Pinocchio in Africa Part 13

The poor boy was overcome with all this kindness, and planting a kiss upon the point of his emperor's nose, he vanished through the trees.

The next day a proclamation was made throughout the empire. His royal and imperial highness had become as black as the blackest of his subjects.The ministers were joyous, and they celebrated this happy event with a great feast. That day they did nothing but eat and dance.

As a rule the emperor, of course, could not take part in such amus.e.m.e.nts. It was his business to sit upon the throne while the ministers and the people danced and played before him. This time, however, the ancient law was broken. Pinocchio danced like a madman the entire night, while the faithful Marameho, clothed in the emperor's garments, sat upon the throne. No one even dreamed of the exchange.

38. The Hippopotamus Hunt

THE next day was set aside for a hunt in honor of the young emperor, Pinocchio the First. He would have been content to stay home, but this would have been taken as a grave insult to the people.

A herd of hippopotamuses had been discovered a few miles from the capital. His ministers agreed that the emperor must go. There was nothing else for him to do.

Besides, the hunt was for scientific purposes. As Pinocchio had made known his views on schools, he could do no less than encourage this expedition, which was the only educational training allowed in the country.

The hunters, in fact, were persons of high rank, who spent their time in searching for traces of wild animals. It seemed strange to Pinocchio that these learned hunters did not study how to protect their animals, instead of trying to kill them.

"I suppose it is the custom of the country," thought the marionette.

Two hours before sunrise the leaders in the hunt, armed with bows, arrows, and javelins, stood before the royal palace waiting for the emperor. He was to ride on the back of a bull, which the prime minister held by a rope.

They were not kept waiting long. Pinocchio the First came forth with a pleasant smile upon his lips. Inwardly, he was very angry, but little did his faithful subjects suspect how he felt.

"A fine time for a king to rise!" he thought. "Am I or am I not emperor? If I am emperor, I should sleep as long as I wish, eat what I please, and do anything I like. It seems to me that I am the slave of my people rather than their ruler. Wait, my dear subjects; I will soon prove to you what stuff I am made of."

The people waited. The ministers explained to the emperor that he was to ride on the bull.

"My dear subjects, have you lost your senses?" thought the marionette. "I certainly will not ride on a bull. How long have bulls been used as horses? This beast will hurl me into the first ditch we come to. A fine regard you have for your emperor! I almost begin to believe that you want to get rid of me and have another king."

However, there was no way of escape, and he decided to do as he was told. He leaped squarely upon the bull, and calmly sat there. The bull, fortunately, did not move.

"Good beast!" said Pinocchio, somewhat encouraged, as he gave the signal to depart.

The sun was already up when they reached the river where the hunt was to take place.

Hippopotamus hunting is a very dangerous sport, but it was one that the people dearly loved.

Scouts were sent on ahead while the hunters crawled like snakes through the high, thick gra.s.s. As they neared the river, they became very careful. With their eyes fixed, their ears wide open, their spears firmly grasped, they were ready to attack at any moment.

Pinocchio pretended that he was suffering with a pain in the left foot, and slowly dropped behind the others. He had never had any great liking for the hunt. He felt annoyed that he should always have to do things that he did not enjoy. He would have stayed where he was, but the prime minister came along in search of him.

Tired of the insolence of this man, the marionette thrust back his hat with a bold sweep of his hand, as if to say, "Now I shall show you who I am, and who I was." Pinocchio then hastened toward the river, reaching the bank at the very moment when the hunters had started a large hippopotamus out of the weeds.

The huge animal tried to get away and made for the river.

"Some one must jump into the water and kill it with the javelin,"

said the prime minister. n.o.body stirred.

Suddenly a loud voice rang through the stillness:

"I will go."

And Pinocchio, amid shouts of admiration and terror from his subjects, dived into the river and swam toward the animal.

The hippopotamus scented the enemy and turned upon him, but the nimble marionette, swimming around the great creature, grasped it by its short, thick tail.

When the beast felt itself gently pulled in this manner it began to turn round and round like a dog chasing a troublesome fly.

This performance, which was both funny and terrible, lasted for fully five minutes. During all that time Pinocchio did nothing but laugh. He did not seem to realize what would happen to him if he were clutched by those terrible jaws.

At length the animal, blind with rage, plunged below the surface of the water, leaving the marionette and the others dumbfounded.

This adventure increased tenfold the admiration of the black hunters for their emperor, although it was not wholly satisfactory to the chief cook of the royal household, who had already planned a great dinner.

But Pinocchio quickly consoled him, a.s.suring him that when it came to eating the tongue and feet of a hippopotamus, the emperor would cheerfully forego the pleasure.

39. The Emperor Surprises His Subjects By His Wisdom

PINOCCHIO'S power grew greater and greater. The courage shown by him in the hand-to-hand fight with the hippopotamus had made a great impression on the ministers.

The grand council, for instance, had a.s.sembled the high court of justice, which was to try a large number of important cases. The very next morning the wise and brave Pinocchio was urged to pa.s.s judgment upon the cases to be presented that day.

Pinocchio thought of playing the usual trick upon his ministers by placing Marameho in his seat; but this was an important affair, and must be attended to in person.

"Dignitaries! chamberlains! ministers! royal judges! guards! To the court!"

The persons called came forward and knelt down to kiss the earth before his majesty; then, rising, they all moved on to the court of justice.

Beneath a canopy of ostrich feathers, held aloft by a stately African, walked Pinocchio the First, Emperor and King of all the African kings. He was wrapped in a large green and red cloak covered with precious stones, that is to say, with bits of broken gla.s.s of all colors, and shining pebbles collected with great labor from the rich mines of the country.

The court was to sit in the open air. This greatly pleased Pinocchio, for the day was very beautiful. When his majesty arrived all the great crowd of people knelt and buried their heads in their hands.

They did not rise till the judges were comfortably seated on the bare ground.

At a signal from the emperor the first case was called. There appeared two men, each with his head completely covered by a large bag which had in it holes for eyes and mouth. The men bowed again and again to his highness and to the court, sc.r.a.ping their noses along the ground. At last they stood stiff and erect like posts.

The grand chamberlain made a sign to Pinocchio, and his majesty, turning to one of the men, asked, "What brings you before the emperor's court?"

The person addressed twisted his whole body and sprinkled sand over his head. Finally he said, "There was once - "

"A king!" thought Pinocchio, "Is he going to tell a story? I, for one, should be pleased. African stories must be amusing."

"There was once an old man - a kind old man - blacker than I am, who had many sons, and I was one of them. For this reason, the old man, being my father - "

"He was his son. He reasons well," thought the marionette, but he did not move an eyelash, pretending to be all attention.

"For this reason, the old man, my father, sent me to tend his flocks. One night I arrived at the brink of the river to water the flock. There I discovered that a sheep was missing. I was heartbroken over this, and, not wishing to return home without my little sheep, I searched everywhere, but in vain. The sheep could not be found. I sat down and began to weep. Behind me was a thick cane field. Upon a rock within the field was that man, with a sheep between his knees. I rushed to the spot and shouted out to him, 'Why have you stolen my sheep?' He appeared not to hear me. 'Why have you stolen my sheep?' It was like talking to a stone. Blinded by anger, I drew nearer. When he saw me approach he arose and ran away. I hastened to my sheep and raised it from the ground, and then I saw - it horrifies me to tell it - that what I held in my hand was only the sheep's coat. The robber had eaten the rest. My sheep! My poor little sheep! I shall never see it again!"

Pinocchio was greatly touched by this pitiful tale. He had just opened his mouth to p.r.o.nounce a terrible sentence upon the thief, who was standing motionless as a statue, when the minister whispered to him to listen to the other side of the story. With an angry look Pinocchio ordered the accused man to speak.

He started as if he had been roused from deep thought, gazed around, and then said in a grave, slow voice, "The sun shines - "