The two friends were very sad. The Little Man kicked the door and it opened. He had a sweet smile on his face.
The Little Man said, "Good work, boys! You bray very well. I know your voices."
Pinocchio and Lamp-Wick felt much shame. They put their tails between their legs.
The Little Man brushed their hair with a currycomb (a metal brush for animals) until they were clean. Then he put a bridle (leather straps for an animal's head) on them.
The Little Man took them to the market to sell them. A farmer bought Lamp-Wick. The owner of a circus bought Pinocchio.
The Little Man was a bad man. He looked for lazy boys and took them to the Land of Toys. When they became donkeys, he sold them. He was now a millionaire (a person with a lot of money).
Pinocchio had a very hard life. The circus owner took Pinocchio to a stable. He gave Pinocchio straw to eat, but Pinocchio did not like it. Then the man gave him hay. Pinocchio did not like the hay either.
The man became angry. He took a whip (a long piece of leather for hitting) and hit Pinocchio's legs.
Pinocchio screamed, "Haw! Haw! I do not like straw!"
The master said, "Then eat the hay!" He hit Pinocchio again.
Pinocchio became quiet. He was very hungry. Finally, he ate the hay. He thought, "I should be eating bread and butter. I should have studied."
Every day, the master taught Pinocchio tricks. Pinocchio had to learn to jump, dance, and stand on his head. The master hit him many times with the whip.
After three months, Pinocchio was ready. The master put signs all over the town. The signs said:
GREAT SHOW TONIGHT. SEE THE FAMOUS DONKEY PINOCCHIO. THE STAR OF THE DANCE.
That night, the theater was very full. Many boys and girls came to see the dancing donkey.
The Manager of the circus wore a black coat and white pants. He walked into the ring and spoke to the people.
He said, "Friends! Tonight I will show you the most famous donkey in the world. He has performed for kings and queens."
The people clapped loudly. Then Pinocchio came into the ring. He looked very handsome. He had ribbons in his hair and a gold sash around his waist.
The Manager said, "I found this donkey in Africa. He was very wild. I had to use a whip to teach him. Now, he can dance like a human."
The Manager told Pinocchio to say hello to the people. Pinocchio went down on his knees. Then Pinocchio walked, ran, and galloped around the ring.
The master fired a gun into the air. Pinocchio fell down and pretended to be dead. The people clapped and shouted.
Pinocchio looked at the people. He saw a beautiful woman in a box seat. She had a gold chain with a medallion (a piece of jewelry with a picture inside). There was a picture of a marionette on the medallion.
Pinocchio thought, "That is my picture! That lady is the Blue Fairy!"
Pinocchio was very happy. He tried to say her name. But he only made a loud donkey noise: "Haw! Haw! Haw!"
The people laughed. The Manager hit Pinocchio on the nose. Pinocchio felt very sad. When he looked again, the Blue Fairy was gone.
Pinocchio began to cry. The Manager said, "Now, jump through the rings!"
Pinocchio tried to jump through a big circle. But his back legs hit the ring. He fell to the floor.
Pinocchio was now lame (unable to walk well because of an injury). He could not dance anymore.
The next day, a doctor looked at Pinocchio. The doctor said, "This donkey will be lame forever."
The Manager said, "I do not want a lame donkey. Sell him at the market."
A man at the market asked, "How much is that donkey?"
The seller said, "Four dollars."
The man said, "I will give you four cents. I only want his skin. I want to make a drumhead (the top part of a drum) for my musical band."
Pinocchio was very afraid. The man paid four cents. He took Pinocchio to a high cliff by the sea.
The man tied a heavy stone to Pinocchio’s neck. Then he tied a rope to Pinocchio's leg. He pushed the donkey into the water.
Pinocchio sank into the sea. The man sat on the cliff and waited for the donkey to die. He wanted to take the skin to make his drum.