Pinocchio at last ceases to be a puppet and becomes a boy.
WHILST Pinocchio was swimming quickly towards the shore he discovered that his father, who was on his shoulders with his legs in the water, was trembling as violently as if the poor man had got an attack of ague fever.
Was he trembling from cold or from fear?... Perhaps a little from both the one and the other. But Pinocchio, thinking that it was from fear, said to comfort him: “Courage, papa! In a few minutes we shall be safely on shore.”
“But where is this blessed shore?” asked the little old man, becoming still more frightened, and screwing up his eyes as tailors do when they wish to thread a needle. “I have been looking in every direction and I see nothing but the sky and the sea.”
“But I see the shore as well,” said the puppet.
“You must know that I am like a cat: I see better by night than by day.”
Poor Pinocchio was making a pretence of being in good spirits, but in reality... in reality he was beginning to feel discouraged: his strength was failing, he was gasping and panting for breath... he could do no more, and the shore was still far off.
He swam until he had no breath left; then he turned his head to Geppetto and said in broken words: “Papa... help me ... I am dying!...”
The father and son were on the point of drowning when they heard a voice like a guitar out of tune saying: “Who is it that is dying?”
“It is I, and my poor father!...”
“I know that voice! You are Pinocchio!”
“Precisely: and you?”
“I am the Tunny, your prison companion in the body of the Dog-fish.”
“And how did you manage to escape?”
“I followed your example. You showed me the road, and I escaped after you.”
“Tunny, you have arrived at the right moment! I implore you to help us, or we are lost.”
“Willingly and with all my heart. You must, both of you, take hold of my tail and leave me to guide you. I will take you on shore in four minutes.”
Geppetto and Pinocchio, as I need not tell you, accepted the offer at once; but instead of holding on by his tail they thought it would be more comfortable to get on the Tunny’s back.
Having reached the shore Pinocchio sprang first on land that he might help his father to do the same. He then turned to the Tunny, and said to him in a voice full of emotion: “My friend, you have saved my papa’s life. I can find no words with which to thank you properly. Permit me at least to give you a kiss as a sign of my eternal gratitude!...”
The Tunny put his head out of the water, and Pinocchio, kneeling on the ground, kissed him tenderly on the mouth. At this spontaneous proof of warm aifection, the poor Tunny, who was not accustomed to it, felt extremely touched, and ashamed to let himself be seen crying like a child, he plunged under the water and disappeared.
By this time the day had dawned. Pinocchio then offering his arm to Geppetto, who had scarcely breath to stand, said to him: “Lean on my arm, dear papa, and let us go. We will walk very slowly like the ants, and when we are tired we can rest by the wayside.”
“And where shall we go?” asked Geppetto.
“In search of some house or cottage, where they will give us for charity a mouthful of bread, and a little straw to serve as a bed.”
They had not gone a hundred yards when they saw by the roadside two villainous-looking individuals begging.
They were the Cat and the Fox, but they were scarcely recognisable. Fancy! the Cat had so long feigned blindness that she had become blind in reality and the Fox, old, mangy, and with one side paralysed, had not even his tail left. That sneaking thief having fallen into the most squalid misery, one fine day had found himself obliged to sell his beautiful tail to a travelling pedlar, who bought it to drive away flies.
“Oh, Pinocchio!” cried the Fox, “give a little in charity to two poor infirm people.”
“Infirm people,” repeated the Cat.
“Begone, impostors!” answered the puppet. “You took me in once, but you will never catch me again.”
“Believe me, Pinocchio, we are now poor and unfortunate indeed!”
“If you are poor, you deserve it. Recollect the proverb:”Stolen money never fructifies. “Begone, impostors!”
And thus saying Pinocchio and Geppetto went their way in peace. When they had gone another hundred yards they saw, at the end of a path in the middle of the fields, a nice little straw hut with a roof of tiles and bricks.
“That hut must be inhabited by some one,” said Pinocchio. “Let us go and knock at the door.”
They went and knocked.
“Who is there?” said a little voice from within.
“We are a poor father and son without bread and without a roof,” answered the puppet.
“Turn the key and the door will open,” said the same little voice.
Pinocchio turned the key and the door opened. They went in and looked here, there, and everywhere, but could see no one.
“Oh! where is the master of the house?” said Pinocchio, much surprised.
“Here I am up here!”
The father and son looked immediately up to the ceiling, and there on a beam they saw the Talking cricket.
“Oh, my dear little Cricket!” said Pinocchio, bowing politely to him.
“Ah! now you call me ‘Your dear little Cricket.’ But do you remember the time when you threw the handle of a hammer at me, to drive me from your house?...”