approached within a few feet of the Serpent and said in a soft and gentle voice, so as not to anger it: "Excuse me, Mr. Serpent, but would you oblige me by moving to one side so that I can pass?"
He might as well have talked to a wall. There was no answer. Then he said in the same soft tone, "If you must know, Mr. Serpent, I am going home, where my father is waiting for me. Will you let me pass so that I can go on my way?"
He waited for some sign of response, but there was none. On the contrary, the Serpent, which until then had been quite lively, grew suddenly quiet and rigid. His eyes closed and his tail stopped smoking.
"I believe he is dead,” thought Pinocchio, rubbing his hands with satisfaction, and went forward intending to jump over him to pass to the other side. But hardly had he lifted a leg, when the Serpent rose suddenly, like a spring let loose. The marionette, trying to jump back, tripped and fell to the ground with such force that he landed with his head half stuck in the mud and his feet in the air. At the sight of the marionette kicking his
