CHAPTER 14

[Pinocchio, not having listened to the good advice of the Talking Cricket, falls into the hands of the Assassins]

"Dear, oh, dear! When I come to think of it," said the Marionette to himself, as he once more set out on his journey, "we boys are really very unlucky. Pensando bem”, disse a marionete para si mesmo, ao recomeçar sua jornada, “nós, meninos, somos realmente muito azarados. Everybody scolds us, everybody gives us advice, everybody warns us. Todos nos repreendem, todos nos aconselham, todos nos avisam. If we were to allow it, everyone would try to be father and mother to us; everyone, even the Talking Cricket. Take me, for example. Just because I would not listen to that bothersome Cricket, who knows how many misfortunes may be awaiting me! Só porque não quis ouvir aquele Grilo chato, quem sabe quantos infortúnios me esperam! Assassins indeed! At least I have never believed in them, nor ever will. To speak sensibly, I think assassins have been invented by fathers and mothers to frighten children who want to run away at night. Para falar com sensatez, acho que os assassinos foram inventados por pais e mães para assustar crianças que querem fugir à noite. And then, even if I were to meet them on the road, what matter? E então, mesmo que eu os encontrasse na estrada, o que importa? I'll just run up to them, and say, `Well, signori, what do you want? Vou correr até eles e dizer: 'Bem, signori, o que você quer? Remember that you can't fool with me! Lembre-se que você não pode brincar comigo! Run along and mind your business.' At such a speech, I can almost see those poor fellows running like the wind. Com tal discurso, quase posso ver aqueles pobres companheiros correndo como o vento. But in case they don't run away, I can always run myself. ." Pinocchio was not given time to argue any longer, for he thought he heard a slight rustle among the leaves behind him. Pinóquio não teve mais tempo para discutir, pois pensou ter ouvido um leve farfalhar entre as folhas atrás de si.

He turned to look and behold, there in the darkness stood two big black shadows, wrapped from head to foot in black sacks. Ele se virou para olhar e eis que lá na escuridão estavam duas grandes sombras negras, envoltas da cabeça aos pés em sacos pretos. The two figures leaped toward him as softly as if they were ghosts. As duas figuras saltaram para ele tão suavemente como se fossem fantasmas.

"Here they come!" Pinocchio said to himself, and, not knowing where to hide the gold pieces, he stuck all four of them under his tongue.

He tried to run away, but hardly had he taken a step, when he felt his arms grasped and heard two horrible, deep voices say to him: "Your money or your life!" On account of the gold pieces in his mouth, Pinocchio could not say a word, so he tried with head and hands and body to show, as best he could, that he was only a poor Marionette without a penny in his pocket.

"Come, come, less nonsense, and out with your money!" cried the two thieves in threatening voices. gritaram os dois ladrões com vozes ameaçadoras.

Once more, Pinocchio's head and hands said, "I haven't a penny." "Out with that money or you're a dead man," said the taller of the two Assassins. "Fora com esse dinheiro ou você é um homem morto", disse o mais alto dos dois Assassinos. "Dead man," repeated the other. "And after having killed you, we will kill your father also." "Your father also!" "No, no, no, not my Father!" cried Pinocchio, wild with terror; but as he screamed, the gold pieces tinkled together in his mouth.

"Ah, you rascal! So that's the game! Então esse é o jogo! You have the money hidden under your tongue. Out with it!" But Pinocchio was as stubborn as ever. Mas Pinóquio era teimoso como sempre.

"Are you deaf? "Você é surdo? Wait, young man, we'll get it from you in a twinkling!" One of them grabbed the Marionette by the nose and the other by the chin, and they pulled him unmercifully from side to side in order to make him open his mouth.

All was of no use. The Marionette's lips might have been nailed together. Os lábios da marionete podem ter sido pregados juntos. They would not open.

In desperation the smaller of the two Assassins pulled out a long knife from his pocket, and tried to pry Pinocchio's mouth open with it. Em desespero, o menor dos dois Assassinos tirou uma longa faca do bolso e tentou abrir a boca de Pinóquio com ela. Quick as a flash, the Marionette sank his teeth deep into the Assassin's hand, bit it off and spat it out. Rápido como um raio, o Marionete cravou os dentes profundamente na mão do Assassino, mordeu-o e cuspiu-o. Fancy his surprise when he saw that it was not a hand, but a cat's paw. Imagine sua surpresa ao ver que não era uma mão, mas uma pata de gato. Encouraged by this first victory, he freed himself from the claws of his assailers and, leaping over the bushes along the road, ran swiftly across the fields. Encorajado por esta primeira vitória, livrou-se das garras dos assaltantes e, saltando por cima dos arbustos da estrada, correu velozmente pelos campos. His pursuers were after him at once, like two dogs chasing a hare. Seus perseguidores o perseguiram imediatamente, como dois cachorros perseguindo uma lebre.

After running seven miles or so, Pinocchio was well-nigh exhausted. Depois de correr mais ou menos 11 quilômetros, Pinóquio estava quase exausto. Seeing himself lost, he climbed up a giant pine tree and sat there to see what he could see. Vendo-se perdido, ele subiu em um pinheiro gigante e sentou-se ali para ver o que conseguia ver. The Assassins tried to climb also, but they slipped and fell.

Far from giving up the chase, this only spurred them on. Longe de desistir da perseguição, isso apenas os estimulou. They gathered a bundle of wood, piled it up at the foot of the pine, and set fire to it. Eles juntaram um feixe de lenha, empilharam ao pé do pinheiro e atearam fogo. In a twinkling the tree began to sputter and burn like a candle blown by the wind. Em um piscar de olhos, a árvore começou a crepitar e queimar como uma vela soprada pelo vento. Pinocchio saw the flames climb higher and higher. Pinóquio viu as chamas subirem cada vez mais alto. Not wishing to end his days as a roasted Marionette, he jumped quickly to the ground and off he went, the Assassins close to him, as before. Não querendo terminar seus dias como uma marionete assada, ele saltou rapidamente para o chão e lá foi ele, os Assassinos perto dele, como antes.

Dawn was breaking when, without any warning whatsoever, Pinocchio found his path barred by a deep pool full of water the color of muddy coffee. Amanhecia quando, sem qualquer aviso, Pinóquio encontrou seu caminho barrado por uma poça profunda cheia de água cor de café barrento.

What was there to do? With a "One, two, three!" he jumped clear across it. The Assassins jumped also, but not having measured their distance well--splash!! Os Assassinos também pularam, mas não mediram bem a distância - splash!! !-- they fell right into the middle of the pool. Pinocchio who heard the splash and felt it, too, cried out, laughing, but never stopping in his race: Pinóquio que ouviu o barulho e também sentiu, gritou, rindo, mas nunca parando em sua corrida:

"A pleasant bath to you, signori!" "Um bom banho para você, signori!" He thought they must surely be drowned and turned his head to see. Ele pensou que certamente deviam estar afogados e virou a cabeça para ver. But there were the two somber figures still following him, though their black sacks were drenched and dripping with water. Mas lá estavam as duas figuras sombrias ainda seguindo-o, embora seus sacos pretos estivessem encharcados e pingando água.