“May you die of laughing, you villain!” he cried as he ran.

Presently he was somewhat alarmed to discover that the man was running after him.  Feeling sure, however, that he could easily outrun his pursuer, he halted a moment, as if waiting for him.  The man was hurrying on, thinking that the boy could go no farther, when the saucy marionette, putting his hand to his mouth, shouted “Cuckoo!” Then at a pace swifter than the wind he set off once more, pausing now and again to call out, “Cuckoo!  Cuckoo!”

Pinocchio had nearly reached the top of the hill, and the man was halfway up, when a loud roar made them both stop.  Turning around, they saw that a lion was carrying off the dead ostrich.  At that, the hunter thrust his fingers into his curly hair, and without paying further attention to the marionette, started off to regain the knife, which was still lying where it had fallen.

   “Tit for tat,” Pinocchio shouted after him, and went on up the
   hill.

30.  Pinocchio Is Swallowed By A Crocodile

When Pinocchio reached the top of the hill he looked around for a place where he could rest.  He thought of the lion that had carried off the ostrich, and he did not like the idea of meeting him.  Fortunately there were no signs of life, but neither was there any place where he could sit down in comfort.  Sand and rocks, rocks and sand were everywhere.  In the distance he saw water.

“At any rate,” he said, “I shall at least be able to wash myself;” and he turned his footsteps toward the water.

He arrived before long at the water’s edge.  How fresh and clean it was!  He was so dusty and tired that there was only one thing to do, take a bath!  When Pinocchio decided upon a course of action he did not hesitate.  In an instant he was undressed.

   As he started toward the water a voice cried, “Pinocchio! 
   Pinocchio!”

   “Oh, let Pinocchio alone!” the marionette said, and leaped into the
   air.

Horrors!  As he came flying down, a green mass rose to the surface of the river.  It was a crocodile!  Pinocchio saw it and shuddered, but there was no time to cry out.  Down, down he went into that open mouth!  But wooden marionettes are always fortunate.  The crocodile’s throat was so wide that Pinocchio slipped into the stomach of the creature with great ease.  Not even a scratch!  As he was accustomed to being under water and inside the bodies of animals, he was not at all frightened.  In fact, when he noticed that he was being carried down to the bottom of the river, where it was cool and refreshing, he uttered no word of complaint, but rather enjoyed the experience.The crocodile crawled in to a cave, and prepared to digest the marionette at its leisure.  Pinocchio was naturally annoyed at this and began to kick and squirm about.