“B-r-r-r-!” came from our shivering hero.
“Look at it well, you foolish boy. What do you think of it? A demon? Where are its eyes? Doesn’t it look more like a mere fish?”
“Yes, well?” asked Pinocchio, who didn’t know what to think.
“Well, it is a fish. Sometimes it is called fishing frog, sometimes goosefish, and sometimes sea devil from its horrible looks.”
“Marsovino has just paid you back for your joke. He took the dry skin of this fish, filled it with water, and inside of it put two sunfishes. When you thought he was asleep, he was hanging it up. It has given you a chance to show us how brave you are.”
Pinocchio felt very small. Slowly he approached the monster and looked it over. How foolish he had been!
“What a horrible mouth you have, my fish,” he said. “And what is this horn doing at the top of your head?”
“That helps him to get his dinner,” explained Tursio. “Other fish are caught on the horns, and the frog has nothing to do but eat them.”
“Well, I was frightened,” admitted the marionette, soberly.
“We have lost enough sleep by this time. To bed, all of you,” ordered Tursio.