this pitiful tale. He had just
opened his mouth to pronounce a terrible sentence upon the thief, who
was standing motionless as a statue, when the minister whispered to him
to listen to the other side of the story. With an angry look Pinocchio
ordered the accused man to speak.
He started as if he had been roused from deep thought, gazed around,
and then said in a grave, slow voice, "The sun shines - "
"What kind of speech is he going to make?" thought Pinocchio. "Is it
necessary for him to say that the sun shines?"
And as the rogue went on to speak of starry skies, blue waters, and
things of that sort, the marionette lost his patience and shouted, "But
did you or did you not eat the sheep?"
"Your majesty," replied the man, "certainly I ate the sheep! Ask,
however, who, on the day before, ate three fingers from my left hand!"
"Your majesty, I was hungry - " groaned the shepherd. "I was very
hungry."
Pinocchio shuddered. "What kind of people are these? What sort of
place have I fallen into? Fortunately for me I am made of wood."
Meanwhile the two had lowered their heads, waiting for their
sentence. Pinocchio was too much shocked to say a word.
The grand chamberlain came to his aid and whispered something in his
ear.
"Speak!" replied the marionette, "I bid you speak, for whatever you
do is well done."
The minister was pleased at the faith his majesty had in him. He
turned his dark face toward the two offenders and said, "One sheep and
three fingers! You shall both be hanged."
Pinocchio, half-dazed, watched the minister.
Case followed case, and at the end of each one Pinocchio said to the
minister, "Act. I bid you act. What you do is always well done."
The minister knew so well how to act that on this one day there were
sentences amounting to five hundred years of imprisonment, and two
hundred years at hard labor, while a thousand prisoners were to be
lashed, and one hundred were condemned to die.Justice had been done.
The emperor Pinocchio was led back to the royal palace amid the shouts
of the people. He was declared to be the mildest, the wisest, and the
most just of all kings, past, present, and future.
40. Pinocchio Travels Through The Empire
IN order that his faithful subjects might behold their new
sovereign, Pinocchio the First resolved to make a tour of the villages
of his vast empire and see with his own eyes the needs of his people.
The arrangements were made by the ministers of state. Messages were
sent to all the governors to make preparations for the event, to select
committees to meet the emperor, to provide entertainment, in short, to
have everything in readiness.
It was a big task. The emperor, however, did not trouble himself
about it. He amused himself watching the crickets and the birds,
laughing at the antics of some little monkeys, and playing with his boy
pages.
Sometimes he spoke of his past. He told his pages about his travels,
his struggles, his suffering. He told them how he had struggles with
the waves of a stormy sea, and about the fish from whose stomach he had
rescued his father Geppetto. He recalled his dear Fatina, that gentle
and beautiful lady with the blue hair, and, placing his hand upon his
breast, took an oath, as emperor and king, that we would have her come
to Africa. That thought made him happy, and he went on to describe the
feast they would have on her arrival. He had resolved to make her queen
of one of his states.
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