Chapter 27

The great battle between Pinocchio and his playmates.

One is wounded. Pinocchio is arrestedGoing like the wind, Pinocchio took but a very short timeto reach the shore. He glanced all about him, but there wasno sign of a Shark. The sea was as smooth as glass.

"Hey there, boys! Where's that Shark?" he asked,turning to his playmates.

"He may have gone for his breakfast," said one of them, laughing.

"Or, perhaps, he went to bed for a little nap,"said another, laughing also.

From the answers and the laughter which followed them,Pinocchio understood that the boys had played a trick on him.

"What now?" he said angrily to them. "What's the joke?""Oh, the joke's on you!" cried his tormentors, laughingmore heartily than ever, and dancing gayly around the Marionette.

"And that is--?""That we have made you stay out of school to comewith us. Aren't you ashamed of being such a goody-goody,and of studying so hard? You never have a bit of enjoyment.""And what is it to you, if I do study?""What does the teacher think of us, you mean?""Why?""Don't you see? If you study and we don't, we pay forit. After all, it's only fair to look out for ourselves.""What do you want me to do?""Hate school and books and teachers, as we all do. Theyare your worst enemies, you know, and they like to makeyou as unhappy as they can.""And if I go on studying, what will you do to me?""You'll pay for it!""Really, you amuse me," answered the Marionette, nodding his head.

"Hey, Pinocchio," cried the tallest of them all, "that will do.

We are tired of hearing you bragging about yourself,you little turkey cock! You may not be afraid of us,but remember we are not afraid of you, either!

You are alone, you know, and we are seven.""Like the seven sins," said Pinocchio, still laughing.

"Did you hear that? He has insulted us all. He has called us sins.""Pinocchio, apologize for that, or look out!""Cuck--oo!" said the Marionette, mocking them with his thumb to his nose.

"You'll be sorry!""Cuck--oo!""We'll whip you soundly!""Cuck--oo!""You'll go home with a broken nose!""Cuck--oo!""Very well, then! Take that, and keep it for your supper,"called out the boldest of his tormentors.

And with the words, he gave Pinocchio a terrible blow on the head.

Pinocchio answered with another blow, and that wasthe signal for the beginning of the fray. In a few moments,the fight raged hot and heavy on both sides.

Pinocchio, although alone, defended himself bravely.

With those two wooden feet of his, he worked so fastthat his opponents kept at a respectful distance.

Wherever they landed, they left their painful markand the boys could only run away and howl.

Enraged at not being able to fight the Marionette at closequarters, they started to throw all kinds of books at him.

Readers, geographies, histories, grammars flew in all directions.

But Pinocchio was keen of eye and swift of movement, and the booksonly passed over his head, landed in the sea, and disappeared.

The fish, thinking they might be good to eat, came tothe top of the water in great numbers. Some took a nibble,some took a bite, but no sooner had they tasted a page or two,than they spat them out with a wry face, as if to say:

"What a horrid taste! Our own food is so much better!"Meanwhile, the battle waxed more and more furious.

At the noise, a large Crab crawled slowly out of the waterand, with a voice that sounded like a trombone sufferingfrom a cold, he cried out:

"Stop fighting, you rascals! These battles between boysrarely end well. Trouble is sure to come to you!"Poor Crab! He might as well have spoken to the wind.

Instead of listening to his good advice, Pinocchio turnedto him and said as roughly as he knew how:

"Keep quiet, ugly Gab! It would be better for you tochew a few cough drops to get rid of that cold you have.

Go to bed and sleep! You will feel better in the morning."In the meantime, the boys, having used all their books,looked around for new ammunition. Seeing Pinocchio'sbundle lying idle near-by, they somehow managed to gethold of it.

One of the books was a very large volume, an arithmetic text,heavily bound in leather. It was Pinocchio's pride.

Among all his books, he liked that one the best.

Thinking it would make a fine missile, one of the boys tookhold of it and threw it with all his strength at Pinocchio's head.

But instead of hitting the Marionette, the book struck one of theother boys, who, as pale as a ghost, cried out faintly:

"Oh, Mother, help! I'm dying!" and fell senseless to the ground.

At the sight of that pale little corpse, the boys were sofrightened that they turned tail and ran. In a few moments,all had disappeared.

All except Pinocchio. Although scared to death by thehorror of what had been done, he ran to the sea and soakedhis handkerchief in the cool water and with it bathed thehead of his poor little schoolmate. Sobbing bitterly, hecalled to him, saying:

"Eugene! My poor Eugene! Open your eyes and look at me!

Why don't you answer? I was not the one who hit you,you know. Believe me, I didn't do it. Open your eyes,Eugene? If you keep them shut, I'll die, too. Oh, dear me,how shall I ever go home now? How shall I ever look atmy little mother again? What will happen to me? Whereshall I go? Where shall I hide? Oh, how much better itwould have been, a thousand times better, if only I hadgone to school! Why did I listen to those boys? Theyalways were a bad influence! And to think that the teacherhad told me--and my mother, too!--`Beware of badcompany!' That's what she said. But I'm stubborn andproud. I listen, but always I do as I wish. And then I pay.

I've never had a moment's peace since I've been born! Oh,dear! What will become of me? What will become of me?"Pinocchio went on crying and moaning and beating hishead. Again and again he called to his little friend, whensuddenly he heard heavy steps approaching.

He looked up and saw two tall Carabineers near him.

"What are you doing stretched out on the ground?"they asked Pinocchio.

"I'm helping this schoolfellow of mine.""Has he fainted?""I should say so," said one of the Carabineers, bendingto look at Eugene. "This boy has been wounded on thetemple. Who has hurt him?""Not I," stammered the Marionette, who had hardlya breath left in his whole body.

"If it wasn't you, who was it, then?""Not I," repeated Pinocchio.

"And with what was he wounded?""With this book," and the Marionette picked up thearithmetic text to show it to the officer.

"And whose book is this?""Mine.""Enough.""Not another word! Get up as quickly as you can and come along with us.""But I--""Come with us!""But I am innocent.""Come with us!"Before starting out, the officers called out to severalfishermen passing by in a boat and said to them:

"Take care of this little fellow who has been hurt.

Take him home and bind his wounds. Tomorrow we'll come after him."They then took hold of Pinocchio and, putting himbetween them, said to him in a rough voice: "March!

And go quickly, or it will be the worse for you!"They did not have to repeat their words. The Marionettewalked swiftly along the road to the village. But thepoor fellow hardly knew what he was about. He thoughthe had a nightmare. He felt ill. His eyes saw everythingdouble, his legs trembled, his tongue was dry, and, try ashe might, he could not utter a single word. Yet, in spiteof this numbness of feeling, he suffered keenly at thethought of passing under the windows of his good littleFairy's house. What would she say on seeing him betweentwo Carabineers?

They had just reached the village, when a sudden gustof wind blew off Pinocchio's cap and made it go sailing fardown the street.

"Would you allow me," the Marionette asked theCarabineers, "to run after my cap?""Very well, go; but hurry."The Marionette went, picked up his cap--but insteadof putting it on his head, he stuck it between his teethand then raced toward the sea.

He went like a bullet out of a gun.

The Carabineers, judging that it would be very difficultto catch him, sent a large Mastiff after him, one that hadwon first prize in all the dog races. Pinocchio ran fast andthe Dog ran faster. At so much noise, the people hung outof the windows or gathered in the street, anxious to seethe end of the contest. But they were disappointed,for the Dog and Pinocchio raised so much dust on the road that,after a few moments, it was impossible to see them.