Page:Collodi - The Story of a Puppet, translation Murray, 1892.djvu/115

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ADVENTURES OF PINOCCHIO

XXI

Pinocchio is taken by a peasant, who obliges him to fill the place of his watch-dog in the poultry-yard.


Pinocchio, as you can imagine, began to cry and scream: but his tears and groans were useless, for there was not a house to be seen, and not a living soul passed down the road.

At last night came on.

Partly from the pain of the trap that cut his legs, and a little from fear at finding himself alone in the dark in the midst of the fields, the puppet was on the point of fainting. Just at that moment he saw a Firefly flitting over his head. He called to it and said:

'Oh, little Firefly, will you have pity on me and liberate me from this torture?'

'Poor boy!' said the Firefly, stopping and looking at him with compassion, 'but how could your legs have been caught by those sharp irons?'