-night, Cricket."

"Good-night, Pinocchio, and may Heaven preserve you from dangers and
from assassins."

No sooner had he said these words than the Talking-Cricket vanished
suddenly like a light that has been blown out, and the road became
darker than ever.

[Illustration]

CHAPTER XIV

PINOCCHIO FALLS AMONGST ASSASSINS

"Really," said the puppet to himself, as he resumed his journey, "how
unfortunate we poor boys are. Everybody scolds us and gives us good
advice. See now; because I don't choose to listen to that tiresome
Cricket, who knows, according to him, how many misfortunes are to happen
to me! I am even to meet with assassins! That is, however, of little
consequence, for I don't believe in assassins--I have never believed in
them. For me, I think that assassins have been invented purposely by
papas to frighten boys who want to go out at night. Besides, supposing I
was to come across them here in the road, do you imagine they would
frighten me? Not the least in the world. I should go to meet them and
cry: 'Gentlemen assassins, what do you want with me? Remember that with
me there is no joking. Therefore go about your business and be quiet!'
At this speech they would run away like the wind. If, however, they were
so badly educated as not to run away, why, then I would run away myself
and there would be an end of it."

But Pinocchio had not time to finish his reasoning, for at that moment
he thought that he heard a slight rustle of leaves behind him.

He turned to look and saw in the gloom two evil-looking black figures
completely enveloped in charcoal sacks. They were running after him on
tiptoe and making great leaps like two phantoms.

"Here they are in reality!" he said to himself and, not knowing where to
hide his gold pieces, he put them in his mouth precisely under his
tongue.

Then he tried to escape. But he had not gone a step when he felt himself
seized by the arm and heard two horrid, sepulchral voices saying to him:

"Your money or your life!"

Pinocchio, not being able to answer in words, owing to the money that
was in his mouth, made a thousand low bows and a thousand pantomimes. He
tried thus to make the two muffled figures, whose eyes were only visible
through the holes in their sacks, understand that he was a poor puppet,
and that he had not as much as a counterfeit nickel in his pocket.

"Come, now! Less nonsense and out with the money!" cried the two
brigands threateningl