Chapter 83

Pinocchioruns the danger of being fried in a pan like a fishDuring that wild chase,Pinocchio lived through aterrible moment when he almost gave himself up aslost.

　　This was when Alidoro (that was the Mastiff's name),in a frenzy1 ofrunning, came so near that he was on thevery point of reaching him.

　　The Marionette2 heard,close behind him, the laboredbreathing of the beast who was fast on his trail,and nowand again even felt his hot breath blow over him.

　　Luckily, by this time, he was very near the shore, andthe sea was insight; in fact, only a few short steps away.

　　As soon as he set foot on the beach, Pinocchio gave aleap and fellinto the water. Alidoro tried to stop, butas he was running very fast, hecouldn't, and he, too,landed far out in the sea. Strange though it may seem,theDog could not swim. He beat the water with his paws tohold himself up, but theharder he tried, the deeper he sank.

　　As he stuck his head out once more, the poor fellow's eyeswere bulging3 andhe barked out wildly, "I drown! I drown!""Drown!" answeredPinocchio from afar, happy at his escape.

　　"Help, Pinocchio, dear little Pinocchio! Save me fromdeath!"At those cries of suffering, the Marionette, who afterall had avery kind heart, was moved to compassion4.

这场你死我活的赛跑，已经到了千钧一发的时刻，皮诺乔心想，这回准定要输了，因为要知道，阿利多罗（就是那条猛犬的名字）使劲地跑啊，跑啊，差不多就要追上他。
　　只说一点就够了：木偶已经听到这条恶犬在他身后一巴掌远的地方很急促的喘气声，甚至感觉到了它呼吸的热气。
　　幸亏这时已经到了海边，眼看大海只有那么几步远了。
　　木偶一到海边，就像小青蛙似的，很利落地扑通一声，跳到了水里。阿利多罗正好相反，想马上停住脚步，可跑得太快了，脚步收不住，跟着也扑通一声落到了水里。这只倒霉的狗不会游泳，因此两条脚马上乱划，想要浮在水面。可它越划越往下沉，连头都沉到水底下去了。
　　等到这条可怜的狗把头伸出来，它吓得两眼瞪大，汪汪叫着说：
　　“我要淹死了！我要淹死了！”
　　“那就死吧！”皮诺乔在远处回答。现在他看到，他再也没有什么危险，已经万无一失了。
　　“救救我，我的小皮诺乔！……快救救我的命吧！……”
　　这几声汪汪叫十分悲惨，木偶本心很好，禁不住心软下来。

1 frenzy    

n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动

参考例句：

·He was able to work the young students up into a frenzy.他能激起青年学生的狂热。

·They were singing in a frenzy of joy.他们欣喜若狂地高声歌唱。

2marionette 

n.木偶

参考例句：

·With this marionette I wish to travel through the world.我希望带着这个木偶周游世界。

·The development of marionette had a great influence on the future development of opera.木偶戏的发展对以后的戏曲有十分重要的影响。

3bulging 

膨胀；凸出（部）；打气；折皱

参考例句：

·Her pockets were bulging with presents. 她的口袋里装满了礼物。

·Conscious of the bulging red folder, Nim told her,"Ask if it's important." 尼姆想到那个鼓鼓囊囊的红色文件夹便告诉她：“问问是不是重要的事。”

4compassion 

n.同情，怜悯

参考例句：

·He could not help having compassion for the poor creature.他情不自禁地怜悯起那个可怜的人来。

·Her heart was filled with compassion for the motherless children.她对于没有母亲的孩子们充满了怜悯心。