PINOCCHIO IS MADE EMPEROR
Finding himself without any clothes, the marionette began to think of
his condition. To go back and search for his suit was out of the
question. To go about in that state did not seem proper, although he
knew that the Africans in general were dressed in the same fashion.
Finally he decided to make himself a suit of leaves. There were some
beautiful ones near by that were just suited to the purpose. He knew
how to go to work, for at home he had often made clothes out of
shavings and twigs. He set about his task at once and in a short time
had made a garment that reached from his waist down to his knees. He
was busy selecting the leaves for a coat when he happened to raise his
eyes, and saw a crowd of men and women rushing about as if either very
happy or frantic with terror.
Lunatics! he murmured, and went on with his work, for he disliked to
be seen half-dressed. All at once the marionette heard a hissing,
humming sound. A cloud of arrows fell around him. He was amazed and
terrified, not by the arrows,for what harm could arrows do to him?but
by the idea that this meant more trouble for Pinocchio.
So long as they shoot, I fear nothing; but if they try to capture me,
I may have to jump into the river and take to my green ship.
The arrows continued to fall like hailstones on his shoulders, on his
breast, on his arms and legs; but of course they dropped to the ground
without doing any harm. The natives were astonished. They looked at one
another in blank surprise.
Pinocchio, weary of the game, turned in anger toward them and shouted:
Give up shooting, stupid ones! Do you not see that you are wasting
your time?
They had already perceived that this was true, and they stopped
shooting. A group braver than the rest now approached the marionette
and surrounded him. One of them shouted, Hoi! Hoi! Hoi!
Pinocchio! answered the marionette.
Yah! Yah! Yah!
Pinocchio! the boy repeated. Are you deaf?
Then they began to shout in chorus: Yah! Yah! Hoi! Hoi! Uff! Uff!
Uff!
And Pinocchio replied: Yah! Yah! Hoi! Hoi! Uff! Uff! Uff!
This conversation soon began to be wearisome, and Pinocchio tried to
escape. It was too late. The Africans, quick as a flash, closed in
about him and, seizing him by the legs, raised him from the ground,
shouting: Long live our emperor, Pinocchio the First! Long live our
emperor, Pinocchio!
Pinocchio had never dreamed of such a welcome.
Long live Pinocchio!
Ah! at last! I knew that in Africa my greatness would be recognized.
Now I shall be revenged on you, my dear restaurant-keeper, and on you,
dear policemen, who wanted to arrest me. Old man, you who wanted to
sell me for a rhinoceros horn, now it is my turn! Thus thought
Pinocchio.
This was his first triumph. Flocking like ravens, his African subjects
came to render homage to the new emperor, who was carried aloft on
willing shoulders. As he passed, all bowed to the ground and then
followed in his train. Such a multitude joined the procession that it
looked, from a distance, like a vast blot of ink. They went along
singing the praises of Pinocchio the First, Emperor and King of all the
African kings, sent from heaven to earth to replace the late emperor,
who had died the preceding day.
As they marched a great chorus chanted: He was to come forth from the
mouth of a crocodile! He was to remain unharmed by poisoned arrows! He
was to have a wooden head! Long live our emperor, Pinocchio the First!
Hurrah! hurrah! hurrah!
They shot poisoned arrows at me! thought the marionette. That is the
way they treated their future king. Lucky for me that I am made of
wood,very hard wood too! How fortunate that I came to Africa as a
marionette! If I had been a real boy, there would be little to say
about Pinocchio now.