While Pinocchio swam fast so as to reach the beach quickly, he perceived that his papa, who sat on his back, trembled just as if he had a high fever. Did he tremble from cold or fear? Who knows? Perhaps a little of both. But Pinocchio, believing that he trembled from fear, said to him in a comforting tone: “Courage, Papa! In a little while we shall arrive on the shore safe and sound.”
“But where is the shore?” asked the old man, becoming more and more uneasy and straining his eyes to see it, just as tailors do when they thread a needle. “Here we are, swimming all night; and I see only sky and sea.”
“But I see the shore,” said the marionette. “Through your skill in making me, I can see in the night as well as a cat.”
Poor Pinocchio pretended to be in good humor; but he was really beginning to lose heart. His strength was giving out and his breath growing
