wrapped in a large green and red cloak covered with preciousstones,--that is to say, with bits of broken glass of all colors, andshining pebbles collected with great labor from the rich mines of thecountry.
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 greatcrowd of people knelt and buried their heads in their hands. They didnot rise till the judges were comfortably seated on the bare ground.
At a signal from the emperor the first case was called. There appearedtwo men, each with his head completely covered by a large bag which hadin it holes for eyes and mouth. The men bowed again and again to hishighness and to the court, scraping their noses along the ground. Atlast 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'scourt?"
The person addressed twisted his whole body and sprinkled sand over hishead. 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 hadmany sons, and I was one of them. For this reason, the old man, beingmy father--"
"He was his son. He reasons well," thought the marionette, but he didnot 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. ThereI discovered that a sheep was missing. I was heartbroken over this,and, not wishing to return home without my little sheep, I searchedeverywhere, but in vain. The sheep could not be found. I sat down andbegan to weep. Behind me was a thick cane field. Upon a rock within thefield was that man, with a sheep between his knees. I rushed to thespot and shouted out to him, 'Why have you stolen my sheep?' Heappeared not to hear me. 'Why have you stolen my sheep?' It was liketalking to a stone. Blinded by anger, I drew nearer. When he saw meapproach he arose and ran away. I hastened to my sheep and raised itfrom the ground, and then I saw--it horrifies me to tell it--that what Iheld in my hand was only the sheep's coat. The robber had eaten therest. My sheep! My poor little sheep! I shall never see it again!"
Pinocchio was greatly touched by this pitiful tale. He had just openedhis mouth to pronounce a terrible sentence upon the thief, who wasstanding motionless as a statue, when the minister whispered to him tolisten to the other side of the story. With an angry look Pinocchioordered 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--"
"What kind of speech is he going to make?" thought Pinocchio. "Is itnecessary for him to say that the sun shines?"
And as the rogue went on to speak of starry skies, blue waters, andthings of that sort, the marionette lost his patience and shouted, "Butdid you or did you not eat the sheep?"
"Your majesty," replied the man, "certainly I ate the sheep! Ask,however, who, on the day before, ate three fingers from my left hand!"
"Your majesty, I was hungry--" groaned the shepherd. "I was veryhungry."
Pinocchio shuddered. "What kind of people are these? What sort of placehave I fallen into? Fortunately for me I am made of wood."
Meanwhile the two had lowered their heads, waiting for their sentence.Pinocchio was too much shocked to say a word.
The grand chamberlain came to his aid and whispered something in hisear.
"Speak!" replied the marionette, "I bid you speak, for whatever you dois well done."
The minister was pleased at the faith his majesty had in him. He turnedhis dark face toward the two offenders and said, "One sheep and threefingers! You shall both be hanged."
Pinocchio, half-dazed, watched the minister.
Case followed case, and at the end of each one Pinocchio said to theminister, "Act. I bid you act. What you do is always well done."
The minister knew so well how to act that on this one day there weresentences amounting to five hundred years of imprisonment, and twohundred years at hard labor, while a thousand prisoners were to belashed, and one hundred were condemned to die.
Justice had been done. The emperor Pinocchio was led back to the royalpalace amid the shouts of the people. He was declared to be themildest, the wisest, and the most just of all kings, past, present, andfuture.
CHAPTER XXXIXPINOCCHIO TRAVELS THROUGH THE EMPIRE
In order that his faithful subjects might behold their new sovereign,Pinocchio the First resolved to make a tour of the villages of his vastempire and see with his own eyes the needs of his people.
The arrangements were made by the ministers of state. Messages weresent to all the governors to make preparations for the event, to selectcommittees to meet the emperor, to provide entertainment, in short, tohave everything in readiness.
It was a big task. The emperor, however, did not trouble himself aboutit. He amused himself watching the crickets and the birds, laughing atthe antics of some little monkeys, and playing with his boy pages.
Sometimes he spoke of his past. He told his pages about his travels,his struggles, his suffering. He told them how he had struggled withthe waves of a stormy sea, and about the fish from whose stomach he hadrescued his father Geppetto. He recalled his dear Fatina, that gentleand beautiful lady with the blue hair, and, placing his hand upon hisbreast, took an oath, as emperor and king, that he would have her cometo Africa. That thought made him happy, and he went on to describe thefeast they would have on her arrival. He had resolved to make her queenof one of his states.
Marameho shared the joy of his emperor, but a cloud of sadness cameover his face when he heard him build these castles in the air, andmake such plans for the future. The poor boy had already seen too manychanges to believe that anything in the world would last long. He wasaware that his emperor was in grave danger, but he did not dare to warnhim.
However, events quickly ran their course. The preparations werecompleted, and on a bright, sunny day, Pinocchio the First, Emperor andKing of all the African kings, took his place upon a litter made ofbranches, which was borne aloft by four robust men. Following thesecame all the ministers, and the day's march was begun.
Wherever they went, there was loud applause for the emperor. Themothers were pleased because their ruler had promised to stopcompulsory instruction. They expressed their thanks in flatteringwords, some of which reached the emperor's ears.
"How fine is that wooden head!" said one. "It is easy to see that he isa king of great endurance! They say he can jump wonderfully--just like amarionette!"
Toward evening the tents were erected. In the largest of thesePinocchio gave a supper to all the ministers,--a splendid supper whichlasted till late that night. A blazing fire protected the court againstthe attacks of wild animals and the cold of the night.
The ministers retired about midnight. Pinocchio, left alone, began towalk up and down in his tent, with his hands behind him and his headlowered. He had seen at school a picture of the great Napoleon in thesame attitude.
He thought of his stay in Africa, and of the strange things which hadbefallen him. He thought of the treasures he had not yet found. Whilepondering on all these things he approached the entrance of the tent,and in the faint light of the dying fire, he saw a group of men huddledtogether. Drawing nearer, he heard them talking.
"If things go well, as I hope they will, we shall gather manypresents," the prime minister was saying. "It cannot be denied that heis attractive, and I am sure that all our people will vie with eachother in making gifts. Therefore, I entreat you to be patient. When thevisit is ended we will share what has been gathered."
After a long silence, interrupted only by the roar of a lion prowlingabout, the prime minister continued: "As for him, we will dispatch himin the quickest way. If he were not of wood," he added in a deep voice,"he would be good roasted, but--"
Then s
ome one threw an armful of branches on the fire. The flames litup the tent, but Pinocchio saw and heard no more, for he had vanishedout of sight.
At dawn, notices were sent throughout the whole country that theemperor had disappeared, and that there was no trace of him to befound!
The confusion was terrible. The people everywhere were aroused,--chargeswere brought against the government. The matter became so serious thatthe ministers were forced to flee.
Among those who escaped was the prime minister. He went into theforests determined to find the emperor. Having strong legs and a keennose, he was well fitted to track any kind of animal, including amarionette.
In fact, after many hours of hard work, he beheld the emperorscampering away from a herd of wild beasts. They evidently wanted tomake a meal of him. The court gentleman knew that these animals wouldsoon give