Pinocchio reached the shore quickly. He looked at the sea. The water was very quiet. There was no shark. Pinocchio asked the boys where the fish was.
The boys laughed at Pinocchio. They said the shark was eating breakfast or sleeping. Pinocchio was angry. He realized the boys played a trick on him.
The boys said, "We wanted you to skip school. You study too much! You should have fun like us." Pinocchio asked why they cared about his studies.
The boys said, "If you study and we do not, the teacher is angry with us." They told Pinocchio to hate school and books. They said teachers were enemies.
Pinocchio did not agree. A tall boy called Pinocchio a "turkey cock." He said there were seven boys and only one Pinocchio. They were not afraid of him.
The boys insulted Pinocchio. Pinocchio mocked them. Then a boy hit Pinocchio on the head. This was the start of a big fight. It was a terrible battle.
Pinocchio defended himself. His wooden feet hit the boys. The boys had to stay away from him. The boys were very angry because they could not win.
The boys began to throw books at Pinocchio. Grammars and histories flew through the air. Pinocchio moved fast. The books hit the water and sank.
Many fish came to the top of the water. The fish tried to eat the books. But the fish did not like the taste of the paper. They spat the pages out.
A large crab (a sea animal with a hard shell and ten legs) saw the fight. The Crab told the boys to stop. Pinocchio told the Crab to be quiet and go to sleep.
The boys found Pinocchio’s books on the sand. They saw a very big arithmetic (the study of numbers) book. One boy threw the heavy book at Pinocchio.
The book did not hit Pinocchio. It hit a boy named Eugene. Eugene fell to the ground. He looked like a ghost. He did not move or speak.
The other boys were terrified. They ran away as fast as they could. Pinocchio was the only one who stayed. He was very scared. He used his handkerchief to wash Eugene's head.
Pinocchio cried and called to Eugene. He said, "I did not hit you! Please open your eyes!" Pinocchio felt very guilty. He wished he was at school.
Pinocchio said, "I should not listen to bad friends. The teacher told me to be careful. My mother told me to be careful. But I am too proud."
Suddenly, two carabineers (police officers in Italy) arrived. They saw Pinocchio on the ground with Eugene. They asked what happened.
One officer saw that Eugene was wounded. Pinocchio was shaking with fear. He said he did not do it. The officers saw Pinocchio's arithmetic book on the ground.
The officers told Pinocchio to come with them. Pinocchio said he was innocent, but the officers did not listen. They told Pinocchio to march to the village.
They asked some fishermen to help Eugene. Then they walked with Pinocchio. Pinocchio felt very sick. He was ashamed. He did not want the Fairy with the Azure Hair to see him.
They reached the village. A strong wind blew Pinocchio’s cap away. Pinocchio asked to run and get it. The officers said he could go, but he must be fast.
Pinocchio picked up his cap. He put it in his teeth and ran toward the sea. He ran as fast as a bullet. He was trying to escape.
The officers sent a large mastiff (a very big and strong dog) after Pinocchio. The Dog was very fast. Pinocchio and the Dog made a lot of dust on the road. No one could see them.