scolding, gave him some hay; but that did not please him.
“Ah! You do not like hay?” cried the master, in anger. “I will teach you better manners.”
He then took a whip and gave the donkey a crack on the legs. Pinocchio, in great pain, gave a long bray, as if to say, “Y-a, y-a, I cannot digest straw.”
“Then eat hay,” replied the master, who understood the donkey dialect very well.
“Y-a, y-a. Hay gives me a headache.”
“You mean that a donkey like you wants to eat chicken and capon?” added the master; and he gave him another lash with the whip.
At the second rebuke Pinocchio, for prudence’ sake, kept quiet and said nothing. Meanwhile the stall was closed and Pinocchio remained alone; and because he had not eaten anything for hours he grew very hungry. He opened his mouth and was surprised to find that it was so large.
He finally looked around, and not finding anything in the manger but hay, took a little. After having chewed it well he winked his eye and said: “This hay is not bad at all. But how much better off I should have been if I had not run away! Now I should be eating something nice instead of this dry stuff. Oh me! oh me! oh me!”
