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70 PINOCCHIÓ poor assassins—I think I see them—would run away like the wind. If, however, they were so badly educated as not to run away, why, then, I w ould run away myself, and there would be ani CUO OT at sze 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 te 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
