CHAPTER 15

[The Assassins chase Pinocchio, catch him, and hang him to the branch of a giant oak tree] [Os Assassinos perseguem Pinóquio, pegam-no e o penduram no galho de um carvalho gigante]

As he ran, the Marionette felt more and more certain that he would have to give himself up into the hands of his pursuers. Suddenly he saw a little cottage gleaming white as the snow among the trees of the forest. De repente, ele viu uma casinha branca como a neve brilhando entre as árvores da floresta.

"If I have enough breath left with which to reach that little house, I may be saved," he said to himself. Not waiting another moment, he darted swiftly through the woods, the Assassins still after him. Sem esperar mais um momento, ele disparou rapidamente pela floresta, os Assassinos ainda atrás dele.

After a hard race of almost an hour, tired and out of breath, Pinocchio finally reached the door of the cottage and knocked. Depois de uma dura corrida de quase uma hora, cansado e sem fôlego, Pinóquio finalmente chegou à porta da cabana e bateu. No one answered.

He knocked again, harder than before, for behind him he heard the steps and the labored breathing of his persecutors. Bateu de novo, com mais força do que antes, pois ouviu atrás de si os passos e a respiração ofegante de seus perseguidores. The same silence followed. Seguiu-se o mesmo silêncio.

As knocking was of no use, Pinocchio, in despair, began to kick and bang against the door, as if he wanted to break it. Como não adiantava bater, Pinóquio, desesperado, começou a chutar e bater na porta, como se quisesse arrombá-la. At the noise, a window opened and a lovely maiden looked out. Com o barulho, uma janela se abriu e uma adorável donzela olhou para fora. She had azure hair and a face white as wax. Ela tinha cabelos azuis e rosto branco como cera. Her eyes were closed and her hands crossed on her breast. Seus olhos estavam fechados e as mãos cruzadas sobre o peito. With a voice so weak that it hardly could be heard, she whispered:

"No one lives in this house. Everyone is dead." "Won't you, at least, open the door for me?" cried Pinocchio in a beseeching voice.

"I also am dead." "Dead? What are you doing at the window, then?" "I am waiting for the coffin to take me away." "Estou esperando o caixão para me levar embora." After these words, the little girl disappeared and the window closed without a sound. Após estas palavras, a menina desapareceu e a janela fechou-se silenciosamente.

"Oh, Lovely Maiden with Azure Hair," cried Pinocchio, "open, I beg of you. Take pity on a poor boy who is being chased by two Assass--" Tenha pena de um pobre garoto que está sendo perseguido por dois Assassinos... He did not finish, for two powerful hands grasped him by the neck and the same two horrible voices growled threateningly: "Now we have you!" Ele não terminou, pois duas mãos poderosas o agarraram pelo pescoço e as mesmas duas vozes horríveis rosnaram ameaçadoramente: "Agora nós pegamos você!" The Marionette, seeing death dancing before him, trembled so hard that the joints of his legs rattled and the coins tinkled under his tongue. A marionete, vendo a morte dançando diante dele, tremeu tanto que as juntas de suas pernas estalaram e as moedas tilintaram sob sua língua.

"Well," the Assassins asked, "will you open your mouth now or not? Ah! You do not answer? Very well, this time you shall open it." Taking out two long, sharp knives, they struck two heavy blows on the Marionette's back. Tirando duas facas longas e afiadas, eles desferiram dois golpes pesados nas costas da marionete. Happily for him, Pinocchio was made of very hard wood and the knives broke into a thousand pieces. The Assassins looked at each other in dismay, holding the handles of the knives in their hands. Os Assassinos se entreolharam consternados, segurando os cabos das facas nas mãos.

"I understand," said one of them to the other, "there is nothing left to do now but to hang him." "To hang him," repeated the other. They tied Pinocchio's hands behind his shoulders and slipped the noose around his neck. Eles amarraram as mãos de Pinóquio atrás de seus ombros e colocaram o laço em volta de seu pescoço. Throwing the rope over the high limb of a giant oak tree, they pulled till the poor Marionette hung far up in space. Jogando a corda sobre o galho alto de um carvalho gigante, eles puxaram até que a pobre marionete pairasse no espaço.

Satisfied with their work, they sat on the grass waiting for Pinocchio to give his last gasp. Satisfeitos com o trabalho, sentaram-se na grama esperando que Pinóquio desse seu último suspiro. But after three hours the Marionette's eyes were still open, his mouth still shut and his legs kicked harder than ever. Mas depois de três horas os olhos da marionete ainda estavam abertos, sua boca ainda fechada e suas pernas chutavam mais forte do que nunca. Tired of waiting, the Assassins called to him mockingly: "Good-by till tomorrow. Cansados de esperar, os Assassinos o chamaram zombeteiramente: "Até amanhã. When we return in the morning, we hope you'll be polite enough to let us find you dead and gone and with your mouth wide open." Quando voltarmos pela manhã, esperamos que você seja educado o suficiente para nos deixar encontrá-lo morto e com a boca aberta." With these words they went.

A few minutes went by and then a wild wind started to blow. As it shrieked and moaned, the poor little sufferer was blown to and fro like the hammer of a bell. Enquanto gritava e gemia, o pobre sofredor era jogado de um lado para o outro como o martelo de um sino. The rocking made him seasick and the noose, becoming tighter and tighter, choked him. O balanço o deixou enjoado e o laço, cada vez mais apertado, o sufocou. Little by little a film covered his eyes. Pouco a pouco uma película cobria seus olhos.

Death was creeping nearer and nearer, and the Marionette still hoped for some good soul to come to his rescue, but no one appeared. A morte estava se aproximando cada vez mais, e a Marionete ainda esperava que alguma boa alma viesse em seu socorro, mas ninguém apareceu. As he was about to die, he thought of his poor old father, and hardly conscious of what he was saying, murmured to himself: Quando estava prestes a morrer, pensou em seu pobre velho pai e, mal consciente do que estava dizendo, murmurou para si mesmo:

"Oh, Father, dear Father! If you were only here!" These were his last words. He closed his eyes, opened his mouth, stretched out his legs, and hung there, as if he were dead.