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22 - The Adventures of Pinocchio - Carlo Collodi · Classic Adventure Books Library

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  Chapter twenty two, Pinocchio discovers the thieves, and as a reward for faithfulness,
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  he regains his liberty. Even though a boy may be very unhappy,
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  he very seldom loses sleep over his worries. The Marionette, being no exception
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  to this rule, slept on peacefully for a few hours till well along toward
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  midnight, when he was awakened by strange whisperings and stealthy sounds coming from the
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  yard. He stuck his nose out of the dog house and saw four slender,
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  hairy animals. They were weasels, small animals, very fond of both
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  eggs and chickens. One of them left her companions, and, going to
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  the door of the dog house, said in the sweet voice, good evening.
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  M Lampo. My name is not M. Lampo, answered Pinocchio.
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  Who are you then? I am Pinocchio. What are you doing here?
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  I'm the watch dog? But where is Melampo? Where is the old dog
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  who used to live in this house? He died this morning, died,
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  poor beast. He was so good still, judging by your face, I
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  think you too are a good natured dog. I beg your pardon. I
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  am not a dog. What are you then, I am a marionette.
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  Are you taking the place of the watch dog? I'm sorry to say that
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  I am. I'm being punished. Well, I shall make the same terms
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  with you that we had with the dead Malampo. I'm sure you will be
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  glad to hear them. And what are the terms? This is our plan,
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  will come once in a while, as in the past, to pay
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  a visit to this hen house, and we'll take away eight chickens. Of
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  these seven are for us and one for you, provided of course, that
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  you will make believe you are sleeping and will not guard for the farmer.
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  Did Malampo really do that, asked Pinocchio. Indeed he did, and because
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  that we were the best of friends. Sleep away peacefully, and remember that
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  before we go, we shall leave you a nice fat chicken all ready for
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  your breakfast in the morning. Is that understood even too well? Answered Pinocchio,
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  and shaking his head in a threatening manner, he seemed to say,
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  we'll talk this over in a few minutes, my friends. As soon as
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  the four weasels had talked things over, they went straight to the chicken coop,
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  which stood close to the dock house. Digging busily with teeth and claws,
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  they opened the little door and slipped it. But they were no sooner
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  in than they heard the door close with a sharp bay. The one who
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  had done the trick was Pinocchio, who, not satisfied with that, dragged
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  a heavy stone in front of it. That done, he started to bark,
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  and he barked as if he were a real watch dog. Bow bow
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  wow, bow wow. The farmer heard the loud barks and jumped out of
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  bed, Taking his gun. He leaped to the window and shouted, what's
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  the matter? The thieves are here, answered Pinocchio, where are they in
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  the chicken coop? I'll come down in the second, And in fact he
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  was down in the yard in a twinkling and running toward the chicken coop.
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  He opened the door, pulled out the weasels one by one, and after
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  tying them in a bag, said to them in a happy voice, you're
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  in my hands at last. I could punish you now, but I'll wait
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  in the morning. You may come with me to the inn, and there
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  you'll make a fine dinner for some hungry mortal. It is really too great
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  an honor for you. One you do not deserve. But as you see,
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  I am really a very kind and generous man, and I am going
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  to do this for you. Then he went up to Pinocchio and began to
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  pet and caress him. How did you ever find them out so quickly?
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  And to think that m Lampo, my faithful Malampo, never saw them in
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  all these years the marionette could have told then and there all he knew about
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  the shameful contract between the dog and the weasels. The thinking of the dead
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  dog. He said to himself, Malampo is dead. What is the use
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  of accusing him? The dead are gone, and they cannot defend themselves.
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  The best thing to do is to leave them in peace. Were you awake
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  or asleep when they came, continued the farmer. I was asleep, answered
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  Pinocchio. But they awakened me with their whisperings. One of them even came
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  to the door of the dog house and said to me, if you promise
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  not to bark, we will make you a present of one of the chickens
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  for your breakfast. Did you hear that they have the audacity to make such
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  a proposition as that to me? For you must know that though I am
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  a very wicked marionette, full of faults. Still I never have been,
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  nor ever shall be bribed. Fine boy, cried the farmer, slapping him
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  on the shoulder in a friendly way. You ought to be proud of yourself,
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  and to show you what I think of you. You are free from
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  this instant And he slipped the dog collar from his neck. End of Chapter
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  twenty two.