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

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  Chapter fourteen, Pinocchio, not having listened to the good advice of the talking
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  cricket, falls into the hands of the assassins. Dear, oh, dear,
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  when I come to think of it, said the marionette to himself,
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  as he once more set out on his journey. We boys are really very
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  unlucky. Everybody scolds us, everybody gives us advice, everybody warns us.
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  If we were to allow it, every one would try to be father and
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  mother to us, everyone, even the talking cricket. Take me, for
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  example, just because I would not listen to that bothersome cricket who knows how
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  many misfortunes may be awating me. Assassins, Indeed, at least, I
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  have never believed in them, nor ever will to talk Sensibly. I think
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  assassins have been invented by fathers and mothers to frighten children who want to run
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  away at night. And then, even if I were to meet them on
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  the road, what matter. I'll just run up to them and say,
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  well, signory, what do you want, Remember that you can't fool with
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  me, Run along and mind your business. Such a speech I can almost
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  see those poor fellows running like the wind. But in case they don't run
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  away, I can always run myself. Pinocchio was not given time to argue
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  any longer, for he thought he heard a slight rustle among the leaves behind
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  him. He turned to look, and behold, there in the blackness stood
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  two big black shadows, wrapped from head to foot in black sacks. The
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  two figures leaped toward him, as softly as if they were ghosts. Here
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  they come, Pinocchio said to himself, and not knowing where to hide the
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  gold pieces, he stuck all four of them under his tongue. He tried
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  to run away, but hardly had taken a step when he felt his arms
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  grasp and heard two horrible, deep voices say to him your money or your
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  life on account of the gold pieces in his mouth. Pinocchio could not say
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  a word, so he tried with head and hands and body to show as
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  best he could that he was only a poor marionette without a penny in his
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  pocket. Come on, less nonsense, and out with your money, cried
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  the two thebs in threatening voices. Once more, Pinocchio's head in hands said
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  I haven't a penny. Out with that money, or you're a dead man,
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  said the taller of the two assassins, dead man, repeated the other.
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  And after having killed you, we will kill your father, also your
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  father. Also, no, no, not my father, cried Pinocchio,
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  wild with terror. But as he screamed, the gold pieces tinkled together in
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  his mouth. Ah, you rascal, So that's the game. You have
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  the money hidden under your tongue. Out with it. But Pinocchio was as
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  stubborn as ever. Are you deaf? Wait, young man, we'll get
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  it from you. In a twinkling. One of them grabbed the marionette by
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  the nose, the other by the chin, and they pulled him unmercifully from
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  side to side in order to make him open his mouth. All was of
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  no use. The marionette's lips might have been nailed together, they would not
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  open. In desperation, the smaller of the two assassins pulled out a long
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  knife from his pocket and tried to pry Pinocchio's mouth open with it. Quick
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  as a flash, the marionette sank his teep deep into the assassin's hand,
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  bit it off, and spat it out. Fancy is surprised when he saw
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  that it was not a hand but a cat's paw, Encouraged by this burst
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  victory, he freed himself from the claws of his assailors, and, leaping
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  over the bushes along the road, ran swiftly across the fields. His pursuers
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  were after him at once, like two dogs chasing a hare. After running
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  several miles or so, Pinocchio was well nigh exhausted. Seeing himself lost,
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  he climbed up a giant pine tree and sat there to see what he could
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  see. Aassins tried to climb also, but they slipped and fell. Far
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  from giving up the chase, this only spurred them on. They gathered a
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  bundle of wood, piled it up high at the foot of the pine,
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  and set fire to it. In a twinkling, the tree began to sputter
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  and burn, like a candle blown by the wind. Pinocchio saw the flames
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  climb higher and higher. Not wishing to end his days as a roasted marionette,
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  he climbed quickly to the ground and off he went, the assassins close
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  to him as before dawn was breaking, When, without any warning whatsoever,
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  Pinocchio found his path barred by a deep pool full of water the color of
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  muddy coffee. What was there to do. With a one, two three,
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  he jumped clear across it. The assassins jumped also, but not having
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  measured their distance well, splashed. They fell right into the middle of the
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  pool. Pinocchio, who heard the splash and felt it too, cried out,
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  laughing, but never stopping in his race. A pleasant bath to you,
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  signori. He thought they must surely be drowned, and turned his head
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  to sea. But there were the two somber figures still following him, though
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  their black sacks were drenched and dripping with water. So ends Chapter fourteen of Pinocchio.