scape," he whispered, turning to his
father. "The Shark is fast asleep. The sea is calm and the night is
as bright as day. Follow me closely, dear Father, and we shall soon be
saved."

No sooner said than done. They climbed up the throat of the monster till
they came to that immense open mouth. There they had to walk on tiptoes,
for if they tickled the Shark's long tongue he might awaken--and where
would they be then? The tongue was so wide and so long that it looked
like a country road. The two fugitives were just about to dive into the
sea when the Shark sneezed very suddenly and, as he sneezed, he gave
Pinocchio and Geppetto such a jolt that they found themselves thrown
on their backs and dashed once more and very unceremoniously into the
stomach of the monster.

To make matters worse, the candle went out and father and son were left
in the dark.

"And now?" asked Pinocchio with a serious face.

"Now we are lost."

"Why lost? Give me your hand, dear Father, and be careful not to slip!"

"Where will you take me?"

"We must try again. Come with me and don't be afraid."

With these words Pinocchio took his father by the hand and, always
walking on tiptoes, they climbed up the monster's throat for a second
time. They then crossed the whole tongue and jumped over three rows of
teeth. But before they took the last great leap, the Marionette said to
his father:

"Climb on my back and hold on tightly to my neck. I'll take care of
everything else."

As soon as Geppetto was comfortably seated on his shoulders, Pinocchio,
very sure of what he was doing, dived into the water and started to
swim. The sea was like oil, the moon shone in all splendor, and the
Shark continued to sleep so soundly that not even a cannon shot would
have awakened him.

CHAPTER 36

Pinocchio finally ceases to be a Marionette and becomes a boy

"My dear Father, we are saved!" cried the Marionette. "All we have to do
now is to get to the shore, and that is easy."

Without another word, he swam swiftly away in an effort to reach land as
soon as possible. All at once he noticed that Geppetto was shivering and
shaking as if with a high fever.

Was he shivering from fear or from cold? Who knows? Perhaps a little
of both. But Pinocchio, thinking his father was frightened, tried to
comfort him by saying:

"Courage, Father! In a few moments we shall be safe on land."

"But where is that blessed shore?" asked the little old man, more a