Part 24 (1/2)

”Help me, dear Pinocchio! Save me from death!”

At that agonizing cry the puppet, who had in reality an excellent heart, was moved with compa.s.sion, and, turning to the dog, he said:

”But if I save your life, will you promise to give me no further annoyance, and not to run after me?”

”I promise! I promise! Be quick, for pity's sake, for if you delay another half-minute I shall be dead.”

Pinocchio hesitated; but, remembering that his father had often told him that a good action is never lost, he swam to Alidoro, and, taking hold of his tail with both hands, brought him safe and sound on to the dry sand of the beach.

The poor dog could not stand. He had drunk so much salt water that he was like a balloon. The puppet, however, not wis.h.i.+ng to trust him too far, thought it more prudent to jump again into the water. When he had swum some distance from the sh.o.r.e he called out to the friend he had rescued:

”Good-bye, Alidoro; a good journey to you, and take my compliments to all at home.”

”Good-bye, Pinocchio,” answered the dog; ”a thousand thanks for having saved my life. You have done me a great service, and in this world what is given is returned. If an occasion offers I shall not forget it.”

Pinocchio swam on, keeping always near the land. At last he thought that he had reached a safe place. Giving a look along the sh.o.r.e, he saw amongst the rocks a kind of cave from which a cloud of smoke was ascending.

”In that cave,” he said to himself, ”there must be a fire. So much the better. I will go and dry and warm myself, and then? and then we shall see.”

Having taken the resolution he approached the rocks, but, as he was going to climb up, he felt something under the water that rose higher and higher and carried him into the air. He tried to escape, but it was too late, for, to his extreme surprise, he found himself enclosed in a great net, together with a swarm of fish of every size and shape, who were flapping and struggling like so many despairing souls.

At the same moment a fisherman came out of the cave; he was so ugly, so horribly ugly, that he looked like a sea monster. Instead of hair his head was covered with a thick bush of green gra.s.s, his skin was green, his eyes were green, his long beard that came down to the ground was also green. He had the appearance of an immense lizard standing on its hind-paws.

When the fisherman had drawn his net out of the sea, he exclaimed with great satisfaction:

”Thank Heaven! Again today I shall have a splendid feast of fis.h.!.+”

”What a mercy that I am not a fis.h.!.+” said Pinocchio to himself, regaining a little courage.

The netful of fish was carried into the cave, which was dark and smoky.

In the middle of the cave a large frying-pan full of oil was frying and sending out a smell of mushrooms that was suffocating.

”Now we will see what fish we have taken!” said the green fisherman, and, putting into the net an enormous hand, so out of all proportion that it looked like a baker's shovel, he pulled out a handful of fish.

”These fish are good!” he said, looking at them and smelling them complacently. And after he had smelled them he threw them into a pan without water.

He repeated the same operation many times, and as he drew out the fish his mouth watered and he said, chuckling to himself:

”What good whiting!”

”What exquisite sardines!”

”These soles are delicious!”

”And these crabs excellent!”

”What dear little anchovies!”