Title: Pinocchio under the sea
Author: Rembadi, Gemma Mongiardini
Language: English
As this book started as an ASCII text book there are no pictures available.

*** Start of this LibraryBlog Digital Book "Pinocchio under the sea" ***

Transcriber’s Note: Italic text is denoted by _underscores_ and bold
text by =equal signs=.



[Illustration: “PINOCCHIO LOOKED AT HIMSELF IN THE WATER.”]



  PINOCCHIO UNDER
  THE SEA

  [Illustration]

  TRANSLATED from the ITALIAN
  by CAROLYN M. DELLA CHIESA
  EDITED by JOHN W. DAVIS
  WITH ILLUSTRATIONS
  and DECORATIONS by
  FLORENCE R.   ABEL WILDE

  THE
  MACMILLAN COMPANY
  NEW YORK


 _As I have purchased the literary copyright for the translation into
 and the publication in the English language of the volume “Il Segreto
 di Pinocchio,” by Mongiardini-Rembadi, its reproduction in English is
 hereby reserved._—CAROLYN M. DELLA-CHIESA.

  COPYRIGHT, 1913,
  BY THE MACMILLAN COMPANY.

  Set up and electrotyped. Published September, 1913.

  [Illustration]

  Norwood Press
  J. S. Cushing Co.—Berwick & Smith Co.
  Norwood, Mass., U.S.A.



TABLE OF CONTENTS

[Illustration]


  CHAPTER                                                    PAGE

  I. PINOCCHIO’S PAST                                            1

  II. PINOCCHIO’S TALK WITH THE DOLPHIN                          5

  III. PINOCCHIO GETS A LESSON IN POLITENESS                    14

  IV. HE STARTS ON HIS JOURNEY                                  29

  V. SOME ADVENTURES UNDER THE SEA                              37

  VI. SOME MORE ADVENTURES UNDER THE SEA                        47

  VII. PINOCCHIO GOES ASHORE                                    61

  VIII. PINOCCHIO GOES BACK INTO THE SEA                        71

  IX. PINOCCHIO TAKES A HORSEBACK RIDE IN THE SEA               85

  X. A VISIT TO BELUGA, THE WHALE                               99

  XI. HE HAS DINNER WITH THE WHITE WHALE                       115

  XII. HE MAKES THE ACQUAINTANCE OF THE GULF STREAM            129

  XIII. HE REACHES THE ARCTIC                                  145

  XIV. HE FINDS A TREASURE SHIP                                153

  XV. HE SECURES THE TREASURE; THE FIGHT BETWEEN
  THE SEA WOLF AND THE WHALE                                   170

  XVI. MARSOVINO DISOBEYS ORDERS AND NEARLY DIES;
  PINOCCHIO FINDS HIS FATHER                                   184

[Illustration]



  PINOCCHIO
  UNDER THE SEA

[Illustration]



PINOCCHIO UNDER THE SEA



CHAPTER I


HAVE you ever read the Adventures of Pinocchio? What a famous fellow
he was! He could talk and walk and live as you do, children; and
still he was only a marionette! How sad the little fellow felt when
he saw his father disappear in his little boat over the sea!

Do you remember how Pinocchio then tried to swim across the ocean?
How he did his best to save his poor old father? How he jumped into
the water? How he swam and swam over those great, high waves? And
how at last he became so tired, that he could only lie still and let
the waves carry him?

If you remember this, you will also surely remember that on the next
day Pinocchio, almost lifeless, was thrown on an island. There he
found himself on a small stretch of ground. All around him was the
great ocean.

Where could he get news of his dear old father? As he looked about
him, he saw a large dark object in the water. It was a dolphin. It
had stuck its nose out of the water and seemed to be waiting for the
marionette. Of Pinocchio’s father, the dolphin knew nothing.

“But,” said he, “I am very much afraid the boat has been lost in the
night.”

My dear children, if you have a good memory, you cannot forget that
after saying this the dolphin turned and disappeared.

[Illustration: “ALL AROUND HIM WAS THE GREAT OCEAN.”]

This is not true. Indeed not. On the contrary, Pinocchio and the
dolphin had a long talk one with the other. At the end of it, they
decided to take a long journey together.

[Illustration]



CHAPTER II


WHILE the two were talking, Pinocchio kept thinking and thinking of
his dear father. He looked so sad that the dolphin finally said to
him:

“If you grieve so much for the loss of your father, you must be a
good son. We dolphins are very fond of good children, and I more than
others. To prove this to you, I shall only say that the dolphin of
which Pliny speaks was my great-grandfather.”

“Pliny?” said Pinocchio. And he wrinkled his nose, because the name
was not very well known to him.

[Illustration]

“Yes, Pliny the Elder, the famous author of a natural history. He
was a Roman, who was born about one thousand nine hundred years
ago. He was killed in a terrific eruption of Vesuvius, the one that
destroyed Herculaneum and Pompeii.”

Vesuvius, Herculaneum, and Pompeii were as familiar to the marionette
as was Pliny. To speak plainly, he knew nothing whatever about them.
But, making believe he understood everything, he said, “Yes, yes!
These things I know. But of what does Pliny speak?”

“He tells us that in the suburbs of Naples a dolphin became very fond
of a boy. Every morning he would wait near shore for the boy. When
the child came, the dolphin would make the youngster climb on his
back. Then the dolphin would swim to Pozzuoli, where was the boy’s
school. Here the boy would go ashore, attend to his school duties,
and when they were over, return to Naples on the dolphin’s back. A
few years later the boy died suddenly. The dolphin, after waiting in
vain for him for many days, grieved himself to death.”

“Is this little story really true?” asked Pinocchio.

“Pliny tells it. Some believe, some do not. But this matters little.
To me, then, as to my parents and their parents, good children
have always been pets. Now listen carefully. Among dolphins, it is
the custom for the young ones to travel with the older ones. I am
a tutor, and I am about to start on a long journey with a young
dolphin. If you wish to come with us to look for your father, you are
more than welcome.”

“My dear Mr. Dolphin, I shall be delighted. May I ask where we are to
go?”

“We are to go on a journey around our world.”

“Around the world!” exclaimed the marionette. “It must be amusing to
see two dolphins walking arm in arm around the streets.”

“Yes,” continued the dolphin, “this young pupil of mine, who belongs
to the Marsoon family, wishes to educate himself. And how can he
better educate himself than by travel?”

“To educate himself!” exclaimed Pinocchio, opening wide his eyes.
That word had always been hard for him to swallow. “Educate! Oh! Oh!
That word I never _did_ like.”

“What are you saying?” asked the dolphin.

“Oh, nothing, nothing! I was just thinking that my teeth are aching.”

“Then it might hurt you to go into the water, and ...” began the
dolphin, kindly.

Pinocchio was perplexed. The idea of looking for his father he
liked very much. Still, when he thought of that word _educate_,
he shivered. He had always hated school as he hated fire. And you
remember, he once lost his feet through playing with fire.

“What a nuisance it will be,” he kept mumbling, thinking of the
sleepy time it would mean for him.

“Tell me, my dear sir,” he then said, just to gain time, “shall we
travel by train?”

“Of course not! How could we? I told you that we are to travel in
_our_ world. That means that we are not to move out of the water.”

“So much the worse,” again thought Master Pinocchio. “Still, I don’t
see what kind of education there can be in seeing only sea and sky!
Good Mr. Dolphin, do you think that, if I go with you, I shall ever
find my father?”

“Perhaps. We may come upon him on some desert island. Who knows? In
any case, it is your sacred duty to look for him. Will you come?”

“Yes!” answered Pinocchio, firmly. “I will go.”

“Are you afraid?”

“Afraid,” laughed Pinocchio, with scorn. “Why, I don’t know what fear
is. Just listen. Once, while traveling, I came face to face with a
lion. Instead of taking to my heels as many would have done, I took a
large stone and threw it into his mouth. It lodged in his throat. The
poor beast looked at me so sadly, that instead of dispatching him, I
took the stone out of his throat, and he went quietly away.”

“Oh, if that is the case,” replied the dolphin, who could swallow the
story almost as well as the lion had swallowed the stone, “if that is
the case, I beg your pardon.”

“Very well. When shall we start?”

“To-night, just after sunset.”

“How can we travel in the dark?” asked Pinocchio. He and darkness had
never been great friends.

“Do not be afraid. We are to travel by the light of the sun.”

“Of the sun? Why, we are to travel by night.”

“Nevertheless,” answered the dolphin, smiling, as dolphins are wont
to smile, “nevertheless, we shall travel by the light not only of one
sun, but of many suns.”

Pinocchio looked at him with his mouth wide open. The dolphin calmly
went on: “I promise to show you the sun in the sea.”

Pinocchio wrinkled his nose, as was his habit when puzzled. “I wonder
if the dolphin is making fun of me,” he thought.

“Now I shall leave you, as I have many things to do before starting.
Remember, this evening,” said the dolphin as he went off.

“Do not be afraid. I will be here,” was Pinocchio’s reply.

“Very well. Good-by, Pinocchio.”

“Until to-night, Mr. Fish.”

The dolphin, who had gone a short distance, returned and said
proudly, “Just to enlighten you a little, I am not a fish.”

Again Pinocchio’s eyes opened wide.

“What then? A horse?”

“Pinocchio, I am surprised at you. No, neither horse nor fish.”

“I never knew of there being anything but fish in the sea.”

“Who told you so? There are many animals, my dear boy, who live in
the sea, but who are _not_ fish.”

“What then? Birds? Elephants? Dogs?”

“Yes, sir, just so. Still, you people who live on the earth and read
books, you ought to know all these things.”

“Well ... yes ... I _do_ read books. In fact, I have read every book
that has ever been written.”

“All of them? Nothing less? Why, I didn’t think a man could do that
if he had a hundred lives to live,” murmured the good old dolphin.

“Well, Pinocchio,” he went on, “remember to-night, and do not forget
that I am not a fish.” With this remark he disappeared in the blue
waters.

Pinocchio looked after him for a long time.

“The sun in the sea? Dolphins not fish? I don’t know why, but I’m
very much afraid I’m being made fun of.”



CHAPTER III


[Illustration]

WHEN he was alone, Pinocchio began to think of looking for something
to eat. After trying here and there in vain, he had to be satisfied
with looking at a few empty oyster shells. The best he could do was
to make believe that he had already had a good meal out of them.

This, of course, was not very easily done, because the pangs of
hunger kept making themselves felt more and more. At last, to forget
them, he decided to make a tour of the island. This he did, and after
that he took a nap.

When he awoke, it was near sunset. He had all he could do to get to
the meeting place in time.

Off he hastened, and reached the spot just in time, for there was the
dolphin, head out of water, looking for Pinocchio.

A small dolphin, about a yard long, was in the wake of the larger
dolphin.

Pinocchio had made up his mind that even though he might be a dunce
on the earth, still he knew more than a common dolphin. So he looked
at the little fellow as much as to say, “Be very careful how you
speak to me, young man. Remember, I am far above you.”

The old dolphin was very busy with the preparations for their
journey. He came and went and gave orders to his servant.

[Illustration]

You may laugh, children, but it is true. The dolphin had a servant,
who was also a dolphin, but of the family of the Globiceps. These are
so called because of their round heads, which look like the globes
used in the electric lighting of streets.

The young dolphin was playing in the water. He tried to attract
Pinocchio’s attention in many ways. He spouted water through the hole
which every dolphin has at the top of his head. He called to the
marionette. He smiled at the youngster. It was of no use. Pinocchio,
with his wooden nose in the air and his dough cap on one ear, would
not even turn his head.

“I wonder if he is deaf or blind?” the dolphin finally said, loudly
enough to be heard.

Pinocchio turned with a start.

“For your own benefit, I just wish to say that I am not now and
never have been deaf,” he said as haughtily as he could.

“Then why do you look at me in that fashion? And why don’t you answer
me?” was the reply.

“I am acting just as a gentleman should toward those who are beneath
him,” said Pinocchio.

“I don’t know which of us is the better of the two. All I do know is,
that my father was the richest inhabitant of the sea and that the
other dolphins considered him their king.”

“King?” mumbled Pinocchio, who knew himself to be the son of a poor
carpenter, earning so little that he never had a penny in his pocket.

“But king or not, what does it matter? In this world we are all
equal, for we have all been created by God. Listen, my dear
marionette. Come here. As we are to travel such a long distance
together, we should be friends. Are you willing to be my friend?”

These pleasing words made Pinocchio see how stupid and how rude he
had been.

“Think of it! A fish (oh, no, I mean a sea animal) giving me lessons
in politeness!” Then turning to the dolphin, he said, “Yes, we shall
be friends. What is your name?”

“Marsovino. And yours?”

“Pinocchio.”

“A beautiful name. Come, shake hands.”

“Very willingly,” replied Pinocchio.

The good little animal stuck one of his fore fins out of the water
for Pinocchio to shake.

“And what is the tutor’s name?” said the boy of wood to the boy of
the sea.

“The tutor is a dolphin of the Tursio family, but I call him father.
Is it true that you are coming with us on our travels?”

“Yes,” said the marionette, proudly. “And I am able to teach you.”

“Teach me! That’s strange. How do _you_ expect to teach me?”

“You will soon find out. You talk rather disrespectfully to me. I
have been in all the schools of the kingdom. And you? You probably
have never been on land for twenty-four hours.”

Marsovino looked at the marionette smilingly, but made no reply.

Pinocchio walked up and down with his hands in his pockets and his
hat at an angle of forty-five degrees, ruffling his feathers at the
brilliant remark he had made.

As soon as Tursio came near, Marsovino asked him if he were ready.

“Yes. Everything is finished,” was the reply. “Are you ready,
Pinocchio?”

“Yes. I am ready. Let us start.”

“Start? How? Do you mean to say that you are coming under the sea
with that suit?”

“Of course. It’s the only one I have.”

“A suit of paper! The very idea! Luckily I have prepared for this.
Here, Globicephalous,” he said to his servant, “give me that little
suit of ray leather,—the one I had you make this morning.”

“Splendid,” cried Pinocchio, clapping his hands. “Now I have a new
suit.”

Putting it on, he looked at himself in the water. Seeing how dark and
unbecoming it appeared, he turned to Tursio and said excitedly:

“I don’t want this. It is too ugly. I like my pretty flowered-paper
one better.”

“Your paper one Globicephalous will carry in his satchel for you.
Should you wear it in the water, it would be spoiled.”

“I want my pretty suit,” insisted Pinocchio. “If any one saw me in
this thing, he would ask me if I had been through the coal-hole.”

“But yours will be ruined if you wear it in the water, I tell you.”

“I want mine. I want mine,” wailed Pinocchio.

“Very well. Globicephalous, take the paper suit out of the traveling
bag and give it to the boy.”

The marionette turned, expecting to see an ordinary traveling bag.
Instead, he saw Globicephalous take an enormous oyster out of the
water.

“Isn’t that strange! Oyster shells for a traveling bag!”

“Strange? Why, what is strange about that?” asked Tursio.

“What is its name?” asked Pinocchio.

“That is the giant Tridacna. They are the largest oyster shells
known.”

“How large the animal inside must be,” observed Pinocchio, with a
yawn.

“Yes. It is very large, and also very beautiful. The center of the
body is a violet color dotted with black. Around this is a green
border. At the extreme edge the colors change from deepest to
lightest blue. Yes, indeed. It is very beautiful.”

“What a good meal it would make,” thought Pinocchio. His only wish
was for a good dinner, but in order to be polite he said, “Who would
ever think that there are such things under the sea!”

“Why, you have been in every school in the kingdom and don’t know
that?”

“Books on the subject you can find everywhere.”

Pinocchio bit his lips, but did not say a word. Quickly he dressed
himself again in his paper suit and declared himself ready to start.

“All right! Come along!” said the dolphin, stretching a fin out to
help Pinocchio along.

The marionette started to walk into the water. He had not gone far,
however, before his paper suit began to leave him. Hastening back
to the shore, he very meekly put on the ray-leather suit which
Globicephalous handed to him.

“Remember, my boy,” said Tursio, “that in this world of ours we must
think not only of the beauty but also of the usefulness of things.
Also, do not forget that a boy who never _learns_ anything will never
_be_ anything.”

“But I have learned much,” answered Pinocchio. “To prove this to you,
I can now tell you of what material this suit is made.”

“I have told _you_ already. It is of ray leather. Do you know what a
ray is?”

“Surely I know. You may give it another name. Still, it must be that
white animal on four legs. You know. The one the shepherds shear
during some month or other.”

“Mercy!” cried Tursio. “You are talking about sheep. They give wool
to man.”

Pinocchio, without moving an eyelid, went on:

“Yes, that’s true. I have made a mistake. I should have said it is
that plant that bears round fruit, that when it opens....”

“Worse and worse,” interrupted the old dolphin. “What are you talking
of, anyway? That is the cotton plant. Marsovino, please explain to
this boy, who has read all the books in the world, what a ray is.”

So Marsovino went on: “A ray is a fish, in shape like a large fan. It
has a very long tail, which it uses as a weapon.”

“To what class of fishes does it belong?” asked Pinocchio.

“It belongs to the same class as the lampreys, which look like
snakes, the torpedo,—”

“Be careful never to touch that fellow,” here interrupted Tursio.

“—the sawfish and the squaloids,—that is, the common shark and the
hammerhead.”

“The saw? The hammer?” observed Pinocchio. “If I find them, I must
keep them for my father. He is a carpenter, but so poor that he
seldom has money with which to buy tools.”

“Let us hope that you will never meet the saw, the terrible
hammerhead, or even the common shark,” said Tursio.

Pinocchio made no answer, but in his heart he kept thinking, “I
am very much afraid that the dolphins are teaching me, not I the
dolphins.”

Tursio then handed Pinocchio a small shell of very strange shape. It
looked like a helmet.

“Wear this, Pinocchio,” he said. “It will make a pretty cap for you.”

“It is very pretty. What is it?”

“It is a very rare shell.”

“But it is only one shell. Where is its mate?”

“It has none. It is a univalve. That means it has only one shell. The
tellines have two shells, and are therefore called bivalve. Another
kind looks like a box with a cover.”

“But does an animal live in there?”

“Of course. Every shell has its mollusk.”

“Mollusk?” repeated Pinocchio.

“Yes. The small animals that live in shells are called by that name.”

“They have a very soft body. By means of a member, called a foot,
they get such a strong hold on rocks that it is very hard to tear
them off.”

“Some mollusks have a strong golden-colored thread by which they also
hang to rocks. Why, people have even made cloth out of these threads.”

Pinocchio cared little for all this explanation. He looked at himself
in the water, and was, after all, very much pleased with himself.

“This cap seems made for me,” he said. “Too bad I have no feather for
it.”

“Perhaps we shall find one on our journey,” laughed Tursio.

“Where will you get it? In the sea?”

“Yes, in the sea,” answered Tursio, in a tone which made the impudent
marionette almost believe him.

[Illustration]



CHAPTER IV


[Illustration]

“WELL, children, let us hasten. If we talk so much, the sun will rise
and find us here. Come, Pinocchio! Jump on my back and let us start.”

There was no need for Tursio to repeat his command. In the twinkling
of an eye, Pinocchio was riding on the dolphin’s back, holding on
tightly to the dorsal fin.

  “Gallop and gallop, my pretty horse,
  Swiftly over the boundless sea.
  Straight through the water take thy course,
  Till my dear father again I see.”

  “Gallop and gallop, my pretty horse,
  Gallop away under the sea.
  Swim to the south, and swim to the north,
  Till my dear father again I see.”

So sang Pinocchio gleefully.

[Illustration]

Tursio and his swimming companions, with a few shakes of their strong
tails, were soon far away from shore. This is not to be wondered at,
for dolphins are known to be very swift. Very soon Pinocchio saw
nothing but sea and sky. Always holding on tightly to Tursio’s fin,
he looked to the right and to the left; but nothing could he see of
his dear father.

“Hold fast, Pinocchio,” suddenly cried Tursio.

“All right, Mr. Tursio,” replied Pinocchio, but he could say no more.
For suddenly, with a great jump, the dolphin was under water.

What a moment for our poor wooden hero!

“Now I understand it all,” he thought. “This dolphin wants to get me
into the sea that he may eat me at his leisure. Oh, poor me! I shall
never again see the light of day.”

But marvel of marvels! He suddenly awoke to the fact that, instead
of drowning, he was breathing easily. Not only that, but he could
actually talk!

“This is strange,” said he. “I have always thought that people would
drown in the water.”

“And it is true,” answered the dolphin, “that men usually drown in
the sea. But I have given you the power to live under water. You
see, then, you have become a real amphibian.”

“A real what? What am I now?”

“An amphibian. That is, you have the power to live both in the air
and in the water.”

“But are there such animals?”

“Why, of course, child. Frogs, for example, which belong to the
Batrachia family. In the water they breathe with branchiæ, or gills,
and in the air with lungs. Usually, however, the name is given only
to those mammals that live in the water and move only with great
difficulty on the earth. To this class belong the seals and the sea
lions.”

“Well, then, I shall never drown.”

“No; and you will have a wonderful journey under the sea. Just hold
on to me, and I will carry you. Do not be afraid.”

“Afraid? Of course not. But I don’t like the darkness very much.”

“That is too bad. But the darkness will not last very long. You know,
I promised that we should make our journey by the light of the sun.
Wait awhile.”

Through the water Tursio went like an arrow, followed by Marsovino
and the servant.

Pinocchio, to gain courage, shut his eyes. When he opened them again,
wonder of wonders! Very near to him a large sun was moving back and
forth. It looked as if it were alive.

“The sun at the bottom of the sea!” yelled Pinocchio, frightened
almost to death. “Do you want me to believe that? You must be a
wizard playing tricks on me.”

“I am not a wizard, Pinocchio, and the sun is not a trick. It is
nothing more nor less than a fish.”

“I never heard of such a thing.”

“And you have been in all the schools of the kingdom! Marsovino,
please explain to this boy what a sunfish is.”

“The sunfish is so called because of the bright light that comes from
its body. When several of these fish are together, the sea looks as
if it were full of little, shining suns.”

As usual, Pinocchio was silent. He was beginning to think that even
dolphins knew more than he did.

Stretching out his hand, he touched a small fish that was passing by.
Another surprise! As soon as he touched it, it began to swell and
swell, until it was as round as a ball. And from this ball, countless
points began to stick out.

[Illustration: “SUDDENLY, WITH A GREAT JUMP, THE DOLPHIN WAS UNDER
THE WATER.”]

“Oh!” yelled Pinocchio again. “What is it this time?”

“It is only a globefish, my marionette. It is harmless, if you don’t
touch it.”

“But why should it turn into a balloon?”

“It does that to protect itself,” answered Tursio. “It is possible
for the globefish to do that, because it can take in a large quantity
of air. With bristles ready, it can then meet the attacks of other
fish, as each point is as sharp as a needle.”

“I never knew that before,” exclaimed Pinocchio, forgetting his
previous boast.

Tursio and Marsovino looked at each other and laughed.

[Illustration]



CHAPTER V


[Illustration]

THE night passed without further adventure.

As soon as morning dawned, the four friends rose to the surface.
Our marionette was delighted to see the sun again. The pure morning
air, though, reminded him that he was hungry. The day before, if you
remember, he had eaten very little.

“I should like something to eat,” he said in a weak voice.

“Let us go to breakfast,” answered the dolphin. Gayly he dove into
the water, and led the party deep into the sea. After a short swim,
he stopped. But, unfortunately, the four friends found themselves
in a place where there were very few herring and salmon. These, you
know, are the dolphin’s favorite food.

The salmon is a fish that lives both in rivers and in seas. Like the
swallow, he looks for warm places in which to pass the winter. So, in
large numbers he migrates to the sea at that time of the year, and in
the spring he returns to the rivers.

“This morning our breakfast will be light,” observed Tursio,
swallowing three herring at once.

“I shall not eat anything. I don’t feel very well. Besides, salmon is
the only thing I can eat,” said Marsovino.

Tursio, wishing to please his pupil, started to swim toward two very
high rocks. They were so high that their tops stuck out of the water.
Very probably they were the base of an island in the middle of the
sea. But although he looked here, there, and everywhere, he could
find no salmon.

Globicephalous satisfied his hunger with three dozen herring and half
a bushel of smelts.

And Pinocchio? Pinocchio this time certainly did not suffer from lack
of food.

Tursio had shown him a large rock, attached to which were hundreds of
oysters. Some were of the size of a pinhead. Others were as large as
a boy’s cap, and these were two years old.

“Go and have your breakfast,” said Tursio.

“Must I eat those horrible-looking things?” asked Pinocchio.

“Open them and see what is inside,” was the reply.

[Illustration: “PINOCCHIO THIS TIME CERTAINLY DID NOT SUFFER FROM
LACK OF FOOD.”]

After Pinocchio had opened and eaten one, he no longer thought of the
looks of the oyster shells. He opened and ate so many, that it was
a wonder to Marsovino that so small a person could hold so much.

Suddenly Pinocchio noticed numberless tiny, tiny white specks coming
out of some oysters. To him they looked like grains of sand. But
when he saw the specks moving and trying hard to attach themselves
to rocks, he could not help crying out, “O look at the live sand,
Tursio.”

“Who told you it is live sand?” asked Tursio. “Those are the newborn
oysters, looking for a place on which to spend their lives. Where
those small grains hang, there the oysters will live, grow, and die.”

“If no one gets them before that,” added Globicephalous.

“And are all those little dots oysters?”

“Yes. All of them. And many of them come from a single oyster, for
an oyster gives forth almost two millions of eggs at a time. These
little things have so many enemies, however, that very seldom do more
than ten of the millions grow old.”

“Two millions! Then I may eat all I want to,” continued Pinocchio,
unmercifully tearing away the poor oysters, young and old.

“Look, Pinocchio,” here called Tursio, pointing to a small fish,
colored with brilliant blues and reds. “That is the stickleback. You
may have heard that this fish makes a nest, as do birds. Also that
the male, not the female, takes care of the eggs.”

“Surely I have,” answered Pinocchio, seriously.

The stickleback seemed to be very much excited. He moved around the
nest he had made and watched it anxiously. The cause for this was
soon evident. A second stickleback made its appearance from behind
the rocks. At once the two engaged in a terrific struggle. They bit
each other, used their tails as weapons, and charged each other
viciously. During the battle they changed color—to a beautiful blue
mottled with silver.

Pinocchio was struck with wonder. “Look! Look! One is wounded.... He
falls.... He dies!” he cried. “And look at the other. How quickly he
returns to the nest to guard the eggs!”

“But how is it,” here asked Marsovino, “that once I saw a stickleback
swallow one of his little ones?”

“If you had followed him, you would later have seen the small fish
come safely out of the large one’s mouth,” answered Tursio.

[Illustration: “‘LOOK! LOOK! ONE IS WOUNDED.’”]

“But why did the large one swallow the small one?” asked Pinocchio.

“Because the little one probably wanted to run away from the nest. It
was too soon, the little one was too young to take care of himself;
so the father took the only means he had to save the youngster from
an enemy,” patiently explained Tursio.

Just then a small fish attracted the dolphin’s attention.

“Boys,” he said, “do you see that tiny fish? It is called the pilot
fish. It is the shark’s most faithful friend. Wherever goes the
shark, there goes the pilot fish.”

“Now, Pinocchio,” he continued after a pause, “I shall leave you
with Globicephalous. Marsovino and I are going to pay a visit to the
dolphin Beluga, who is a great friend of mine. He usually lives in
the polar seas, but on account of his health, he has come to warmer
waters. We shall return this evening, if all be well. Meet us near
those two mountains which are so close together that they form a
gorge. You may take a walk with Globicephalous, but be sure to be at
that spot to-night.”

“I am ashamed to be seen with a servant,” began Pinocchio.

“You are a fine fellow,” answered Tursio, with sarcasm. “Do you
know what you should do? Buy a cloak of ignorance and a throne of
stupidity, and proclaim yourself King of False Pride of the Old and
the New World!”

[Illustration]

With this remark Tursio turned to his pupil, and the two swam away.



CHAPTER VI


“ILLUSTRIOUS Mr. Pinocchio,” began Globicephalous, “if you do not
wish to stay with me, I can walk by myself. We can meet to-night.”

[Illustration]

“No, Globicephalous, do not leave me,” begged the brave son of Mr.
Geppetto, the carpenter. The idea of being alone with all those fish
gave him the shivers.

“But you may be ashamed,” began Globicephalous.

“Please forget that. Now listen to me. You are a servant, and you
can’t have studied much. Still you may know this: Mr. Tursio does not
want me to call him a fish. What is he, if not a fish?”

“Do you think Mr. Tursio would dare tell a lie to such an important
personage as you are?” said Globicephalous, who was having some fun
all by himself. “Neither Mr. Tursio nor Master Marsovino should be
called fish. Nor I either, for that matter.”

“What are you, then? Birds? You have about their shape, and you live
in the water. I know that in the sea there are only fish.”

“But you are mistaken. To many animals that live in the sea you
cannot give the name fish,” continued Globicephalous. “Fish have a
flat body, wedge-shaped fore and aft, as the sailors say, so that
they may move rapidly both forward and backward. They are each
provided with fins and a tail. These fins and the tail enable the
fish to swim about in the water. Some fish have only a few fins,
others have more. Then the fish has no lungs. It breathes in the
water by means of gills. These are the chief characteristics of fish.
But in the sea are many animals which do not possess them.”

“Please explain yourself,” said Pinocchio, who had understood little.

“Very well. Listen. There are the cetaceans, to which belong the
whales, the narwhals, and the dolphins; the amphibians, to which
belong the frogs and the seals; the mollusks, which is what the
little animals that live in shells are called; the crustaceans,
which is the correct name for the lobsters, crayfishes, and crabs;
and the zoöphytes, among which are the corals, sponges, and the many
varieties of polyps. All these, you must know, are not fish.”

“What hard names!” said Pinocchio, to whose wooden head these big
names meant but little. “What are you, then?”

“My masters and I are all cetaceans. We cannot stay in the water all
the time. We must often come to the surface, because we need air. We
have no scales like fishes nor fur like seals, but we have a smooth
thick skin under which is a layer of fat.”

“Thank you. But why, if you and your masters are all dolphins, are
you so unlike?”

“For the simple reason that there are different kinds of dolphins,
just as on the earth there are different kinds of dogs. As you have
noticed, we are of different shapes and sizes. We have different
names, too. I am a globiceps, my master is a tursian, and the young
master is a marsouin.”

“Who would ever think the sea is full of so many wonderful things!”

“Still you have not seen anything of what there is to see! On all
sides there are new things. Look at this,” continued Globicephalous,
picking up a shell and showing it to Pinocchio.

“Well, what is it? A lobster with a flower riding on its back?”

“Almost that. It is a small crustacean called the hermit crab.”

[Illustration]

“Hermit?”

“Yes. It is called that because it shuts itself up in a shell as a
hermit does in his cell. This crab’s cell is the empty shell of a
mollusk. And do you know why it shuts itself up?”

“No. Please tell me.”

“Because the back part of its body has no hard covering. So the crab,
to protect itself, uses the shell as a house and thus goes about
safely.”

“He must be a clever little fellow to think of that! But this flower
on the top—is that a part of the crab’s body?”

“That is not a flower; it is an animal.”

“An animal! But don’t you see that it has leaves all around?”

“Yes, and in fact it has the name of a flower. It is called a sea
anemone. But if you look closely you will see the little leaves, as
you called them, moving busily.”

“It is really true!”

[Illustration]

“They are tiny arms which the anemone uses to get its food. Throw
a piece of meat near them, and you will see them gather themselves
together. In a second the meat will disappear into the body of the
animal.”

“It seems hardly possible,” said Pinocchio again and again, as he
watched the anemone closely.

“This anemone,” continued Globicephalous, “is a great friend of the
hermit crab. Whenever you find one of these crabs you will find an
anemone on its back. When the crab grows and has to move to a larger
shell, do you think, my illustrious Mr. Pinocchio, that he abandons
his tenant? Never! The anemone has no legs, so the crab takes her
very carefully in his claws and carries her to his new home.”

“It sounds like a fairy story!” Pinocchio exclaimed, wonderstruck.

“Still these things are real, Your Honor, and are seen here every
day.”

Pinocchio, who had liked the idea of being called “Illustrious” was
delighted to hear himself addressed as “Your Honor.”

“So this servant thinks me a great man,” he thought proudly to
himself. He strutted round as if the whole world belonged to him.
While he was walking with his head in the air and his hands in his
pockets, he struck a round, flat object with his foot. Picking it up,
he looked it over carefully.

“Does Your Honor know what that is?” the cetacean asked him mockingly.

“Of course. It is the bellows my cook lost a few weeks ago, and
this,” he continued, picking up another object, “is the crumb brush
our maid lost last Sunday and looked all over the house for. I wonder
how they came to be here?”

Globicephalous turned a somersault, the better to hide his laughing
face.

Pinocchio, thinking that the dolphin believed all his tales,
continued his proud walk.

[Illustration: “GLOBICEPHALOUS TURNED A SOMERSAULT, THE BETTER TO
HIDE HIS LAUGHING FACE.”]

Lying on top of a rock not far off was a transparent object of
beautiful colors. It was closely woven like a net work, and looked
like a fan.

Pinocchio, having started on the road of story-telling, did not feel
like turning back.

“Just see how careless that maid was,” he began again. “Last summer I
gave her this beautiful lace fan, and now see where I find it! Good
care she takes of my gifts!”

Globicephalous continued his somersaults.

“Look again! These are surely the plants that were stolen from my
conservatories last winter,—”

Globicephalous had had too much. He interrupted Pinocchio with: “And
this, if it weren’t so small, might be used to whip boys who sell
tinsel for gold.”

Globicephalous was holding up a small object, which really looked
like a whip.

“What do you mean?” haughtily asked Pinocchio. “Do you dare to doubt
my word?”

“I don’t doubt it. I know there is not a word of truth in anything
you have said.”

“How do you know? Isn’t it possible for me to have a palace and
servants?”

“You might have, but you haven’t.”

“Who told you so?”

“I know it without being told.”

“How?”

“Listen. Do you want to know what these two things are,—the bellows
and the brush?”

“The bellows is a horseshoe crab. If you turn it over you will see
it has ten legs like a lobster. The brush is a sea fan. The little
plants, which were stolen from your conservatories, are simply coral
polyps. All except the crab are zoöphytes.”

“Now do you see, my great Mr. Pinocchio, why I cannot very well
believe all your tales?”

Pinocchio was simply breathless. “Zoöphyte! Zoöphyte!” he exclaimed.
“What does that big word mean?”

“Oh,” replied Globicephalous, with a learned air. “That word means an
animal that looks like a plant.”

“By the way, I remember you asked Mr. Tursio for a feather to put in
your cap. Here it is.” And Globicephalous gave the marionette a long,
delicate, feathery object of a bright yellow color.

“And what is this?”

“Another beautiful zoöphyte. And to finish the trimming of your cap
you might use this five-pointed starfish.”

“What? Is this a fish, also? Surely you are mistaken!”

“Oh, no, Mr. Pinocchio, I am perfectly sure that I am not mistaken.
The starfish is just as much an animal as the coral is.”

“It was a long time before people learned that coral is made by tiny
living animals. But now everybody knows that there are hundreds of
the little coral animals living and working together on the same
branch.”

“These little animals grow and multiply very quickly. In a short time
they even make mountains under the sea.”

“You know how to tell fanciful tales better than I, Globicephalous.”

“But my tales happen to be true ones, though they do seem fanciful.
That mountain you see there is made by coral polyps. If you should
climb to the top of it, you would find yourself on an island.”

“Very well. I’ll try it. I might find my father.”

“Yes, or you might meet some one, and ask whether he has been seen.”

“Ask! Do people live on islands in the middle of the sea? What are
you talking about?”

“Let me explain. After the islands are made, little by little they
are covered with earth. Then plants begin to appear from seed blown
by the wind or dropped by the birds. Then man may come. Why not, my
boy?”

“I have enough to think over just now. Good-by for a time.”

“Good-by. I will stay here. Do not lose your way.”

Without answering, Pinocchio began to climb. He was as agile as a
monkey, and was soon far up.

“I do hope I shall not lose my way,” he thought. “What a joke it
would be to be lost at the bottom of the sea!”



CHAPTER VII


PINOCCHIO climbed and climbed. The poor boy was getting very tired.
Still he wanted to be sure the dolphin was right. So he went on
bravely.

[Illustration]

At last the water began to grow lighter, and even his wooden head
could understand that he must be near the surface.

“It must be the light of the sun which I see,” he thought. “On, my
brave Pinocchio, and the top will soon be reached. Hurrah! Here I am!”

With a bound he was—yes, the dolphin was right—on the shore of a real
island.

Shaking the water out of his clothes, he looked around. Those
little beings, the corals, had certainly worked wonders.

[Illustration: “SHAKING THE WATER OUT OF HIS CLOTHES, HE LOOKED
AROUND.”]

The island was rather bare of trees and grass, but there was a cave
near the shore which soon attracted Pinocchio’s attention. He went
into it. It was not very large, but one could easily see that a man
had been there.

“People must certainly be living here. From now on I shall have to
believe Globicephalous,” thought the marionette.

When he came out, he walked around and started to explore the island.
He came to a small pond. In it lived not only frogs, but also
thousands of other tiny animals.

Pinocchio stopped to look at the water. It looked as green as grass.
He certainly would have had another shock if some one had told him
that the tiny animals that lived in it made it green. Yet that was
really the case.

These animals are not visible to the naked eye. Still they are
present in such great numbers that water sometimes looks green,
sometimes red, and at other times even black, on account of them and
their color.

This was not what interested Pinocchio most, however. He saw other
animals swimming around very quickly. Some were very tiny, very long,
and had no legs.

Others, a little larger, had two legs. Others had four legs, and
still larger ones had a short bit of a tail.

Perhaps you have guessed, children, what Pinocchio was looking at.
The small black animals were tadpoles.

When he was tired of looking at the pond, Pinocchio turned toward the
sea. He thought he might see his father, but he was disappointed.
Suddenly he gave a great shout of surprise.

And no wonder! As if by magic a fleet of tiny boats had appeared on
the surface of the water. They were no larger than an egg shell. Nor
was this all. From each little skiff rose two little rose-colored
sails, and each tiny boat put out three pairs of oars as long as
knitting needles.

“I wonder where the little boats came from,” cried Pinocchio. “Surely
this must be fairyland.”

“No, my boy, you are not in fairyland,” he heard a voice behind him
saying. “Those are simply shells.”

Turning quickly, Pinocchio saw a little fat man standing before him,
looking him over.

“Shells!” repeated the marionette, too surprised to think of anything
else to say.

[Illustration: “TURNING QUICKLY, PINOCCHIO SAW A LITTLE FAT MAN
STANDING BEFORE HIM.”]

“Yes, shells.”

“And are they also animals?” Pinocchio had asked this question so
many times that it came from him unconsciously.

“Yes, they are. They are small mollusks of strange form. When they
come to the surface of the sea, they turn the opening of their shells
upwards. Then they raise their sails, put out their oars, and float
away. They are called argonauts. Aren’t they pretty?”

“How beautiful they are! But see! They are disappearing!”

“Yes, because clouds are gathering. It looks as if a storm were
coming up, and these little animals don’t like storms. So they are
taking refuge under the water.”

“By the way,” began Pinocchio, “will you please tell me whether or
not you have met a little old man looking for his son?”

“No, I have not.”

“Well, then, good-by. It is getting late, and I must meet some
friends of mine.”

But the little man did not wish him to go, so he held him by the arm.

“Listen here, my little man, where did you come from?”

“From the sea.”

“Really?”

“Yes, I am taking a trip under the sea with three dolphin friends of
mine.”

“_Under_ the sea! How can you live there?”

“One of the dolphins made me an antibian.”

“You mean amphibian, my boy. What a wonderful experience you must be
having.”

“Yes, but please let me go now. I must meet my friends, or they will
go without me.”

[Illustration: “YOU WON’T?”]

“In a minute. But first tell me where you got that beautiful shell
you have on your head.”

“The dolphin Tursio gave it to me. He called it a long name, and said
it was very rare.”

“I know it. Will you give it to me?”

“No, I like it too much myself.”

“You won’t? Well, then, I shall have to take it,” and the man quickly
put out a hand for it.

But Pinocchio was quicker still. He gave a great jump, but oh! poor
fellow, he did not know how near the edge of the rock he was. Before
he could realize it, he fell headfirst into the water.

[Illustration]



CHAPTER VIII


[Illustration]

DOWN—down—Pinocchio sank, straight to the bottom of the sea.

And here we must remember that we are to think of Pinocchio as a real
boy of flesh and blood. Only the shell was of wood. Otherwise he
would have floated away on the surface of the water.

When he finally touched sand he felt half dead. It was not a very
pleasant experience to fall through so much water.

After a while, feeling better, he got up and looked around. He was in
a strange place, a place he had never seen before. Of Globicephalous
there was no sign.

[Illustration]

The poor boy was frightened almost to death. He thought a trick had
been played upon him. But if he had had his wits about him, he would
not have been so puzzled.

Poor thoughtless marionette! He did not remember how he had walked
around in his explorations. He had fallen into the sea on the eastern
side of the island, and Globicephalous was waiting for him on the
southern side. But Pinocchio’s wooden mind knew nothing of east or
south.

“Oh! poor me,” he could not help crying, “and now what shall I do? I
cannot climb this steep rock. If I remain here, I shall be eaten in
no time by some of these fish I see swimming around.”

In fact, immense tunnies were passing near him. Enormous rays,
looking like giant fans, dashed by. Over him glided horrible
uranoscopes, or stargazers.

These fish, like the halibut, have both eyes on the tops of their
heads, and so can only see above them. Luckily, Pinocchio was under
them, otherwise—

“I am afraid I am not very safe here,” observed Pinocchio, whose
knees were beginning to feel weak. “If these fish notice me, I shall
disappear. I do wish I could find dear old Globicephalous.”

Thoroughly frightened, he started to run madly along. Of course he
ran in the wrong direction.

“I wonder what this is,” he grumbled. He had stepped on something
large and hard.

[Illustration]

He pushed the thick seaweeds aside. In their midst he found a large
turtle. For a wonder Pinocchio knew what it was.

“How fortunate you are!” sighed the marionette. “At least you have a
house. In that armor of yours you are safe from anybody.”

But such did not seem to be the case. The harmless reptile was lying
quietly in the weeds trying to sleep. But even though Pinocchio
was in such a plight as to be lost in the sea, still the love of
mischief had not left him. Taking the poor animal by its hind legs he
turned it over on its back.

The poor thing struggled and tried to right itself, but all in vain.
When a turtle is on its back, it has to stay there.

This is so well known that when fishermen catch them they turn them
over, sure of finding them in the same position even a day later.

Seeing another shell near by, Pinocchio was about to treat it in the
same manner. But as it felt very light he examined it closely. It was
empty. The animal had probably been dead a long time, and the shell
alone was left. It was almost a yard long.

As he was looking at it, he chanced to turn his head upward. Horrors!
What did he see? An enormous animal was about to throw itself upon
him!

[Illustration]

No one had ever told Pinocchio what this fish was. Still, even he
could easily guess its name. Its strange shape is so much like that
of a large hammer that it is unmistakable. It was the terrible hammer
that Tursio had spoken about.

“I am lost,” breathed Pinocchio, closing his eyes and throwing
himself flat amongst the seaweed.

Who could have blamed the poor boy for being frightened? He had seen
that large gray mass coming nearer and nearer with wide-open mouth.
He had seen the large black and gold eyes at the ends of the head,
gleaming brightly with thinking of the coming feast. Poor fellow!

But just as he was imagining himself in the shark’s mouth Pinocchio
realized that the minutes were passing and that he was still alive.

“He may have changed his mind about committing a marionetticide,” he
reflected with eyes still closed.

Time passed, and thinking that the shark had not courage enough to
attack him, Pinocchio had the courage to—open his eyes. He could
hardly believe what he saw. The shark was moving away. Still, he
could see that the fish was going because he had to, not because
he wanted to. Looking more carefully then, he saw a strange sight.
Three small fish were sticking to the sides of the hammerhead, and
were pulling him away. Our hero had never seen such strange-looking
animals as those three fishes. They were small and narrow, and on
their heads each had a large flat object, which looked just like a
dish.

If the dolphins had been there, they would have told Pinocchio that
these dark-colored fish are called remora. With the flat disk they
can attach themselves to other fish. Sometimes they let themselves
be carried. At other times, when they feel in the mood for mischief,
they pull others along wherever they wish. This is what happened to
the shark.

“Those fish certainly saved my life,” thought Pinocchio. “But I hope
the shark won’t do to them what he wanted to do to me.”

Feeling in need of a place of safety, he tried to hide himself in a
large hole in a rock. But he had hardly put one foot in, when he
felt his shoe being pulled off by a large claw. Two eyes at the ends
of two long sticks glared ferociously at him. It was a large lobster.
Pinocchio had disturbed Mr. Lobster while he was looking for dinner,
and so had been punished. Happily for Pinocchio the lobster was
satisfied with the shoe! If the claw had taken hold of the foot also,
it might even have gone through the wood, and then, poor Pinocchio!

In disturbing the lobster our hero must certainly have offended its
whole family. Before he could realize it, the sand before him was
full of horrible crustaceans. Frightened out of his wits, he could
just look and wonder when they would stop coming. From every hole in
the rock they came, little ones, big ones, flat ones, round ones.

And ready to fight they certainly were! With claws in the air and
eyes roving madly they approached. Very carefully they looked the boy
over. A lobster or a crab never begins to fight unless he knows what
he has to deal with.

[Illustration]

And still they kept coming! Wherever Pinocchio turned, there was a
horrible creature. To the right the large mouth of a common lobster
threatened him. To the left an ugly spiny lobster shook his claws
at him. Behind and before him the sand was covered with them, large
green crabs, common crabs, porcelain crabs, common lobster, spider
crabs, glass crabs, tiny fiddlers, and others.

As if these were not enough, out of a hole came a crab larger than
any of the others. He was rapidly coming nearer, but before long
one of his claws was grasped by one lobster, the other by another.
Without the least movement to fight, the crab just pulled off his
claws, and quickly went back to his hole.

Pinocchio was thunderstruck. How could the crab do this so calmly?
For the simple reason that the crab preferred losing his claws to
being killed and eaten up. In a few months he would grow another
set of claws as good as those he had lost. Yes, a crab can do that,
children. Think of it!

“Oh, dear me!” thought Pinocchio, who was getting rather nervous by
this time. “What is going to become of me? If only I had a shell as
has a turtle I could hide away and be safe.”

“Oh! what a splendid idea!” he suddenly burst out. “Why didn’t I
think of it before? I shall have a shell to hide in!”

And without another word he slipped into the shell he had been
looking at. In a moment nothing could be seen of him, not even his
nose.

The crustaceans did not understand with what kind of a being they
had to deal. So after examining the shell all over, they slowly
disappeared into their holes.

With a great sigh of relief Pinocchio dared to stick his head out of
the shell. Seeing his shoe lying on the ground, he quickly put his
foot in it. It was not very pleasant to walk on the sand without a
shoe.

“If I do not hurry and find Globicephalous, this house of safety may
become a house of death,” Pinocchio began to think after lying still
a long time. “Perhaps if I try I may be able to walk around like a
hermit crab. Let me see.”

Slowly the marionette stuck out first one leg, then another; then his
arms came out, and lastly his head appeared. Holding the shell with
both hands he tried to walk around.... Impossible. After a few steps
he was exhausted.

“Too bad! It is so comfortable here! If only I had a horse! ’Twould
be like riding in a carriage!”

While he was thinking thus, he saw not far away four fish like the
ones he had seen under the hammerhead. An idea flashed through his
head.

“Oh, if I only could!... The horses!...” he whispered.

Trying very hard, he succeeded in dragging himself near them. The
fish were very busy. They were looking for small crabs to eat, and
paid no attention to him. Trembling in every limb, Pinocchio went on.

As soon as he was near them, he bent over slowly. How kind the little
fish were! As soon as they felt the shell on their heads they stuck
to it. Just what Pinocchio wanted! In a moment he felt himself rising
in the air, or rather in the water. The remoras were strong and
pulled him along swiftly.

“Hurrah! Here I am in a flying machine!” screamed Pinocchio, clapping
his hands. “I feel like a prince, and not even a king has a carriage
like mine! Hurrah!”

[Illustration]



CHAPTER IX


PINOCCHIO forgot all his troubles, and was full of fun and mischief.
Grasping a long thin seaweed and using it as a whip, he went gaily
along.

[Illustration]

“Up, up, my little horses! Trot, trot,—gallop, gallop,” he sang at
the top of his voice.

The fishes obeyed him well and in a short time they had gone a long
way. Pinocchio soon became so bold that he whipped a dory which was
passing by, pulled a horrible bullhead by the tail, and slapped a red
mullet that was studying him with interest.

Meanwhile the horses ran and ran, wherever they wished. Soon
Pinocchio saw that they were near the surface of the water.

[Illustration: “‘UP, UP, MY LITTLE HORSES!’”]

“When I reach the top, I shall be able to see where I am. I will then
swim to the coral reef and find Globicephalous,” he thought.

But on the surface of the water such a surprise was awaiting him that
he forgot all about coral reefs or dolphins.

All around him mushrooms were hanging. They were of all shapes and
sizes, and of a hundred beautiful colors. Some had round heads, which
looked like soap bubbles. Some looked like inverted glass bells;
others like brightly colored umbrellas. Still others seemed to be
made of emeralds and sapphires. From all of them, long beautiful
silvery threads hung down into the water. The waves moved them about,
and the sun playing with them made them look like so many rainbows.

Pinocchio was amazed at so much beauty. As far as eye could reach
he could see only these beautiful objects. It was a sight to arouse
wonder in any one.

“I wish some one were here to tell me what those wonderful things
are!” he thought.

What so attracted Pinocchio were medusæ. They also are animals
belonging to the zoöphytes.

These medusæ have no solid parts and cannot live out of the water. If
taken out and left in the sun they dry up and soon nothing is left of
them. Some of them are as small as a penny, and others are very large.

“If I could only take one,” sighed Pinocchio, hanging way out of his
shell in his efforts to touch them.

His four horses, as if to satisfy him, came near to the medusæ in
order to eat a few. The marionette tried to imitate them, but he had
no sooner touched them than he let go very quickly.

“Oh, oh!” he cried, shaking his hands, “they prick like so many
nettles.”

[Illustration]

He did not know it, but he had used the right words. In fact,
fishermen often call medusæ sea nettles.

“My dear mushroom rainbows,” he said, bowing low, “you may be very
beautiful, but you are not for me. Good-by.”

Just then the fishes reached the surface of the water. But they did
not stay there long. A fearful storm was rising. Great black clouds
hung low, almost touching the water.

The waves were white and ragged and lashed angrily. The medusæ had
disappeared. Very gladly Pinocchio cuddled in his shell, and very
happy he was when he found himself again at the bottom of the sea.

There all was calm. For, strange to say, even though the most
terrible tempest may rage on the sea, deep down in it the water is
always calm.

“How lucky it is that I did not start to swim,” thought Pinocchio. “I
should have been killed surely.”

On and on the fishes went. But finally they became tired and stopped
near a rock. Here were some of the most beautiful shells imaginable.

After resting awhile the fish continued their journey. Pinocchio went
along happily.

For a time he seemed to have forgotten what danger he was in. He let
himself be carried along without a thought of the future.

The party was now passing through the midst of a great number of
eels. Who does not know an eel? Even Pinocchio knew them.

He might, however, have very easily mistaken a common eel for a
conger eel, or for a burbot, sometimes called ling. It was this
ignorance of his which led him into trouble.

To him the eels were all alike. So he pulled the tail of one, pinched
another’s round body, or shook a third one by the nose. The poor
things turned and struggled. But this only afforded greater fun for
Pinocchio.

But, oh! He had no sooner touched a large red eel’s tail, than he
gave a scream of pain. His shouts of laughter were changed to moans,
and in his struggles the marionette fell out of the shell and
tumbled on the sand.

“Help! Help! I am dying! Some one has killed me!” howled Pinocchio,
so loudly that he could have been heard a mile away.

“Who is howling so? What is happening down there?” a deep voice
called.

Pinocchio heard nothing. He could only think of his pain, and scream.
He made such a noise that even the deaf could hear him.

“Well, may I know what has happened?” called the same voice, nearer
now. “Why, it is Mr. Pinocchio!”

The words were uttered by a large dolphin with a head as round as an
electric light globe. That dolphin was Globicephalous.

“You mean I was Pinocchio. Now I am dead, so I am no longer
Pinocchio.”

“Why, what has happened to you?”

[Illustration: “‘HELP! HELP! I AM DYING!’”]

All Pinocchio could do was to struggle on the sand.

“Well, will you tell me what the matter is?”

“I can’t.... I don’t know.... I’m dead.”

“Who has hurt you?”

“Some one has killed me.”

“Who?”

“Fire ants! Oh! Oh!” screamed Pinocchio.

But by this time the marionette was beginning to feel better. He
opened his eyes and looked at the dolphin.

Well! did you ever see a jumping jack come suddenly out of his box
when the box is opened? In just the same way did Pinocchio jump to
his feet when he recognized Tursio’s servant. His pain was forgotten.

“Globicephalous! Oh, Globicephalous! How glad I am to see you!” he
cried, and running up to the dolphin, he hugged him wildly. Or, at
least, he tried to do so, for his wooden arms did not go very far
around the dolphin’s neck.

[Illustration]

“What happiness it is to find you once more!” Pinocchio kept saying.
“I had almost lost hope of ever being with you again.”

“But will you tell me what was the matter with you?”

“Oh, have I not told you? I have been killed!”

“But by whom, pray?”

“By fire ants! Will you see if you can take them off? Oh, they are
beginning again. There must be a million of them!”

“I don’t see any on you!”

“Then you must be blind! Hundreds of ants or mosquitoes must be
on me. They have heated their stingers red hot, and now they are
enjoying themselves by sticking them into me on all sides. Oh! Oh!”

Globicephalous turned the boy around. “I see nothing!” he said
finally.

“But I feel everything! I am being bitten, cut, torn to pieces.”

“That’s queer! How did this pain begin?”

“Why, I was playing with some eels, and just as I touched a red one’s
tail, why....”

“Oh, now I understand,” interrupted Globicephalous. “You touched an
electric eel. Still, I don’t see how an electric eel comes to be
around here. Usually they are found only in rivers. It must have been
a lost one. All you can do is just to bear it. In an hour or so it
will stop. You have had an electric shock, that’s all.”

“And that eel did it all?”

“Yes; that eel did it all, and the torpedoes can do it, too.”

“But I only touched the eel with a stick.”

“It doesn’t matter. The shock is very strong, so strong that
sometimes it may even kill a fish.”

“You are right! The shock is strong!”

“Well, you will be all right. Now jump on my tail. We must return to
the rock. Soon Mr. Tursio and Marsovino will be at the meeting place.”

“But are we not far away from that meeting place? I looked all over
for it this morning.”

“Oh, no, we shall soon be there.”

Little by little the pain stopped, and Pinocchio thought no more of
the eel. Or if he thought of it, it was only to resolve never to
touch it again, not even with a stick.

[Illustration]



CHAPTER X


[Illustration]

“GOOD evening, Messrs. Cetaceans,” said Pinocchio, bowing low to
Tursio and Marsovino as soon as he saw them coming.

“Why, where did you learn our family name? You called us fish once
upon a time.”

“Globicephalous told me. I know now the difference between a fish and
a cetacean.”

“You have taken lessons from a servant? Why, I thought you were
ashamed even to be seen walking with one.”

Pinocchio was silent. He was beginning to learn manners.

“Well, Pinocchio, to-morrow morning you are to come with us to visit
my friend Beluga. You may walk around a little now with Marsovino;
but after your walk you are to go to sleep. I want you up early
to-morrow.”

While the marionette was listening to Tursio he had noticed a bright
red eel lying quietly among some weeds. The mood for mischief again
seized him. He smiled to himself. Approaching Marsovino, he pulled
him gently by the fin, and said to him smilingly:

“Come with me. I want to show you something. Look in those weeds.
There is a beautiful electrical machine there.”

“An electrical machine!” Marsovino was full of interest. “Where is
it?”

“Stick your nose among the weeds and you will see it.”

The dolphin did as he was told. Pinocchio laughed up his sleeve, and
very quietly hid himself behind some friendly rocks.

“Oh!” suddenly screamed Marsovino, leaping backward. “An electrical
machine! Why, it is an electric eel, you mean boy! That was an unkind
joke, Pinocchio.”

[Illustration]

Yes, that mischief maker, seeing the eel again, thought he would play
a trick on the poor dolphin.

Tursio, hearing the screams, had come nearer.

“The electric eel! You poor boy! How you must suffer!”

“Luckily the eel was asleep, so I had no great shock.”

“Yes, luckily. When it is asleep, it does not hurt much.”

“But how did you ever get near him?”

“Why, Pinocchio—” and then he stopped. Why should he tell? But he was
too late.

“Oh, that Pinocchio. Well, remember, marionette, usually one gets
paid in his own coin. Now you look tired. Stop stretching yourself
and go to sleep.”

“Very well, Mr. Tursio,” came meekly from Pinocchio. “But may I ask a
favor of you?”

“What is it?”

“Seeing that we are near the island, may I sleep there to-night? I
found a small cave there this morning, and it looked comfortable. May
I, Mr. Tursio?”

“Why, surely, my boy.”

“Thank you. But will you please sleep near? I should feel better if I
knew you were near.”

“Very well, my lion tamer.”

Globicephalous then took Pinocchio on his back and rose with him to
the surface.

“I wonder what those two dolphins are talking about,” he thought,
seeing Tursio and Marsovino whispering together.

Tursio seemed little pleased. Marsovino was begging for something.
Finally the good old dolphin smiled an unwilling “yes” to his pupil.

“It may teach him a lesson,” Pinocchio heard Tursio say, and he
wondered at the words. Soon he forgot all about them.

“Good-night,” he called, jumping on land and disappearing into the
cave.

He gathered some seaweed and made a soft bed.

“This is very good,” he said, lying down. But soon he found out that
he could not sleep.

He could not understand why. He was so tired, after two nights of
sleeplessness, but still his eyes would not close. Everything around
him was so quiet that he began to be frightened. He got up and looked
out on the sea. It was as black as ink, oh! pitch-black.

“How horrible the sea is at night,” grumbled the marionette.

[Illustration: “‘GOOD-NIGHT,’” HE CALLED.]

No sooner were the words out of his mouth than he wished them in
again. As if the waves had taken offense at his remark, they were
suddenly turned into fire. It seemed as if millions of stars had
fallen into the sea.

Pinocchio ran out of the cave. As far as eye could reach there was
nothing but this fiery sea. The bright, shiny water rose and fell in
silvery waves. Millions of sparks were thrown up into the air and
fell back again.

“Oh! the sea is on fire,” shouted Pinocchio, and that O-o-o-o-h was
the longest that had as yet come from his mouth. “And then Mr. Tursio
tells me he is not a wizard.”

He could hardly be blamed, poor ignorant little marionette. That
scene certainly belonged more to fairyland than to real life.

It was the phosphorescence of the sea that attracted Pinocchio’s
attention. Sometimes this is so wonderfully beautiful that seen once,
it can never be forgotten.

[Illustration: “‘OH! THE SEA IS ON FIRE.’”]

Our wooden hero was so awe-struck at first that he could only
stand and gaze at it. Finally he gathered courage, and went nearer
and nearer the water. And when a wave touched his feet, he jumped
back for fear of being burned. But he found the water was just as
cool as before.

“Why, this fire does not burn! How queer! What can it be?”

In his ignorance he could not answer, but I shall answer for him.

The phosphorescence of the sea is produced by millions of very tiny
zoöphytes, so small that they cannot be seen with the naked eye.
These minute zoöphytes have a sheen like fireflies. When they light
up all together, they make the ocean look like a sea of molten gold.

While Pinocchio was still gazing, the fire went out just as quickly
as it had come. The night was again as dark as ink. This was not
much to the marionette’s taste, so he started back to his cave.
Glancing toward the sea again, it seemed to him that the dolphins
were not in the same place.

“I hope I’ll be able to sleep now,” he thought. “I am so tired.”

But he had hardly reached the mouth of the cave when, with a shriek,
he turned and fled. Why?

An awful, a horrible monster was hanging at the mouth of the cave. It
was more than a yard long, and with a mouth like an oven. On its head
were two long horns; and its body was shining in the night, frightful
in its shape and color. Can you imagine Pinocchio’s fright?

“A dragon!” he shrieked. “A dragon in my cave! Help! Help!”

Running madly toward the sea, he never stopped until he reached the
dolphins.

[Illustration: “‘A DRAGON!’ HE SHRIEKED.”]

“Globicephalous, for pity’s sake! Tursio! Marsovino! Help! Wake up! A
demon is in my cave! Yes, come and see—his mouth wide open, ready to
eat me up. If only you could see the size of his horns!”

But when the dolphins awoke and realized what was happening, they
only laughed and laughed. Pinocchio could not understand. He looked
from one to the other. Finally he said, “Well, I don’t see anything
so funny. What is it?”

“Look at the brave boy! Look! Look!” called Marsovino, bursting with
laughter.

“I thought you threw stones into a lion’s mouth,” shouted
Globicephalous, making fun of the poor fellow.

“Lions are one thing, demons another,” explained Pinocchio, almost
crying with shame.

“But what demons are you talking about, anyway?” asked Tursio.

“Come, and you will see.”

When they reached the cave, there was the dragon still hanging. His
eyes were still glaring, his mouth still wide, his body still shining
in the night.

“B-r-r-r-!” came from our shivering hero.

“Look at it well, you foolish boy. What do you think of it? A demon?
Where are its eyes? Doesn’t it look more like a mere fish?”

“Yes, well?” asked Pinocchio, who didn’t know what to think.

“Well, it is a fish. Sometimes it is called fishing frog, sometimes
goosefish, and sometimes sea devil from its horrible looks.”

“Marsovino has just paid you back for your joke. He took the dry
skin of this fish, filled it with water, and inside of it put two
sunfishes. When you thought he was asleep, he was hanging it up. It
has given you a chance to show us how brave you are.”

Pinocchio felt very small. Slowly he approached the monster and
looked it over. How foolish he had been!

“What a horrible mouth you have, my fish,” he said. “And what is this
horn doing at the top of your head?”

“That helps him to get his dinner,” explained Tursio. “Other fish are
caught on the horns, and the frog has nothing to do but eat them.”

“Well, I _was_ frightened,” admitted the marionette, soberly.

“We have lost enough sleep by this time. To bed, all of you,” ordered
Tursio.

This time Pinocchio did not have to wait long for sleep to come. He
was soon dreaming about sharks, flying machines, sea devils, and
electric eels.

[Illustration]



CHAPTER XI


[Illustration]

“PINOCCHIO, Pinocchio, make haste! make haste!” called Marsovino the
next morning.

“Very well,” sleepily came the answer. “But why must I get up so
early?”

“Do you call ten o’clock early, you lazy boy?”

“Ten o’clock!” Pinocchio could hardly believe his ears.

“Yes, and in one hour we must be with the white whale. He is
expecting us for dinner. So make haste, as we have no time to lose.”

Pinocchio, hearing about dinner, was ready in no time. He was soon on
Tursio’s back, waiting for the dolphin to start. Before long they
were on their way.

After a short trip around the island they came to a beautiful little
nook in the rocks. Here lived Beluga, the white whale.

Dinner was ready, and all sat down around the table. And what do you
think the table was? An immense flounder! Yes, don’t laugh; it is
true.

[Illustration]

The flounder is of the same family as the sole. All these fish have a
thin flat body.

As they have to lie on the mud most of the time, they can only look
upwards. So they have both eyes on the upper side of the head.

On Beluga’s table were all kinds of fish: large ones, small ones,
flat ones, and round ones.

Pinocchio ate of everything. When he had finished, nothing was
left on his plate but a couple of eyes and a few tails. Afterward,
noticing that his plate was also a fish, he thought it would be
a good idea to eat that too. He had eaten so much, though, that
he couldn’t; so he put it into his pocket. “It will do for my
breakfast,” he thought.

Poor Tursio was much ashamed of the marionette, and Marsovino was not
less so. If they had only known that Pinocchio was so rude as to take
things from the table and put them into his pocket, they would never
have invited him to dinner. Still they did not say a word.

“Run along, now, children. Mr. Beluga and I must talk about business,
and we cannot have you around.”

[Illustration: “‘IT WILL DO FOR MY BREAKFAST,’ HE THOUGHT.”]

The two boys left the dolphins together and went off. While enjoying
themselves looking around, Marsovino picked up something which
looked like a chain. It was made of small round balls all alike, and
transparent. He handed it to Pinocchio.

“Tell me,” he said, “do you know what this is?”

“Why, yes, it is a bead chain. It is easy enough to know that.”

[Illustration]

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, of course. I have seen them many times around little girls’
necks.”

“And if I told you that they are eggs—”

“Eggs?” murmured Pinocchio. “Eggs? This thing?”

“Yes, sir, that is what they really are; the eggs of a halibut. It is
a bad habit, Pinocchio, to make believe you know a thing when you do
not. I am afraid I am not going to be your friend.”

“Not my friend?” came from the poor shamefaced marionette.

“No. Mr. Tursio has always told me to keep away from boys who—”

“Tell lies, I suppose you want to say,” finished Pinocchio.

“I was told to go with boys who are polite,” continued Marsovino.

“And instead I even take the plates away with me when I am invited to
dinner,” said Pinocchio.

“I was told to make friends with educated children.”

“And I—yes, I might as well confess it—I have hardly ever seen the
inside of a classroom in my life. Well, Marsovino, I will try to make
myself your friend. Will you try me again?”

“Very well, I will. Now let us return.”

The dolphins were still talking busily when the boys came up to them.
They seemed very much in earnest.

“Here we are, father,” called Marsovino.

“At last! Where have you been? We have important things to say to
you. Come here, both of you!”

“What is it? We are all ears.”

“My friend Beluga has been telling me that while I have been away
from home I have lost much money. He has told me of a great treasure
that is to be found in an old ship far away from here. As I need it
very much just now, I do wish I could get hold of it.”

“Well,” answered Marsovino, “why can’t we go for it?”

“Because it is miles and miles away. Not only that, but we should
have to travel as far up as the polar seas, and into the great
oceans. We could never do it. You see, I am getting old. I could
hardly attempt to cross those icy waters. Still, I need the money so
much that I am afraid I shall have to try the journey.”

“Why couldn’t Globicephalous and I go instead of you, father?” asked
Marsovino.

“And I also,” timidly added Pinocchio.

“Globicephalous is too old. And as for you two, my dear boys, you do
not know what you are saying. Do you know that for months and months
the polar seas are in darkness? That the sun is seen only in the
spring and summer?”

“I know, but it is now winter, and we should reach those seas just at
the right time. We should be back before the fall.”

“And are you not afraid of the cold?”

“It will not be cold. I will swim deep in the water, and there the
water will be warm. I will come to the surface only long enough to
breathe.”

“What about the ice? What about those monsters of the seas, the
whales, the sharks, the narwhals?”

“You need the treasure. I have made up my mind to go,” answered
Marsovino, firmly.

“You might escape all the dangers I mention, my boy, and reach the
ship. But how could you ever get hold of the gold inside?”

“I might tear a hole in the ship with my strong tail,” began
Marsovino.

“A ship a block long, and all made of iron? It is of no use, my boy.”

The young dolphin was silent. How could he get into the ship? He
thought and thought, but he could find no answer.

“May I go, too?” here began Pinocchio.

“You?” asked Tursio and Marsovino, at the same time.

“Yes, I. Why not? If Marsovino cannot get into the ship because he
is too big, I am so small I can get into any hole,” continued the
marionette.

“That isn’t a bad idea, is it, father?”

“No, but do you really feel courageous enough, you two, to undertake
such a journey?”

“We’ll do our best,” answered Marsovino.

“Well, then, all right. Let us return to Globicephalous, and then
you will get ready to start. Beluga, I will be with you again soon.
I might as well wait here with you for Marsovino and Pinocchio to
return.”

After saying good-by to Beluga the young dolphin followed Tursio, who
seemed in haste to get to Globicephalous.

[Illustration]

Sitting on the dolphin’s back, Pinocchio was thinking how good he had
been in offering to go with Marsovino. But he soon forgot this in
another surprise. In front of him, not far away, he saw a number of
animals rise out of the sea.

They rose, shook their colored wings gaily, and then fell back again
into the water. No sooner had they disappeared than others came, and
then again others. How beautiful they were! Red, blue, and green, and
shining brightly in the sun.

“Birds in the sea! Oh, they will drown!” screamed Pinocchio.

“Oh, no, these birds will not drown. They live in the sea, my boy.
They are called flying fish,” explained Tursio.

“When shall I stop hearing news?” wondered Pinocchio. “So there are
also birds in the sea!”

“Almost birds, but not quite. These fish have very strong fins and
with them they can leap very high. As you see, they even leap out of
the water. Why do they do this, do you think? Because they want to
escape from the large fish, which follow them to eat them.”

Pinocchio had nothing to say. Meanwhile, the three friends had
reached the place where Globicephalous was waiting. Tursio told him
in a few words what Marsovino and Pinocchio had planned to do to help
him.

Very soon the two boys were ready to start.

“Well, good-by, boys,” said Tursio, after telling them how to reach
the ship. “I will no longer try to stop you from going. Only be
careful. Keep to yourselves, and you will meet with little trouble.
Do not stop on your way. Hasten back, or I shall be worried. Above
all, never get out of the water. The tide might go out, and you,
Marsovino, would be in great danger.”

Marsovino and Pinocchio listened carefully; and then, with a
cheerful good-by, they were off.

A few hours later Tursio and Globicephalous were with Beluga, and
Marsovino and Pinocchio were speeding away towards the great oceans,
treasure hunting.

[Illustration]



CHAPTER XII


[Illustration]

MARSOVINO and Pinocchio traveled swiftly. They passed a strait,
crossed a canal, left beautiful lands behind them, and at last came
out fearlessly into the great ocean. They never stopped.

When the moon shone they traveled on the surface of the water. If
the sky was dark and gloomy, the dolphin plunged deep into the
sea. There the two friends had plenty of light. Great medusæ and
sun fishes made the water light and bright. Very often, too, the
wonderful phosphorescence of the sea aided them in seeing their way.
Pinocchio felt satisfied when Marsovino explained the cause of this
phosphorescence to him. At first, though, he could hardly believe his
ears.

[Illustration: “WHEN THE MOON SHONE THEY TRAVELED ON THE SURFACE OF
THE WATER.”]

The journey was very peaceful, and nothing came to trouble the two
little heroes.

“What is that dark blue streak there, Marsovino?” asked Pinocchio,
one day. He was pointing out a wide band of dark blue water, which
stood out distinctly from the lighter green of the ocean.

“That? Oh, that is the Gulf Stream,” answered Marsovino.

“The Gulf Stream? What are you talking about? A stream running in the
ocean! Water running in water!”

“Yes, of course it is all water. But there is a difference between
ocean water and Gulf Stream water. The first, in general, is quiet,
the second is moving. That stream is just like a river flowing
between two valleys. The waters of the two never mix. If you try,
you will find that the ocean is much the colder of the two.”

“But what is the use of it?”

“Why, it is of great use. This stream carries warmth to the cold
regions of the north. It cools the hot countries of the tropics.
Without this saving current, life would not be pleasant in many
countries.”

“Hurrah for the river in the middle of the sea, then!” shouted
Pinocchio. He had understood little, so he thought it better not to
speak further on the subject.

Towards noon of the same day the sea began to be filled with
herrings. They were on all sides. Our two travelers were surrounded.
Pinocchio enjoyed being with the silvery animals.

Soon, however, there were so many that Marsovino found it hard to
move. Still, the kind little fellow, seeing that Pinocchio was
enjoying himself, did not try to get away. After a while, however,
the herrings became so numerous that the ocean looked like a sea of
silver, not of water. Pinocchio and the dolphin were being pushed and
shoved around without mercy.

[Illustration]

“I am being killed, stifled,” whispered Pinocchio. Yes, he
_whispered_. If he had opened his mouth a herring could easily have
slipped into it. This might not have been very pleasant.

Marsovino finally saw that the herring had become as thick as a stone
wall. So with a few strong strokes of his tail, he made his way to
the surface of the water.

“Ah! now I can breathe!” exclaimed Pinocchio. “In that fishy world I
thought I should die.”

As night had come, and as it was very dark, our friends began to
think of sleep. Anyway, even if they had tried to move, they could
hardly have passed through that multitude.

Just as the sun rose, Pinocchio opened his eyes. He had had a very
good sleep on the back of his swimming horse. Looking around, he
could not help crying out in surprise.

“Marsovino! Wake up!” he called. “Just look! Yesterday we were
swimming in a sea of silver. To-day we are floating in milk.”

It was really the truth. No sign of herrings was left. But as far as
eye could reach one could see only a thick heavy liquid as white as
milk.

“Oh, how splendid!” cried Pinocchio. “Now I can have as much milk as
I want. It looks good.”

Marsovino had awakened, but he never said a word. He wanted to see
what Pinocchio would do. The marionette, thinking himself right, bent
over and took a long drink of milk, as he thought. But he had no
sooner had a taste than he made a wry face.

“Why, it is salty.”

“Of course it is. Is this the first time you have heard of the sea
being salt?”

“But this is not water. Look how white it is. It looks like milk.”

“Do you know why it is so? The water looks white because of the eggs
left in it by the herrings of yesterday.”

“Eggs? But there must be thousands of them?”

“Yes, and millions.”

“But the sea will soon be full of herrings, then.”

“No fear of that, Pinocchio. Think of the many large fish that are in
the sea. They live on these eggs and on small fishes. Why, they can
and they do swallow hundreds of eggs at a time. The sea is big enough
to hold all its fish and more. You don’t think we are crowded, do
you?”

“Last night we certainly were.”

“One night is not every night. You see, herrings travel in great
numbers, and we happened to meet a school of them.”

“Oh, they go to school, do they? Well, I never before thought a fish
had to go to school, too!” mumbled Pinocchio to himself.

After traveling a long time through the milky sea, the two travelers
at last came out of it.

Soon after a long, sharp, flat blade rose suddenly out of the water.
It looked like a sword, and Pinocchio, of course, thought it was one.

“What have we here?” he asked. “A soldier battling in the sea? And is
that thing his sword?”

[Illustration]

“You can hardly be blamed for thinking it a sword. It looks very much
like one,” said Marsovino. “It is the long upper jaw of a fish, and
from this it receives its name, swordfish. With this weapon, as it is
very strong, the fish can defend himself against much larger animals.
I hope he won’t come near us.”

Luckily for the two friends, he did not. The sword disappeared into
the sea, and the travelers continued their journey.

“I must dive now, to see where we are,” said Marsovino; and soon
Pinocchio found himself at the bottom of the sea. Curious as ever,
the marionette looked around, peering here and peering there.

[Illustration]

Seeing some cuplike objects hanging on the rocks, he put out his
hands for them. They looked very soft and were full of holes. But as
soon as Pinocchio touched them, the holes disappeared, and the cups
clung tightly to the rocks.

“Oh, excuse me,” begged Pinocchio, “I thought you were sponges.”

“And what are they, if not that?” laughingly asked Marsovino.

“But they move just as if they were alive!”

“And is not the sponge an animal?”

“Really? Do you mean it?”

“Why, yes. The sponge is not only one animal, but a number of animals
living together. And what do you think hides in that cuplike sponge
you see there, to live a quiet happy life in it?”

“What?”

“The pearl oyster.”

“Honestly? Oh! Do you think I could get some? I know how precious
pearls are. Why, I could make myself rich! I could buy houses and
horses and automobiles and—Oh! Oh!” and Pinocchio started to dance a
jig on the sandy floor.

Marsovino was laughing.

“You may try. You may have luck.”

Pinocchio did not have to be told twice. He searched and searched
every sponge he could lay his hands on. As a result, he found a great
many shells.

“And what now?” he asked.

“Now you must open them, to see if any pearls are inside.”

“What is the use of opening them? You said these were all pearl
oysters. I’ll carry them and open them later.”

[Illustration]

“But many of them may have no pearls at all. You see,” continued
Marsovino, opening a shell, “this one has none. But do you see
this coating of many colors on the inside of the shell? That is a
substance which comes from the body of the mollusk. It is called
mother of pearl. When the oyster opens its shell, a grain of sand may
get into it. The oyster does not like this, as the stone hurts her,
but she can’t throw it out. So she covers it up with this substance
from her body. When the little stone is all covered up, we have a
lovely pearl.”

[Illustration]

“Who would ever have thought such a thing possible!” thought
Pinocchio, getting to work. He soon had a large number of oysters;
but when he opened them he found only a few small balls.

“Come here, Pinocchio. You may have better luck in this corner,” and
Marsovino led the way to a nook in the rocks. “Look in there.”

Again Pinocchio searched, and soon a great many shells lay at his
feet ready to be opened. Without mercy, he went at them, tearing
and pulling the poor little creatures from their homes. His search
finished, he threw them aside. The sand was soon covered with the
dead and the dying.

“Poor little beings!” observed Marsovino. “After they have given you
their pearls, is that the way to treat them? Could you not be more
careful?”

Pinocchio had a kind soul. He was only thoughtless. So he went to
work and tried to undo the wrong he had done. Those oysters which
were only slightly hurt he put back into their shells; while he ate
the others, and so ended their sufferings.

This work finished, he went on with his search for pearls. In a short
time he had a small pile of beautiful pearls. Some were large, some
small, some globular, and others shaped like drops of water.

In color, too, they were different. Almost all were white, some
faintly pink, a few grayish, and one was all black.

“Well, Pinocchio, you have enough. With them you will be as rich as
the king of China. Come now. We must go on with our journey.”

“But these pearls, where shall I put them? I wish I had a bag or a
box.”

“It will not be so hard to find that. Let’s look around.”

The dolphin swam around. He did not stay away long. Soon he came
back, holding a small object out to Pinocchio. It was a little
cubical body, and seemed like a strange-looking box.

“Here is the box, my friend,” he called.

“Well, what is this?” asked Pinocchio, looking at the object. It was
hard and dark, and reminded him of the shell which had saved his life.

“That _was_ a fish.”

“A fish? That box?”

“Exactly. This is only its shell, but once a fish lived in it. It is
called the sea urchin. That box you have there helps him to defend
himself. Do you notice how hard it is?”

“Well, the sea is certainly a wonderful place. Once upon a time
I hated it. Now I should like to be a fish, so as to live in it
always.”

[Illustration]



CHAPTER XIII


[Illustration]

THE journey was progressing rapidly. Blue skies and green countries
had disappeared. Gone were the many-colored fish. Sea and sky were of
a dark gray color. Why all this? Because our two friends had reached
the cold north, where for so many months no sun shines.

Luckily, though, spring had begun. The sun showed itself for a while
every day. And every day it showed itself a little longer. In the
summer it would be there even at midnight.

The cold was very great. Pinocchio had a fur suit which Tursio had
given him, but still he was almost freezing. Marsovino also suffered.

“It will be better for us if we dive deep into the sea,” he observed.
“We shall find it warmer there.”

[Illustration]

“Please wait awhile,” begged Pinocchio. “I want to see that island
first,” and with his hand Pinocchio pointed to a high mountain still
far away. It was as white as snow, and seemed almost to touch the sky.

“Oh, you want to see that island,” repeated Marsovino, chuckling to
himself. “Very well.”

“Yes, it does look queer, doesn’t it? I wonder if there are people on
it?”

“Perhaps. We shall see.”

It seemed as if the island had heard Pinocchio speak. Strange to say,
it was coming to meet the dolphin and his friend. And with it were
two others.

“Look! look!” shouted Pinocchio. “The islands at the pole walk! This
is fun!”

“Yes, they are taking a walk, as you see,” answered Marsovino, who
was enjoying himself, too. “But if they come nearer, our journey will
end right here.”

[Illustration]

He had not finished speaking when a terrific noise was heard. The
sound was deafening. Pinocchio found himself thrown from his horse
into the water. When he opened his eyes—he always closed them when
he was frightened—no islands were to be seen.

“Marsovino! Marsovino! Help! Help!” he cried, fearing he had lost his
friend.

“Here I am! Come!”

Swiftly the marionette swam to the dolphin, and again climbed on his
back.

“Will you please tell me what happened to those islands? Or are we in
fairyland? I never knew lands could disappear in a minute like that!”

“Those were not islands, my dear Pinocchio. They were icebergs. These
great mountains of ice, when they come against each other, are broken
into bits. See, all that is left of them are pieces of ice;” and
Marsovino pointed to ice which was floating on the sea.

The next day Pinocchio had another surprise. In front of him, as far
as he could see, was a city of ice. Everything was flat, everything
was white.

Immense landscapes, snowy white, met his eye wherever he turned.

Mountains of ice could be seen in the distance. And, wonderful to
see, the ice was so clear and transparent that it looked like glass.
When the sun shone on it, it sparkled and showed all the colors of
the rainbow.

Pinocchio thought himself in fairyland. But as he was looking, a
strong wind rose suddenly; and then the icebergs fell and broke with
deafening noise.

[Illustration]

Finally, Marsovino thought it best to swim far under water. He was
afraid of losing his life in the midst of all those icebergs.

Two days later the two boys rounded the southern point of Greenland.
On the sandy shore of this island continent could be seen a large
number of animals. They had round clumsy bodies, each having a small
head with two small bright eyes. Where we have arms, they had what
looked like very strong fins.

These animals were seals. Their bodies were covered with
reddish-brown fur. Lying on the sand, they were enjoying the warmth
of the sun. The young ones were playing with one another and enjoying
themselves, too.

Pinocchio paid little attention to them. But suddenly out of the
water came another band. The newcomers were somewhat different from
the seals, but they belonged to the same family.

Their fur was almost black, not brown, and their heads were larger.
They were walruses. From their mouths two long, thick ivory teeth
protruded. They looked very fierce, and soon they showed their
fierceness.

Seeing that the beach was occupied, and wanting it for themselves,
they started to fight for it. The seals fought very bravely, but what
could they do against those terrible teeth? The poor wounded beasts
struggled and kept up cries of “pa—pa—pa—pa.”

“Listen to that. They are calling ‘papa.’ I never thought fish could
talk,” said Pinocchio.

[Illustration]

“First of all, seals are not fish, but mammals. And then there are
some fish which do produce sounds. Tunnies, when out of the water,
cry like children. Some poulpes, when caught, groan. Others make a
sound like a whistle.”

“I am ready to believe anything,” Pinocchio said very weakly. “But
what is a poulpe?”

“Oh, that is another name for the octopus or devilfish,” was the
reply.

The fight continued, but the seals were soon conquered. The
victorious walruses were not to enjoy their victory, however.

While the fight was still waging, some fishermen had quietly come up
to the field of battle. Before long many of the combatants lay dead,
and were carried away into boats. The few that were left forgot the
fight, and were happy enough to escape into the water.

[Illustration]



CHAPTER XIV


THE boys traveled two weeks longer, and at last Marsovino thought
himself near his destination. So he dived into the water to a great
depth.

[Illustration]

After a while, as he sank deeper and deeper into the sea, Pinocchio
became frightened. They were down so far that no light from the sun
could reach them.

“Where are you carrying me to, my dear?” he asked. “If we go any
farther, we cannot possibly live. How could we, with this immense
amount of water over us?”

“We’ll be all right, my boy, never fear. If little fish like that can
live here, why, so can we.”

Marsovino was pointing to many horrible dark objects which were
swimming around him. They had a round head, great black bodies, no
eyes, and from their heads a long thread moved about in the water. At
the end of the threads were small lights.

“What ugly things!” said Pinocchio. “What are they, and why do they
have those small lights on their heads?”

“If you look closely, you will see that those little beings have no
eyes. So they depend on these lights for their food. Other animals
are drawn to the lights. When they are near enough these animals feel
them. Then they are seized and eaten.”

“The sea is wonderful,” nodded Pinocchio, drowsily, “but don’t you
think that we might take some sleep? I am very tired.”

“Very well,” said Marsovino.

Pinocchio threw himself on the sand, and in a few minutes both
friends were asleep.

The next morning, bright and early, they were again ready to start.
The dolphin, who knew now where he was, began to rise to the surface.
A few hours later he had reached the place Tursio had spoken about.

[Illustration]

“Here we are at last!” he cried.

“Here? Why, where is the ship?”

“There,” answered Marsovino, pointing to a great black mass which
showed through the water.

“That! Why look how it is trimmed!” And he was indeed right. The
inhabitants of the sea had taken possession of everything. The keel
of the ship was overgrown with beautiful slender seaweeds. The decks
were covered with sponges. The stairs had disappeared under the work
of polyps.

On the lookout bridge hundreds of anemones raised their brightly
colored corollas. The needles of sea urchins threatened passers-by
from the portholes. Silvery fishes and starfishes were seen all over.
Everything was living on the dead ship.

“Now let us hasten,” said Marsovino.

“Very well,” answered Pinocchio.

“We have been so long in coming that now we must be quick,” continued
the dolphin.

“Father must be worried. Let us look for the treasure, and then we
can begin our return journey to-night.”

“Very well,” again assented Pinocchio.

“Make haste, then. Get into that ship. Don’t lose any more time.”

“Come, let us go.”

“Let us go! How can I go? Don’t you see how small the doors are? You
must go alone!”

Pinocchio did not like the idea. He stood still and thought. His
courage utterly failed him. To go alone into that great black ship!
Why, how could he do such a thing?

“Well, what are you thinking of?” asked Marsovino, who had dropped
Pinocchio at the door of the stairs.

“I haven’t made up my mind yet. I don’t like the idea of going in
there very much.”

“But you must. I can’t go, and we must have the gold. Will you
decide? I thought you had offered to help Mr. Tursio.”

When he heard that, Pinocchio finally made up his mind. He opened the
door and went down a few steps. Then he stopped.

“Must I really go?” he asked.

Marsovino began to lose his patience.

“If you do not make haste getting into that ship, I shall return
without you,” he could not help saying.

“Very well. Here I go.”

“You remember Tursio’s instructions, don’t you? At the bottom of
the stairs there is a large room. At one end a door leads into the
captain’s room. In a corner of the captain’s room, you will find two
boxes. They contain the treasure. Good-by and good luck.”

Very slowly Pinocchio went down. Luckily for him a few sunfishes were
floating around, giving some light.

When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he saw in front of him a
large square room. In the walls were long narrow holes, like the
shelves of a pantry. These had probably been the sailors’ bunks. But
to Pinocchio they were puzzles.

The roof, which was very high, was of glass. This made the room
lighter than the stairs, and so Pinocchio took courage.

At one end of the room there was a small narrow door. Pinocchio
walked to it and tried to open it. Still, though the door was not
locked, it would not open. It seemed as if some one were holding
it closed from the inside. The marionette pushed it, kicked it,
struggled with it, and finally he succeeded in opening it. He was
able to put just the tip of his nose in the crack.

He had no sooner done this, though, than it was held as in a vise.
Pinocchio felt something pulling and pulling.

“My nose will surely come off,” he thought; but after trying and
trying he was at last free again.

[Illustration]

“I wonder what that was? What can be behind that door? In any case
it may be better to have some weapon of defense,” and thinking this,
Pinocchio looked around.

“Those shelves may hold something useful.”

But when he came near them, what did he see? A mattress, pillows,
sheets!

“What could this have been? A hospital?”

Poor Pinocchio! He was most certainly a dunce!

On the floor in a corner he found a pair of large boots.

“These will do,” he thought.

Again he pushed the door. This time he was able to open it wide. As
soon as he had done so, he threw a large boot in blindly. Had he
never done so, it would have been better! In a second the room became
as black as pitch.

“Marsovino! Oh! Oh! Oh! Marsovino!” screamed the poor boy, thinking
himself blinded.

The dolphin, waiting for Pinocchio at the head of the stairs, became
frightened at this appeal. He thought something serious had happened.
He swam to the top of the deck and broke several panes of glass.
Looking into the room he called: “What is the matter? I am here.”

Pinocchio felt a little better when he saw Marsovino.

“Oh, Marsovino!” he cried.

“What has happened, my poor Pinocchio?”

“I have found a bottle of ink.”

“A bottle of what?”

“Of ink. I threw a boot at something, and now the room is full of
ink.”

“Oh, now I understand. You have to deal with an octopus.”

“What’s that?”

“A mollusk.”

“Oh, if that’s what it is, I’m not afraid. I know them well.”

[Illustration: “‘MARSOVINO! OH! OH! OH!’”]

“Yes, but not this one. This is the greatest mollusk known. It is a
near relation of the calamary, but much larger. There are some even
five or six yards long.”

“Oh!” shivered Pinocchio, looking around.

“The one in the captain’s room must be a small one, though. If I were
with you, I should free you in a second. There is nothing a dolphin
likes better than an octopus or a calamary.”

“But the ink?”

“The ink is the means of defense of these mollusks. When pursued or
in danger, this animal ejects this inky liquid. In that way, it forms
a cloud in the water and is able to escape.”

“Shall I be killed?”

“If you keep out of reach of its long arms, you will be all right.”

“Oh, now I see what got hold of my poor nose. It is aching yet.
Now tell me, Marsovino, if this animal is guarding the treasure,
how shall I possibly get at it? We might as well give it up,” and
Pinocchio started towards the stairs.

“How very courageous you are! After trying so hard, are you going to
give up at the last minute?”

[Illustration]

Pinocchio did not answer, but very slowly he retraced his steps.
Going over to the bunks, he took a large mattress. Holding it in
front of him, he moved toward the door, which was still ajar.

The water from the captain’s room had mixed with the water of the
large room, and now it was not so dark. Very cautiously, the
marionette peeked over the mattress.

In a corner of the room lay the poulpe or octopus. As Marsovino had
said, it was not very large. Still it was very ugly.

Think of a large head, soft and jellylike, with two great eyes
staring at you. Think of that head and eight long thick arms around
it. No wonder Pinocchio felt like turning back.

The monster moved restlessly about, stretching and twisting its arms.
In one of them it held Pinocchio’s boot. Every minute its huge body
changed color. At first it was white, then gray, then brown, then
spotted with purple. Pinocchio hardly knew what to think of it.

“You are certainly very ugly, my dear bottle of ink,” he thought.

“Well, why am I standing here? I might as well try to kill him.
Hurrah! Here comes the brave marionette!”

Very slowly Pinocchio walked up to the octopus, but not near enough
to be in reach of those arms. Then with a quick move he threw the
mattress over the struggling mass. Pressing it down tightly, he held
it there.

For a long time the arms twitched nervously about, but at last they
stopped moving. The boy waited a few minutes longer, and then,
thinking the creature dead, he stood up.

The mattress, however, he left on top of the poulpe. Not only that,
but running back, he took another and put it on top of the first. He
wanted to be sure the octopus would not move. At last he breathed
easily and set to work to get the boxes.

Yes, think of it! That lazy marionette really set to work. He
dragged the boxes one after the other into the large room, and then
he called Marsovino.

[Illustration]

“Here is the treasure, Marsovino. Now how am I to carry these heavy
boxes upstairs?”

Marsovino then lowered a stout rope which he had carried with him.
Pinocchio tied the boxes to it, one after the other, and the dolphin
pulled them up.

“Throw the rope down again, Marsovino!”

“What for? Are there three treasure boxes?”

“You will see.”

As soon as the end of the rope touched the floor of the room,
Pinocchio tied it around his waist. “Now pull!” he called.

Marsovino pulled, and in a second Pinocchio stood on the bridge.

“I really had no wish to return by those dark dusty stairs,” he
laughed, seeing Marsovino’s look of wonder.

[Illustration]



CHAPTER XV


[Illustration]

AT last the two had done their duty. The treasure was theirs. All
that remained now was to go back to Tursio with it.

“Let us start this minute,” said Marsovino, who was anxious to see
his father again.

“Yes, but first please give me something to eat.”

“Should you like to have some grapes?” said Marsovino, kindly.

“I don’t see the use of making my mouth water needlessly,” answered
Pinocchio.

“But I mean what I’m saying. Should you like some grapes?”

“Show them to me first. Then I’ll answer you.”

“Come here then, unbeliever.” As he spoke, Marsovino led Pinocchio to
a mast, which, strange to say, had not been touched by the polyps.
Hanging from a slender thread was a bunch of what looked like red
grapes.

“What are they?” Pinocchio could only ask.

“Don’t you see? They are sea grapes. Eat them.”

“But first I want you to tell me what they are.”

“They are the eggs of the calamary, a near relation of the octopus
you had to deal with to-day.”

“Very well, then. I’m willing to destroy all sign of those horrible
beings.” In a short time Pinocchio had made a good luncheon out of
them.

[Illustration: “‘WHAT ARE THEY?’”]

Luncheon finished, Marsovino gave Pinocchio the box of pearls which
he was holding for the marionette. Then the dolphin tied the treasure
boxes on his back, and the two friends were ready to start.

They again passed the beach where the seals had had their battle. Now
it was full of men. Some were skinning the poor animals. Others were
pressing out the oil from their bodies. Still others were spreading
the skins out on the sand to dry.

Again the two travelers came into the polar seas. Here they found a
great change. Icebergs had melted, and the sea was full of floating
ice.

At last, without meeting any mishaps, the two again entered the
warmer ocean. They had gone only a few miles when Pinocchio heard a
great noise behind him. Both friends turned. On the calm surface of
the sea rose two high columns of water.

“The whale!” exclaimed Marsovino.

“Nonsense, whale!” answered Pinocchio, who now and then still forgot
how little he knew. “Don’t you see it’s a fountain? How could an
animal send the water so high?”

“Still it is the whale. You are just seeing a cetacean breathe.”

“You are a cetacean, too. But I see only one hole in your head, and
the jet of water you throw is very low.”

“Yes, we are cetaceans, but we are not whales. The whale proper has
two breathing holes.”

“Mercy! what a noise that monster does make!” breathed Pinocchio.
“Now, if she comes near us, we’ll disappear.”

“Have no fear, Pinocchio. The whale, although such a large animal,
is quiet and harmless if you let her alone. She is even timid.
And don’t think that because her mouth is large she can eat large
animals.”

[Illustration]

“Her mouth may be large, but her throat is so small that she can
swallow only very small fishes. If we had met the cachalot, or sperm
whale, we should have reason to be frightened.”

“And what is that?”

“It’s an immense cetacean. You can tell it from the common whale, not
only by its one breathing hole, but also by its size. The head alone
is enormous, and its mouth is frightful with its many large sharp
teeth.”

“Hasn’t this whale teeth?”

“No. But instead of teeth, its upper jaw is lined with at least seven
hundred plates of a thick horny substance. These plates are often
twelve and fifteen feet long.”

“When the whale wants to eat it opens its huge mouth, and then closes
it full of water. This water is then strained through the plates,
and hundreds of small fishes are caught in them. The whale can then
swallow her dinner at her leisure.”

“What a dinner!” exclaimed Pinocchio. “Now tell me this. Why is it
that so many whales are captured by whalers? You say that they are
harmless. Why, then, should they be killed?”

“They are caught because of their value. Those horny plates I spoke
of are what is called whalebone. The large tongue of the whale
contains many barrels of oil. From the body of the whale great
quantities of fat may be had. All these things are of great use in
the world.”

[Illustration]

“What about that other whale you spoke of? The one with the terrible
teeth.”

“The sperm whale? Oh! that one is a dreadful being. With its great
mouth and sharp teeth it can eat anything. Seals, dolphins, and even
the terrible squaloids are lost, if they come near him. He is very
ferocious.”

While Marsovino and Pinocchio were talking, the whale had come
nearer. The marionette saw a small dark object climb on her back.

“What is that?” he asked.

“That’s a baby whale. Whales are very affectionate mothers. The baby
whale is tired, so the mother is going to carry it.”

Suddenly a dark head and body rose out of the water. Like an arrow it
threw itself on the poor whale. With its large mouth it tore a great
piece of flesh from the cetacean’s side and then disappeared into the
waves.

“Mercy! The sea wolf!” cried Marsovino, looking around for some place
to hide.

“What is the sea wolf? The name does not sound terrible.”

“It is the most dangerous and fierce squaloid. It is even worse than
the hammer! Let us run!” said Marsovino, breathlessly.

“But if we run the wolf will run after us.”

“You are right. Where shall we hide? Oh, here! Let us try to get
among these weeds.”

Near them was a large plant. Its leaves would make a very safe hiding
place. Pinocchio stood on Marsovino’s back and pushed the leaves
aside. In a short time the two were so well hidden that no eyes could
see them.

[Illustration]

“Here we are safe,” and the dolphin gave a sigh of relief.

“And how well we can see.” Pinocchio, like the boy he was, wanted to
see the fight.

In fact, a short distance away, a terrific fight was in progress. The
wolf had now attacked the baby whale. This made the mother furious.
She tried to hit the shark with her tail, but he was too quick for
her. The poor cetacean was getting the worst of it. The wolf’s mouth,
provided with four hundred sharp teeth, was tearing the whale’s side
to pieces. Blood was pouring from them both, and it seemed as if the
whale could not hold out much longer.

A second dark body now made its appearance. It was as long as the
whale, but much larger. Its head was enormous, and from the top of it
rose a single high column of water.

“The sperm whale! The cachalot!” breathed Marsovino, and it seemed
to Pinocchio that the dolphin turned pale.

It was not to be mistaken! It was the terrible whale! And he seemed
not at all frightened by the sight of the fighters. Instead, opening
wide his mouth—and such a mouth—he threw himself on them. With a snap
of the great jaws the sea wolf’s tail disappeared.

And then, as if the battle were not fierce enough, a long bladelike
object appeared on the scene. The sides of the blade were provided
with sharp teeth. Behind the blade was a dark head. The new arrival
was the sawfish, coming to see what the matter was. Without much ado
it started to deal blows, first on this side, then on that.

Not even the sperm whale escaped the terrible saw. Long ragged tears
were soon seen on its body. Cries of pain were heard on all sides.
The sea was a sea of blood.

Finally the whale, seeing that she was lost if she stayed there long,
tried to escape. As swiftly as she could, she swam away with her baby.

[Illustration]

Though the whale was gone, the fight still raged. The wolf and the
saw, although both of the same family, are sworn enemies. Not paying
much attention to the sperm whale, they started to battle with each
other. But the wolf was so exhausted by the loss of blood that it
could not do much. The cachalot, seeing himself overlooked, threw
himself on the sawfish. But as quick as a flash the sawfish dived and
came up on the other side of the giant. Angrier than ever, the whale
now turned to the wolf and in an instant snapped his head off.

The whale was satisfied. Pouring blood from twenty wounds, he left
the field of battle. The sawfish was left alone in all his glory. He
was hurt but little. Very calmly he started to make a dinner of the
sea wolf, or at least of what was left of him.

The dolphin now thought it safe to try to escape. Once out of the
weeds, he fled as fast as he could.

Poor Pinocchio could only sit still and look around. He feared any
minute to see a hammerhead or a wolf or a whale appear before him.

“Oh! how horrible, how awful is the sea!” he thought.

[Illustration]



CHAPTER XVI


[Illustration]

AFTER racing along madly for a while, Marsovino became so tired that
he had to stop.

“I must rest,” he said to Pinocchio.

“Very well, I’m willing,” answered the marionette.

In front of them the two friends could see a dark mass. Seen from the
sea, it looked like a strip of land. But on approaching, one could
see that it was nothing but a high rock.

This strip was separated from the shore of a small island by a long
narrow channel of water. Marsovino swam a few yards up the channel,
and then stopped to let Pinocchio jump on land.

“That battle in the sea has upset me greatly,” said Pinocchio to his
friend. “I must strengthen myself with some food. But I don’t see
anything around. What shall I eat?”

The last words were interrupted by a soft whistle from the channel.
A second whistle was heard, then a third, then a fourth. Our two
friends turned. Large, clumsy, black bodies were coming out of the
water. They were trying very hard to get to shore.

Pinocchio knew them at once. They were sea tortoises, and it was they
who had made those strange sounds. After dragging themselves to the
shore, they stood on the sand, moving their heads and blinking up at
the sun.

“You said you wanted something to eat, Pinocchio. Well, do you see
those large holes on the sand there? Look in them. You will surely
find some tortoise eggs in them. They will make a delicious dinner
for you.”

Pinocchio did not have to be told twice. In a moment he was gone. In
a short time he returned with two large eggs in his hands.

[Illustration]

“Make haste, now, eat them. We must continue our journey, and we have
no time to lose.”

“You are going to wait, my dear Marsovino. I really do not see why
you should be in such a hurry.”

“Because father told me never to stop needlessly. That’s why.”

“Yes, I know; but you shall wait now. Since I have been with you I
have eaten nothing but raw fish. Fish and mollusks, mollusks and
fish, and I’m getting tired of it. To-day I am going to eat boiled
eggs.”

“Boiled eggs! How, pray, and in what are you going to boil them?”

“Ha, ha! That’s my secret. That day in the ship I found an iron box
with the word matches written on it. I kept it, but I never opened
it. Here it is.” And Pinocchio showed the dolphin a small black box
firmly closed.

“Now I’m going to use the matches. Do you want to see me build a fire
and cook my eggs?”

“Very well, have your own way. But make haste, you disobedient boy.”

In no time Pinocchio had a good fire started.

“Now in what shall I put the water to boil?” he thought.

He looked around, and not very far away he saw a huge empty tortoise
shell.

“Marsovino!” he called. “Come here! Will you please blow on this fire
for me? I don’t want it to go out, and I want to get that tortoise
shell and some water.”

“But I can’t move out of the water,” answered Marsovino.

“Oh, yes, you can. Come! Drag yourself as near as possible to the
water. You amphibians can live out of the water for a while. So make
haste!”

“But Mr. Tursio told me never to leave the water.”

“Well, just for once.”

Marsovino finally gave in. There was no great harm in just one little
disobedience, he thought.

Pinocchio hastened away, and soon he was back with the shell full of
fresh water.

“Oh, how good that spring water was,” he said to his friend, who was
busily blowing the fire. “Now for a good dinner!”

The eggs were soon cooked, and Pinocchio certainly enjoyed them.

“I feel so well after that dinner I could travel to the end of the
world,” he said when he had finished.

The two travelers then turned toward the sea. But Marsovino gave a
cry of horror. In the channel hardly any water was left. The pebbly
bottom could be seen, and beyond that the steep rock.

“The tide!” cried Marsovino. “I forgot the tide! Poor me! I am lost!”

“What is the matter?”

“Don’t you see the water is gone? The tide has gone out, and now how
am I to get back to the sea? Before the tide comes in again I shall
be dead. Oh, oh, I shall never see dear father again.” And as he
talked poor Marsovino was beginning to breathe with difficulty, and
to suffer greatly.

Pinocchio understood little about tides, but he knew what Marsovino
meant by dying.

“And it is all my fault,” he cried, pulling at his hair. “If he dies,
poor me, what shall happen to me? I must find some way of saving him.”

Marsovino was now giving little sign of life. He lay on the sand,
with eyes closed, and breathing heavily.

With two bounds, Pinocchio was on top of the rocky ledge. Before him
was the sea.

“If only it were possible to break a hole in this rock,” he thought.

As if in answer, a strange object made its appearance in front of
him. It was a white spiral pole about two yards long. Behind the pole
Pinocchio saw a round gray head spotted with black. Against the
rocks the animal came with such force that they trembled. Suddenly an
idea struck our hero.

“Pardon me,” he called, “but will you allow me to speak with you a
moment?”

The immense animal, about six yards long, looked the boy over.

“What do you want, you small piece of humanity?” he asked proudly.

Pinocchio very humbly and very quickly told him the story of the poor
dolphin.

“And as it is my fault that he is in this condition, I want to try to
save him!” he exclaimed. “You seem so strong, will you please give
this rock a few knocks with that tooth of yours? I know you’ll be
able to break it.”

At this earnest supplication the narwhal, for that is what the animal
was, was highly pleased. He looked at Pinocchio in a tolerant way.

“First of all,” he answered, “before I do anything for you, let me
ask you a question.”

“Yes, sir, but please make haste, or Marsovino will die.”

“Do not interrupt me again, boy. First of all, what are you willing
to give me in return for this favor?”

“I have nothing, sir. I would give you anything I have—I wish I had
something—but I have nothing.”

“I do nothing for nothing. Good-by, then,” the narwhal replied. “But
answer me this. What have you in that box in your hands? That box you
are trying to hide.”

“This box? Oh, do not ask me for this. This will make my father rich
and happy. Oh, no, not this! It is full of beautiful pearls.”

“Pearls! Well, then, give them to me. For them, and for them only,
shall I grant your request. No?” he asked, as Pinocchio shook his
head. “Very well, then. Good-by.”

“Come back! Come back!” cried Pinocchio. “Only hasten to save
Marsovino!”

Without a word more he handed his precious pearls to the narwhal, and
then quick as a flash was back at Marsovino’s side.

“Marsovino! Marsovino! Open your eyes, dear friend! You are saved!”

[Illustration]

He had not finished speaking when with a crash a great piece of rock
fell. Another crash, and the hole widened; another, and the hole was
wide enough for Marsovino to pass through. The water from the sea
flowed in. Marsovino opened his eyes at the great noise. He was so
surprised that he felt almost entirely well.

“What is it?” he asked feebly.

“Come, Marsovino, come! Try to drag yourself this short space, and
you’ll be in the water again. Come!”

[Illustration]

Pinocchio helped him all he could. He lifted the heavy treasure boxes
off the poor dolphin’s back. He smoothed the sand. He cleared away
the stones. Still poor Marsovino’s body was all torn and bleeding
before the short trip was finished.

Finally, with a great sigh of relief, Marsovino was again in the cool
water. Pinocchio was as happy as a boy can be. When he saw Marsovino
safely in the water again he ran back to get the boxes. He dragged
and dragged and pulled, and at last he had them both on Marsovino’s
back again.

“It was lucky he didn’t know anything about these, otherwise—” said
Pinocchio to himself.

“He? Whom are you talking about?” asked Marsovino, who was now well
again.

“Yes, he, the one who helped me save you. He had a long white tooth,
and he made a hole in the rock with it.”

“A narwhal! You must be talking about a narwhal! Do you mean to tell
me that you asked a narwhal to help you and that he did?”

“I suppose so.”

“But how did you ever get him to do it?”

“That’s my secret. Now that you are rested, let us go home to Tursio.”

“Very well. But still I should like to know why that narwhal was so
very obliging.”

With a laugh Pinocchio jumped on the dolphin’s back, and they were
off.

Without stopping anywhere, the two friends traveled straight to the
coral island. And as soon as they reached it, they turned straight to
the place where Beluga lived. They found every one healthy and happy
and overjoyed to see them.

Tursio asked Pinocchio to tell him all his adventures, and the boy
was only too happy to please him. He told of the seals, of the old
ship, of the meeting with the octopus, of the battle on the high
seas. But of his last adventure and of the loss of his pearls he said
never a word.

[Illustration]

“And then? Is that all?” asked Tursio.

“Yes; what else should there be?”

“You had a very pleasant voyage, then, after all.”

“Yes, a splendid voyage.”

“With no very unpleasant adventures?”

“No, none—well, yes, one; but it has been forgotten long ago.”
Pinocchio was beginning to learn the value of truth.

“And what was that?”

“But it has been forgotten.”

“I want to know about it,” said Tursio, in a voice that had to be
obeyed.

“Very well,” and Pinocchio told him.

“And if it had not been for a kind narwhal passing by just then,
Marsovino would now be dead,” he finished.

“A kind narwhal? What did he do?”

“I asked him to help me, and he did.”

“But what did you give him in return for his kindness? A narwhal is
not kind for nothing.”

“I just gave him something, that’s all.”

Pinocchio finally told him.

“Well done, my boy. You were certainly courageous, and you deserve
to be forgiven for your disobedience. And, remember, Pinocchio, you
shall be rewarded for your act of kindness.”

The next day the four friends traveled far, and by sunset they came
to a strange land.

[Illustration]

“Well, good-by, my boy,” said Tursio, turning to Pinocchio. “Our
journey is finished. I hope you have learned something. You must go
back to the world now.”

“Are you going to leave me here alone?”

“You shall not be alone very long. Do not be afraid. Walk a short
distance inland. You’ll come to a little house. There you will find
some one waiting for you.”

[Illustration: “NOT ONLY DID HE FIND HIS FATHER, BUT HE ALSO FOUND
A BEAUTIFUL LITTLE HOME, AND A COMFORTABLE HAPPY LIFE WAITING FOR
HIM.”]

“My father!” cried Pinocchio, overjoyed. “At last! Hurrah!”

The marionette then thanked his kind friends and jumped on land.

The dolphins shook their fins in good-by, and then swam away.

“Good-by, Tursio! Good-by, Marsovino! Good-by, Globicephalous!”
screamed Pinocchio, watching the sea until the three had disappeared.

“Well, now for my father!” and turning toward the land, he started to
run.

All happened as Tursio had told him.

Not only did he find his father, but he also found a beautiful little
home, and a comfortable happy life waiting for him.

He remembered then Tursio’s words, “You will be rewarded.”



The following pages contain advertisements of Macmillan books for
boys and girls.



NEW STORIES FOR BOYS


Deering of Deal

By LATTA GRISWOLD. With illustrations by George C. Harper.

  _Cloth, 12mo, $1.25 net_

This is the kind of a story which keeps boys up late at night to
finish. Tony Deering, the hero, is just good enough and just bad
enough to appeal to every lad from twelve to twenty—and to make
some of the lads’ fathers brighten up a bit, too. Tony goes to Deal
School; the reader meets him upon his entrance to the first form
and he follows him for three or four years through hazing episodes,
football games and other school contests, debates and secret
organization fights, forbidden spreads and temporary disgraces, to
his graduation as one of the most popular fellows the school has ever
produced.


Don’t Give Up the Ship

By C. S. WOOD. Frontispiece in colors and half-tone plates by Frank
Merrill.

  _Decorated cloth, 12mo, $1.25 net_

With Perry’s famous victory on Lake Erie as the center of interest
Mr. Wood has written a stirring story of the War of 1812. Beginning
just before the outbreak of hostilities, he follows the career of
a vigorous young fellow who attaches himself to Perry and renders
no little service to the government in the campaign. Incidentally a
splendid pen picture of the Commander of the Lakes is given. The book
is one which should strike home to the hearts of the American youth
to-day, one hundred years after the events so vividly described.


PUBLISHED BY

THE MACMILLAN COMPANY

64–66 Fifth Avenue, New York



NEW STORIES FOR GIRLS


Peggy Stewart at Home

By GABRIELLE E. JACKSON. New edition with frontispiece.

  _Cloth, 12mo. $1.25 net._

An interesting companion story to Mrs. Jackson’s _Peggy Stewart at
School_ is this new edition, with frontispiece, of a book published
last year under the title of _Peggy Stewart_. Those who read the
later chronicles of Peggy will most certainly want to see their
adorable heroine at Severndale, the broad green fields of which the
reader catches but few glimpses of in _Peggy Stewart at School_.
Though the content of the tale is of necessity far different from
its sequel, there is in _Peggy Stewart at Home_ a fascinating wealth
of adventure and a circle of young people quite as pleasing as those
who flutter around Peggy away from home. Moreover, while a reading
of _Peggy Stewart at Home_ isn’t necessary to an understanding of
_Peggy Stewart at School_, it will be found a distinctly pleasant
introduction to it.


Peggy Stewart at School

By GABRIELLE E. JACKSON, author of “Peggy Stewart at Home.” With
illustrations by Alice Beard.

  _Decorated cloth, 12mo. $1.25 net._

In this book Peggy leaves the broad expanses of Severndale, the
estate which has been her home all her life, and goes away to
Columbia Heights boarding school. Of course Polly goes with her, for
any chronicle of Peggy would be incomplete without her companion. The
new friends which the two girls make, the pranks which they indulge
in, and more, the good times which Polly’s lively aunt, Mrs. Harold,
gives them, comprise a book which is fully as interesting and perhaps
even more entertaining than _Peggy Stewart at Home_—which is saying
a good deal. As in that former book a not inconsiderable part of the
interest was supplied by Peggy’s animal friends, so in this, Shashai
and Star, the horses which Peggy and Polly bring with them to the
school, and Tzaritza, Peggy’s dog, play parts of some importance in
the development of the plot.


THE MACMILLAN COMPANY

  Publishers      64–66 Fifth Avenue      New York



THE SECRET OF THE CLAN

A Story for Girls

By ALICE BROWN

  Illustrated, Cloth, 12mo, $1.25 net

Imagine four girls of fifteen or thereabouts, a delightful
grandmother with whom they live and who believes that young people
should have _some_ secrets and do things their own way, a governess
who knows how to dance and how to get up amateur plays, an uncle who
wants to appear gruff, but in reality loves the “imps,” as he calls
his nieces, and you have the fundamentals out of which Miss Brown’s
wholly absorbing story is built. The secret which the girls have and
to which, following the custom of their improvised Indian tribe,
they do not admit their grandmother, is the cause of all the trouble
and it threatens to be serious trouble for a time. But it comes out
happily in the end for every one concerned, particularly for Uncle
Terry and the governess.

“Alice Brown has written a decidedly original story of girl life in
‘The Secret of the Clan’ for it is perhaps the first time that any
one has recognized that side of healthy girl character which delights
in making believe on a large scale.”—_Town Talk_, San Francisco.

 “It is a bright story delightfully told.”—_Chicago News._

 “A story with unfailing vivacity and much literary charm.”—_Pittsburgh
 Post._

 “The author shows an unfailing understanding of the heart of
 girlhood.”—_Christian Advocate._

 “Alice Brown has endeared herself to every girl of high school age by
 many a charming little story of girl life and friendships, but ‘The
 Secret of the Clan,’ her new book, comes pretty near to being the best
 ever.”—_Boston Globe._

 “One of the best stories for girls we have seen for years.”—_Outlook._


PUBLISHED BY

THE MACMILLAN COMPANY

  Publishers      64–66 Fifth Avenue      New York



EVERY BOY’S AND EVERY GIRL’S SERIES

_Decorated cloth, 12mo, illustrated, each 75 cents_


  =Adventures of Dorothy, The.= By Jocelyn Lewis.
  =Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.= By Lewis Carroll.
  =Aunt Jimmy’s Will.= By Mabel Osgood Wright.
  =Bears of Blue River, The.= By Charles Major.
  =Bennett Twins, The.= By G. M. Hurd.
  =Bible Stories Retold.= By W. F. Adeney and W. H. Bennett.
  =Boy Life on the Prairie.= By Hamlin Garland.
  =Carrots.= By Mrs. Molesworth.
  =Children of the Tenements.= By Jacob Riis.
  =Children Who Ran Away, The.= By E. Sharp.
  =Cuckoo Clock, The.= By Mrs. Molesworth.
  =Dogtown.= By Mabel Osgood Wright.
  =Dwarf’s Spectacles, The.= By Max Nordau.
  =Eight Secrets.= By Ernest Ingersoll.
  =General Manager’s Story, The.= By H. E. Hamblen.
  =Little Captive Lad, A.= By Beulah Marie Dix.
  =Little Lame Prince, The.= By Dinah Mulock Craik.
  =Merry Anne, The.= By Samuel Merwin.
  =Merrylips.= By Beulah Marie Dix.
  =Phœnix and the Carpet, The.= By E. Nesbit.
  =Pickett’s Gap.= By Homer Greene.
  =Railway Children, The.= By E. Nesbit.
  =Story of a Red Deer, The.= By J. W. Fortescue.
  =Tales of the Fish Patrol.= By Jack London.
  =Through the Looking Glass.= By Lewis Carroll.
  =Tom Benton’s Luck.= By H. E. Hamblen.
  =Tom Brown’s School Days.= By Thomas Hughes.
  =Trapper Jim.= By Edwyn Sandys.
  =Us.= By Mrs. Molesworth.
  =Wonder Children, The.= By Charles Bellamy.
  =Youngest Girl in the School, The.= By E. Sharp.


PUBLISHED BY

THE MACMILLAN COMPANY

64–66 Fifth Avenue, New York



Peeps at Many Lands


Travel books which aim to describe foreign places with special
reference to the interests of young readers. They deal with
children’s life in home and school, their games and occupations, etc.

 _Each is illustrated with 12 colored plates and sells at 55 cents net;
 by mail, 65 cents_

The volumes included in the series:—

  BELGIUM
  BURMA
  CANADA
  CEYLON
  CHINA
  CORSICA
  DENMARK
  EDINBURG
  EGYPT
  ENGLAND
  FINLAND
  FRANCE
  GERMANY
  GREECE
  HOLLAND
  HOLY LAND
  ICELAND
  INDIA
  IRELAND
  ITALY
  JAMAICA
  JAPAN
  KOREA
  MOROCCO
  NEWFOUNDLAND
  NEW ZEALAND
  NORWAY
  PARIS
  PORTUGAL
  RUSSIA
  SCOTLAND
  SIAM
  SOUTH AFRICA
  SOUTH SEAS
  SUNNY SOUTH
  SPAIN
  SWITZERLAND


THE MACMILLAN COMPANY

  Publishers      64–66 Fifth Avenue      New York



TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES.

  1. Silently corrected simple spelling, grammar, and typographical
     errors.
  2. Retained anachronistic and non-standard spellings as printed.




*** End of this LibraryBlog Digital Book "Pinocchio under the sea" ***

Copyright 2023 LibraryBlog. All rights reserved.