Going like the wind, Pinocchio took but a very short time to reach the shore. He glanced all about him, but there was no sign of a Shark. The sea was as smooth as glass.
皮諾喬一到海邊,馬上放眼向海上眺望,可是什么鯊魚也沒看見。大海平靜得像一面水晶的鏡子。
"Hey there, boys! Where's that Shark?" he asked, turning to his playmates.
“喂,鯊魚在哪兒?”他轉(zhuǎn)臉問同學,
"He may have gone for his breakfast," said one of them, laughing.
“吃早飯去了,”一個同學笑著回答說。
"Or, perhaps, he went to bed for a little nap," said another, laughing also.
“要不就是上床去睡一會兒了,”另一個同學接上一句,笑得前仰后合。
From the answers and the laughter which followed them, Pinocchio understood that the boys had played a trick on him.
皮諾喬聽了這些亂七八糟的回答和莫名其妙的狂笑,知道是他那些同學跟他開了個大玩笑,騙他上了當。他十分惱火,氣乎乎地說:
"What now?" he said angrily to them. "What's the joke?"
“怎么?拿鯊魚的鬼話來騙我,這是什么道理?”
"Oh, the joke's on you!" cried his tormentors, laughing more heartily than ever, and dancing gayly around the Marionette.
“當然有道理!……”那些小壞蛋異口同聲說,
"And that is -- ?"
“什么道理?……”
"That we have made you stay out of school to come with us. Aren't you ashamed of being such a goody-goody, and of studying so hard? You never have a bit of enjoyment."
“讓你不去上學,讓你跟我們走。你天天上課那么認真,那么用功,你不害臊嗎?像你那么學習,你不害臊嗎?”
"And what is it to you, if I do study?"
“我學我的,跟你們有什么關(guān)系?”
"What does the teacher think of us, you mean?"
“跟我們關(guān)系大極了。這一來,老師就覺得我們不好……”
"Why?"
“為什么?”
"Don't you see? If you study and we don't, we pay for it. After all, it's only fair to look out for ourselves."
“有人愛讀書,就使我們這種不愿意讀書的人丟臉,可我們不想丟臉!我們也有我們的自尊心!”
"What do you want me to do?"
“那我該怎么辦,你們才高興呢?”
"Hate school and books and teachers, as we all do. They are your worst enemies, you know, and they like to make you as unhappy as they can."
“你也應(yīng)該討厭學校,討厭功課,討厭老師。這是我們的三大敵人。”
"And if I go on studying, what will you do to me?"
“如果我想要繼續(xù)學習呢?”
"You'll pay for it!"
“那我們就對你不客氣了,一有機會就要跟你算申賬!……”
"Really, you amuse me," answered the Marionette, nodding his head.
“你們簡直叫我好笑。”木偶搖搖頭說。
"Hey, Pinocchio," cried the tallest of them all, "that will do. We are tired of hearing you bragging about yourself, you little turkey cock! You may not be afraid of us, but remember we are not afraid of you, either! You are alone, you know, and we are seven."
“哼,皮諾喬!”孩子當中最大的一個走到他面前叫道,“別到這兒來夸口,別到這兒來斗嘴!……你要是不怕我們,我們也不怕你!記好了,你只有一個,我們有七個。”
"Like the seven sins," said Pinocchio, still laughing.
“七個什么,七個大罪①,”皮諾喬大笑著說。
"Did you hear that? He has insulted us all. He has called us sins."
“你們聽見了嗎,他侮辱我們大伙兒,他管我們叫七個大罪!……”
"Pinocchio, apologize for that, or look out!"
“皮諾喬!你侮辱了我們,要你向我們道歉……要不你就倒霉!……”
"Cuck -- oo!" said the Marionette, mocking them with his thumb to his nose.
“咕咕!”木偶叫著,用食指刮刮鼻尖,表示譏笑他們。
"You'll be sorry!"
“皮諾喬,你沒有好結(jié)果!……”
"Cuck -- oo!"
“咕咕!”
"We'll whip you soundly!"
“我們要像揍驢子那么揍你!……”
"Cuck -- oo!"
“咕咕!”
"You'll go home with a broken nose!"
“你要帶著個打扁的鼻子回家!……”
"Cuck -- oo!"
“咕咕!”
"Very well, then! Take that, and keep it for your supper," called out the boldest of his tormentors.
“我們這就來揍你一個咕咕!”這幫小壞蛋當中最兇的一個叫道。“受用受用這個吧,今天晚上就不用吃晚飯了。”
And with the words, he gave Pinocchio a terrible blow on the head.
他說著就給了木偶腦袋上一拳頭。
Pinocchio answered with another blow, and that was the signal for the beginning of the fray. In a few moments, the fight raged hot and heavy on both sides.
老話說,一報還一報,因此可以想象到,木偶馬上就回敬他一拳頭。這么你一拳來我一拳去,這場架就越打越大,越打越厲害了。
Pinocchio, although alone, defended himself bravely. With those two wooden feet of his, he worked so fast that his opponents kept at a respectful distance. Wherever they landed, they left their painful mark and the boys could only run away and howl.
皮諾喬雖然只有一個,可自衛(wèi)得像個英雄似的。他用兩只硬繃繃的木頭腳踢得那么利索,叫他那些敵人離得遠遠的不敢走近。凡是他的腳所碰到之處,馬上就留下紀念品——一大塊烏青。
Enraged at not being able to fight the Marionette at close quarters, they started to throw all kinds of books at him. Readers, geographies, histories, grammars flew in all directions. But Pinocchio was keen of eye and swift of movement, and the books only passed over his head, landed in the sea, and disappeared.
孩子們眼看不能同木偶肉搏,氣得要命,心想最好還是扔東西,就打開書包,開始向他扔語文課本、文法書、小戒尺、小零碎、圖瓦爾的故事書、巴契尼的《小雞》以及其他教科書??墒悄九佳奂彩挚?,全都及時躲開,因此書一本本地打他頭上飛過去,全落到海里去了。
The fish, thinking they might be good to eat, came to the top of the water in great numbers. Some took a nibble, some took a bite, but no sooner had they tasted a page or two, than they spat them out with a wry face, as if to say:"What a horrid taste! Our own food is so much better!"
諸位想象一下那些魚吧!魚以為扔到水里來的這些書是好吃的東西,趕緊成群游到水面上來。它們咬咬紙張,咬咬封面,馬上就吐出來,撇撇嘴,像是要說:“不配我們的口味。我們吃慣了更好吃的東西!”
Meanwhile, the battle waxed more and more furious. At the noise, a large Crab crawled slowly out of the water and, with a voice that sounded like a trombone suffering from a cold, he cried out:
這時候,架越打越厲害了。一只大螃蟹打水里出來,慢慢地、慢慢地爬到岸上,用漏風大喇叭似的難聽聲音叫道:
"Stop fighting, you rascals! These battles between boys rarely end well. Trouble is sure to come to you!"
“停手吧,你們真是些小淘氣!孩子們這樣打架難得有好結(jié)果。總歸要闖禍的!……”
Poor Crab! He might as well have spoken to the wind. Instead of listening to his good advice, Pinocchio turned to him and said as roughly as he knew how:
可憐的螃蟹!它等于是對風在叫。皮諾喬這小鬼反而回過頭,狠狠地看著它,蠻橫地叫:
"Keep quiet, ugly Gab! It would be better for you to chew a few cough drops to get rid of that cold you have. Go to bed and sleep! You will feel better in the morning."
“討厭的螃蟹,閉上你的嘴!你最好還是去吃兩片地衣藥片,把你的傷風給治治。趁早上床,想辦法出身大汗吧!”
In the meantime, the boys, having used all their books, looked around for new ammunition. Seeing Pinocchio's bundle lying idle near-by, they somehow managed to get hold of it.
這時候,那幫孩子已經(jīng)把自己的書扔完,猛看見木偶的書包就在不遠的地方。說時遲那時快,他們一下子把它搶了過來。
One of the books was a very large volume, an arithmetic text, heavily bound in leather. It was Pinocchio's pride. Among all his books, he liked that one the best.
在木偶的書當中,有一本書用厚板紙裝幀,書脊書角都包著漆皮紙。這是一本算術(shù)書,請諸位想想,這本書該有多沉!
Thinking it would make a fine missile, one of the boys took hold of it and threw it with all his strength at Pinocchio's head. But instead of hitting the Marionette, the book struck one of the other boys, who, as pale as a ghost, cried out faintly: "Oh, Mother, help! I'm dying!" and fell senseless to the ground.
一個小壞蛋抓住這本書,瞄準皮諾喬的腦袋,用足力氣扔過來??墒撬麤]扔中木偶,卻扔在一個同學的頭上了。這個同學的臉登時白得像切開的面包,只叫出了兩聲:“噢,我的媽,救救我……我要死了!”
At the sight of that pale little corpse, the boys were so frightened that they turned tail and ran. In a few moments, all had disappeared.
接著他就直挺挺倒在沙灘上。孩子們看見鬧出了人命,這一驚非同小可,馬上撒腿就逃,一轉(zhuǎn)眼就沒影了。
All except Pinocchio. Although scared to death by the horror of what had been done, he ran to the sea and soaked his handkerchief in the cool water and with it bathed the head of his poor little schoolmate. Sobbing bitterly, he called to him, saying:
這時候只剩下皮諾喬一個人。他雖然又難過又害怕,嚇了個半死,可還是跑到海邊,把手帕浸透了海水,回來敷在他這位可憐同學的太陽穴上。他一面絕望地大哭,一面叫他這位同學的名字說:
"Eugene! My poor Eugene! Open your eyes and look at me! Why don't you answer? I was not the one who hit you, you know. Believe me, I didn't do it. Open your eyes, Eugene? If you keep them shut, I'll die, too. Oh, dear me, how shall I ever go home now? How shall I ever look at my little mother again? What will happen to me? Where shall I go? Where shall I hide? Oh, how much better it would have been, a thousand times better, if only I had gone to school! Why did I listen to those boys? They always were a bad influence! And to think that the teacher had told me -- and my mother, too! -- 'Beware of bad company!' That's what she said. But I'm stubborn and proud. I listen, but always I do as I wish. And then I pay. I've never had a moment's peace since I've been born! Oh, dear! What will become of me? What will become of me?"
“埃烏杰尼奧!……我可憐的埃烏杰尼奧!……張開你的眼睛看看我!……你為什么不回答我呀?你知道,不是我弄得你這樣的!相信我,不是我干的!……張開你的眼睛吧,埃烏杰尼奧……你要是老閉著眼睛,我也要死了……噢,我的老天爺!這會兒我怎么回家呢?……我怎么有勇氣去見我的好媽媽呀,我將會怎么樣呢?……我該逃到什么地方去啊,我上什么地方才韻躲得開呢?……噢!要是我去上學,那就好多了,那就要好上千倍了!……這些同學是我的冤家對頭,我為什么聽他們的話呢?……老師曾經(jīng)跟我說過!……我媽媽也翻來覆去對我說:‘小心壞同學!’可我總是不聽……我固執(zhí)極了……他們講他們的,我干我的!如今報應(yīng)來了……打我出世起,就因為我該死的脾氣,我壓根兒連一刻鐘的好日子都沒過過,我的天!我將會怎么樣呢?我將會怎么樣呢?我將會怎么樣呢?……”
Pinocchio went on crying and moaning and beating his head. Again and again he called to his little friend, when suddenly he heard heavy steps approaching.
皮諾喬一個勁地哭著,喊著,敲著腦袋,叫著可憐的埃烏杰尼奧的名字,直到猛聽見沉重的腳步聲走過來。
He looked up and saw two tall Carabineers near him.
他轉(zhuǎn)臉一看,是兩個警察,
"What are you doing stretched out on the ground?" they asked Pinocchio.
“你干嗎這么趴在地上?”他們問皮諾喬。
"I'm helping this schoolfellow of mine."
“我在救護我這同學。”
"Has he fainted?"
“他病了?”
"I should say so," said one of the Carabineers, bending to look at Eugene. "This boy has been wounded on the temple. Who has hurt him?"
“好像是的!……”
"Not I," stammered the Marionette, who had hardly a breath left in his whole body.
“只是生病嗎?”一個警察靠近埃烏杰尼奧,低下頭來把他好好看了看,“這孩子一邊太陽穴受傷了,誰打傷他的?”
"If it wasn't you, who was it, then?"
“不是我。”木偶結(jié)結(jié)巴巴地說,他氣都透不過來了。
"Not I," repeated Pinocchio.
“不是你又是誰?”
"And with what was he wounded?"
“不是我。”皮諾喬再說一遍。
"With this book," and the Marionette picked up the arithmetic text to show it to the officer.
“他是給什么東西打傷的?”
"And whose book is this?"
“給這本書。”他拿起自己的算術(shù)書,給警察看。
"Mine."
“這本書是誰的?”
"Enough."
“是我的。”
"Not another word! Get up as quickly as you can and come along with us."
“這就夠了,再不用別的什么了。馬上起來,跟我們走。”
"But I -- "
“可我……”
"Come with us!"
“跟我們走!”
"But I am innocent."
“可我是無辜的……”
"Come with us!"
“跟我們走!”
Before starting out, the officers called out to several fishermen passing by in a boat and said to them:
在走以前,兩個警察叫來幾個漁民。這幾個漁民這時候正好坐船從岸邊經(jīng)過。警察對他們說:
"Take care of this little fellow who has been hurt. Take him home and bind his wounds. Tomorrow we'll come after him."
“這孩子頭部受了傷,現(xiàn)在交給你們。你們把他帶回去救護。明天我們再來看。”
They then took hold of Pinocchio and, putting him between them, said to him in a rough voice: "March! And go quickly, or it will be the worse for you!"
然后他們回到皮諾喬身邊,把他夾在中間,用軍人口氣命令說:
They did not have to repeat their words. The Marionette walked swiftly along the road to the village. But the poor fellow hardly knew what he was about. He thought he had a nightmare. He felt ill. His eyes saw everything double, his legs trembled, his tongue was dry, and, try as he might, he could not utter a single word. Yet, in spite of this numbness of feeling, he suffered keenly at the thought of passing under the windows of his good little Fairy's house. What would she say on seeing him between two Carabineers?
“開步走!走快點!不然要你夠受的!”
They had just reached the village, when a sudden gust of wind blew off Pinocchio's cap and made it go sailing far down the street.
不等他們說第二遍,木偶就走起來了。他們走的這條小道是進村的,這可憐小鬼簡直不知道自己是不是還活著。他只覺得像在做夢,而做的是多可怕的惡夢啊!他完全嚇得魂不附體。他的眼睛發(fā)花,兩腿發(fā)抖,舌頭貼著上腭,連一個字也說不出來。不過他盡管這樣昏昏迷迷,還是感到心里像針扎似地痛,因為他想到,他要夾在兩個警察中間經(jīng)過他那好仙女的窗下。他真情愿死了拉倒。
"Would you allow me," the Marionette asked the Carabineers, "to run after my cap?"
他們已經(jīng)來到村邊,正在進村,忽然刮來一陣狂風,把皮諾喬頭上的帽子吹起來,吹了有十步遠。
"Very well, go; but hurry."
“答應(yīng)我好嗎?”木偶對兩個警察說,“讓我去把我的帽子撿起來。”
The Marionette went, picked up his cap -- but instead of putting it on his head, he stuck it between his teeth and then raced toward the sea.
“去吧,可得決點。”
He went like a bullet out of a gun.
木偶走過去撿起帽子……可沒戴到頭上,卻放在嘴里,用牙咬著,撒腿就向海邊飛跑。他快得像一顧出膛的子彈。
The Carabineers, judging that it would be very difficult to catch him, sent a large Mastiff after him, one that had won first prize in all the dog races. Pinocchio ran fast and the Dog ran faster. At so much noise, the people hung out of the windows or gathered in the street, anxious to see the end of the contest. But they were disappointed, for the Dog and Pinocchio raised so much dust on the road that, after a few moments, it was impossible to see them.
兩個警察眼看很難追上,就放出一條兇猛的大狗去追他。這條狗在賽狗中還得過冠軍。皮諾喬拼命跑,可狗跑得比他快。所有的人或者把頭探出窗子,或者擠在路當中,急于要看這場激烈賽跑的結(jié)果如何??墒撬麄冞@個希望落了空,因為那條猛犬和皮諾喬一路上搞得灰塵滾滾,幾分鐘以后就什么也看不見了。
Going like the wind, Pinocchio took but a very short time to reach the shore. He glanced all about him, but there was no sign of a Shark. The sea was as smooth as glass.
"Hey there, boys! Where's that Shark?" he asked, turning to his playmates.
"He may have gone for his breakfast," said one of them, laughing.
"Or, perhaps, he went to bed for a little nap," said another, laughing also.
From the answers and the laughter which followed them, Pinocchio understood that the boys had played a trick on him.
"What now?" he said angrily to them. "What's the joke?"
"Oh, the joke's on you!" cried his tormentors, laughing more heartily than ever, and dancing gayly around the Marionette.
"And that is -- ?"
"That we have made you stay out of school to come with us. Aren't you ashamed of being such a goody-goody, and of studying so hard? You never have a bit of enjoyment."
"And what is it to you, if I do study?"
"What does the teacher think of us, you mean?"
"Why?"
"Don't you see? If you study and we don't, we pay for it. After all, it's only fair to look out for ourselves."
"What do you want me to do?"
"Hate school and books and teachers, as we all do. They are your worst enemies, you know, and they like to make you as unhappy as they can."
"And if I go on studying, what will you do to me?"
"You'll pay for it!"
"Really, you amuse me," answered the Marionette, nodding his head.
"Hey, Pinocchio," cried the tallest of them all, "that will do. We are tired of hearing you bragging about yourself, you little turkey cock! You may not be afraid of us, but remember we are not afraid of you, either! You are alone, you know, and we are seven."
"Like the seven sins," said Pinocchio, still laughing.
"Did you hear that? He has insulted us all. He has called us sins."
"Pinocchio, apologize for that, or look out!"
"Cuck -- oo!" said the Marionette, mocking them with his thumb to his nose.
"You'll be sorry!"
"Cuck -- oo!"
"We'll whip you soundly!"
"Cuck -- oo!"
"You'll go home with a broken nose!"
"Cuck -- oo!"
"Very well, then! Take that, and keep it for your supper," called out the boldest of his tormentors.
And with the words, he gave Pinocchio a terrible blow on the head.
Pinocchio answered with another blow, and that was the signal for the beginning of the fray. In a few moments, the fight raged hot and heavy on both sides.
Pinocchio, although alone, defended himself bravely. With those two wooden feet of his, he worked so fast that his opponents kept at a respectful distance. Wherever they landed, they left their painful mark and the boys could only run away and howl.
Enraged at not being able to fight the Marionette at close quarters, they started to throw all kinds of books at him. Readers, geographies, histories, grammars flew in all directions. But Pinocchio was keen of eye and swift of movement, and the books only passed over his head, landed in the sea, and disappeared.
The fish, thinking they might be good to eat, came to the top of the water in great numbers. Some took a nibble, some took a bite, but no sooner had they tasted a page or two, than they spat them out with a wry face, as if to say:"What a horrid taste! Our own food is so much better!"
Meanwhile, the battle waxed more and more furious. At the noise, a large Crab crawled slowly out of the water and, with a voice that sounded like a trombone suffering from a cold, he cried out:
"Stop fighting, you rascals! These battles between boys rarely end well. Trouble is sure to come to you!"
Poor Crab! He might as well have spoken to the wind. Instead of listening to his good advice, Pinocchio turned to him and said as roughly as he knew how:
"Keep quiet, ugly Gab! It would be better for you to chew a few cough drops to get rid of that cold you have. Go to bed and sleep! You will feel better in the morning."
In the meantime, the boys, having used all their books, looked around for new ammunition. Seeing Pinocchio's bundle lying idle near-by, they somehow managed to get hold of it.
One of the books was a very large volume, an arithmetic text, heavily bound in leather. It was Pinocchio's pride. Among all his books, he liked that one the best.
Thinking it would make a fine missile, one of the boys took hold of it and threw it with all his strength at Pinocchio's head. But instead of hitting the Marionette, the book struck one of the other boys, who, as pale as a ghost, cried out faintly: "Oh, Mother, help! I'm dying!" and fell senseless to the ground.
At the sight of that pale little corpse, the boys were so frightened that they turned tail and ran. In a few moments, all had disappeared.
All except Pinocchio. Although scared to death by the horror of what had been done, he ran to the sea and soaked his handkerchief in the cool water and with it bathed the head of his poor little schoolmate. Sobbing bitterly, he called to him, saying:
"Eugene! My poor Eugene! Open your eyes and look at me! Why don't you answer? I was not the one who hit you, you know. Believe me, I didn't do it. Open your eyes, Eugene? If you keep them shut, I'll die, too. Oh, dear me, how shall I ever go home now? How shall I ever look at my little mother again? What will happen to me? Where shall I go? Where shall I hide? Oh, how much better it would have been, a thousand times better, if only I had gone to school! Why did I listen to those boys? They always were a bad influence! And to think that the teacher had told me -- and my mother, too! -- 'Beware of bad company!' That's what she said. But I'm stubborn and proud. I listen, but always I do as I wish. And then I pay. I've never had a moment's peace since I've been born! Oh, dear! What will become of me? What will become of me?"
Pinocchio went on crying and moaning and beating his head. Again and again he called to his little friend, when suddenly he heard heavy steps approaching.
He looked up and saw two tall Carabineers near him.
"What are you doing stretched out on the ground?" they asked Pinocchio.
"I'm helping this schoolfellow of mine."
"Has he fainted?"
"I should say so," said one of the Carabineers, bending to look at Eugene. "This boy has been wounded on the temple. Who has hurt him?"
"Not I," stammered the Marionette, who had hardly a breath left in his whole body.
"If it wasn't you, who was it, then?"
"Not I," repeated Pinocchio.
"And with what was he wounded?"
"With this book," and the Marionette picked up the arithmetic text to show it to the officer.
"And whose book is this?"
"Mine."
"Enough."
"Not another word! Get up as quickly as you can and come along with us."
"But I -- "
"Come with us!"
"But I am innocent."
"Come with us!"
Before starting out, the officers called out to several fishermen passing by in a boat and said to them:
"Take care of this little fellow who has been hurt. Take him home and bind his wounds. Tomorrow we'll come after him."
They then took hold of Pinocchio and, putting him between them, said to him in a rough voice: "March! And go quickly, or it will be the worse for you!"
They did not have to repeat their words. The Marionette walked swiftly along the road to the village. But the poor fellow hardly knew what he was about. He thought he had a nightmare. He felt ill. His eyes saw everything double, his legs trembled, his tongue was dry, and, try as he might, he could not utter a single word. Yet, in spite of this numbness of feeling, he suffered keenly at the thought of passing under the windows of his good little Fairy's house. What would she say on seeing him between two Carabineers?
They had just reached the village, when a sudden gust of wind blew off Pinocchio's cap and made it go sailing far down the street.
"Would you allow me," the Marionette asked the Carabineers, "to run after my cap?"
"Very well, go; but hurry."
The Marionette went, picked up his cap -- but instead of putting it on his head, he stuck it between his teeth and then raced toward the sea.
He went like a bullet out of a gun.
The Carabineers, judging that it would be very difficult to catch him, sent a large Mastiff after him, one that had won first prize in all the dog races. Pinocchio ran fast and the Dog ran faster. At so much noise, the people hung out of the windows or gathered in the street, anxious to see the end of the contest. But they were disappointed, for the Dog and Pinocchio raised so much dust on the road that, after a few moments, it was impossible to see them.
皮諾喬一到海邊,馬上放眼向海上眺望,可是什么鯊魚也沒看見。大海平靜得像一面水晶的鏡子。
“喂,鯊魚在哪兒?”他轉(zhuǎn)臉問同學,
“吃早飯去了,”一個同學笑著回答說。
“要不就是上床去睡一會兒了,”另一個同學接上一句,笑得前仰后合。
皮諾喬聽了這些亂七八糟的回答和莫名其妙的狂笑,知道是他那些同學跟他開了個大玩笑,騙他上了當。他十分惱火,氣乎乎地說:
“怎么?拿鯊魚的鬼話來騙我,這是什么道理?”
“當然有道理!……”那些小壞蛋異口同聲說,
“什么道理?……”
“讓你不去上學,讓你跟我們走。你天天上課那么認真,那么用功,你不害臊嗎?像你那么學習,你不害臊嗎?”
“我學我的,跟你們有什么關(guān)系?”
“跟我們關(guān)系大極了。這一來,老師就覺得我們不好……”
“為什么?”
“有人愛讀書,就使我們這種不愿意讀書的人丟臉,可我們不想丟臉!我們也有我們的自尊心!”
“那我該怎么辦,你們才高興呢?”
“你也應(yīng)該討厭學校,討厭功課,討厭老師。這是我們的三大敵人。”
“如果我想要繼續(xù)學習呢?”
“那我們就對你不客氣了,一有機會就要跟你算申賬!……”
“你們簡直叫我好笑。”木偶搖搖頭說。
“哼,皮諾喬!”孩子當中最大的一個走到他面前叫道,“別到這兒來夸口,別到這兒來斗嘴!……你要是不怕我們,我們也不怕你!記好了,你只有一個,我們有七個。”
“七個什么,七個大罪①,”皮諾喬大笑著說。
“你們聽見了嗎,他侮辱我們大伙兒,他管我們叫七個大罪!……”
“皮諾喬!你侮辱了我們,要你向我們道歉……要不你就倒霉!……”
“咕咕!”木偶叫著,用食指刮刮鼻尖,表示譏笑他們。
“皮諾喬,你沒有好結(jié)果!……”
“咕咕!”
“我們要像揍驢子那么揍你!……”
“咕咕!”
“你要帶著個打扁的鼻子回家!……”
“咕咕!”
“我們這就來揍你一個咕咕!”這幫小壞蛋當中最兇的一個叫道。“受用受用這個吧,今天晚上就不用吃晚飯了。”
他說著就給了木偶腦袋上一拳頭。
老話說,一報還一報,因此可以想象到,木偶馬上就回敬他一拳頭。這么你一拳來我一拳去,這場架就越打越大,越打越厲害了。
皮諾喬雖然只有一個,可自衛(wèi)得像個英雄似的。他用兩只硬繃繃的木頭腳踢得那么利索,叫他那些敵人離得遠遠的不敢走近。凡是他的腳所碰到之處,馬上就留下紀念品——一大塊烏青。
孩子們眼看不能同木偶肉搏,氣得要命,心想最好還是扔東西,就打開書包,開始向他扔語文課本、文法書、小戒尺、小零碎、圖瓦爾的故事書、巴契尼的《小雞》以及其他教科書??墒悄九佳奂彩挚?,全都及時躲開,因此書一本本地打他頭上飛過去,全落到海里去了。
諸位想象一下那些魚吧!魚以為扔到水里來的這些書是好吃的東西,趕緊成群游到水面上來。它們咬咬紙張,咬咬封面,馬上就吐出來,撇撇嘴,像是要說:“不配我們的口味。我們吃慣了更好吃的東西!”
這時候,架越打越厲害了。一只大螃蟹打水里出來,慢慢地、慢慢地爬到岸上,用漏風大喇叭似的難聽聲音叫道:
“停手吧,你們真是些小淘氣!孩子們這樣打架難得有好結(jié)果??倸w要闖禍的!……”
可憐的螃蟹!它等于是對風在叫。皮諾喬這小鬼反而回過頭,狠狠地看著它,蠻橫地叫:
“討厭的螃蟹,閉上你的嘴!你最好還是去吃兩片地衣藥片,把你的傷風給治治。趁早上床,想辦法出身大汗吧!”
這時候,那幫孩子已經(jīng)把自己的書扔完,猛看見木偶的書包就在不遠的地方。說時遲那時快,他們一下子把它搶了過來。
在木偶的書當中,有一本書用厚板紙裝幀,書脊書角都包著漆皮紙。這是一本算術(shù)書,請諸位想想,這本書該有多沉!
一個小壞蛋抓住這本書,瞄準皮諾喬的腦袋,用足力氣扔過來。可是他沒扔中木偶,卻扔在一個同學的頭上了。這個同學的臉登時白得像切開的面包,只叫出了兩聲:“噢,我的媽,救救我……我要死了!”
接著他就直挺挺倒在沙灘上。孩子們看見鬧出了人命,這一驚非同小可,馬上撒腿就逃,一轉(zhuǎn)眼就沒影了。
這時候只剩下皮諾喬一個人。他雖然又難過又害怕,嚇了個半死,可還是跑到海邊,把手帕浸透了海水,回來敷在他這位可憐同學的太陽穴上。他一面絕望地大哭,一面叫他這位同學的名字說:
“埃烏杰尼奧!……我可憐的埃烏杰尼奧!……張開你的眼睛看看我!……你為什么不回答我呀?你知道,不是我弄得你這樣的!相信我,不是我干的!……張開你的眼睛吧,埃烏杰尼奧……你要是老閉著眼睛,我也要死了……噢,我的老天爺!這會兒我怎么回家呢?……我怎么有勇氣去見我的好媽媽呀,我將會怎么樣呢?……我該逃到什么地方去啊,我上什么地方才韻躲得開呢?……噢!要是我去上學,那就好多了,那就要好上千倍了!……這些同學是我的冤家對頭,我為什么聽他們的話呢?……老師曾經(jīng)跟我說過!……我媽媽也翻來覆去對我說:‘小心壞同學!’可我總是不聽……我固執(zhí)極了……他們講他們的,我干我的!如今報應(yīng)來了……打我出世起,就因為我該死的脾氣,我壓根兒連一刻鐘的好日子都沒過過,我的天!我將會怎么樣呢?我將會怎么樣呢?我將會怎么樣呢?……”
皮諾喬一個勁地哭著,喊著,敲著腦袋,叫著可憐的埃烏杰尼奧的名字,直到猛聽見沉重的腳步聲走過來。
他轉(zhuǎn)臉一看,是兩個警察,
“你干嗎這么趴在地上?”他們問皮諾喬。
“我在救護我這同學。”
“他病了?”
“好像是的!……”
“只是生病嗎?”一個警察靠近埃烏杰尼奧,低下頭來把他好好看了看,“這孩子一邊太陽穴受傷了,誰打傷他的?”
“不是我。”木偶結(jié)結(jié)巴巴地說,他氣都透不過來了。
“不是你又是誰?”
“不是我。”皮諾喬再說一遍。
“他是給什么東西打傷的?”
“給這本書。”他拿起自己的算術(shù)書,給警察看。
“這本書是誰的?”
“是我的。”
“這就夠了,再不用別的什么了。馬上起來,跟我們走。”
“可我……”
“跟我們走!”
“可我是無辜的……”
“跟我們走!”
在走以前,兩個警察叫來幾個漁民。這幾個漁民這時候正好坐船從岸邊經(jīng)過。警察對他們說:
“這孩子頭部受了傷,現(xiàn)在交給你們。你們把他帶回去救護。明天我們再來看。”
然后他們回到皮諾喬身邊,把他夾在中間,用軍人口氣命令說:
“開步走!走快點!不然要你夠受的!”
不等他們說第二遍,木偶就走起來了。他們走的這條小道是進村的,這可憐小鬼簡直不知道自己是不是還活著。他只覺得像在做夢,而做的是多可怕的惡夢啊!他完全嚇得魂不附體。他的眼睛發(fā)花,兩腿發(fā)抖,舌頭貼著上腭,連一個字也說不出來。不過他盡管這樣昏昏迷迷,還是感到心里像針扎似地痛,因為他想到,他要夾在兩個警察中間經(jīng)過他那好仙女的窗下。他真情愿死了拉倒。
他們已經(jīng)來到村邊,正在進村,忽然刮來一陣狂風,把皮諾喬頭上的帽子吹起來,吹了有十步遠。
“答應(yīng)我好嗎?”木偶對兩個警察說,“讓我去把我的帽子撿起來。”
“去吧,可得決點。”
木偶走過去撿起帽子……可沒戴到頭上,卻放在嘴里,用牙咬著,撒腿就向海邊飛跑。他快得像一顧出膛的子彈。
兩個警察眼看很難追上,就放出一條兇猛的大狗去追他。這條狗在賽狗中還得過冠軍。皮諾喬拼命跑,可狗跑得比他快。所有的人或者把頭探出窗子,或者擠在路當中,急于要看這場激烈賽跑的結(jié)果如何。可是他們這個希望落了空,因為那條猛犬和皮諾喬一路上搞得灰塵滾滾,幾分鐘以后就什么也看不見了。