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But, at that moment, a something happened which neither he nor anybody else except the Goldsmith anticipated, and which caused them all much alarm. Benjie's rather sizeable nose suddenly shot forward to such a length that, passing beyond Albertine's face, it struck the opposite wall of the room with a tremendous, resounding bang.
Kensett had much of hers from Benjie's letters; they were regular as the dew and cheery as the sun, a balsam for the wounds in the poor heart.
Prudence, to be sure, looked after him as if she would a good deal rather go with him than stay; but she stayed, nevertheless, and worked at the seine. I interpreted to myself Skipper Benjie's sending away of one of his hearers by supposing that his son-in-law had often heard his tales; but the planter explained himself:
You must understand that many of these observations were the fruits of after remark; for I had scarce approached so near as to get a distinct view of the party, when my friend Benjie's lurching attendant, which he calls by the appropriate name of Hemp, began to cock his tail and ears, and, sensible of my presence, flew, barking like a fury, to the place where I had meant to lie concealed till I heard another song.
Benjie showed every tooth in his head, and, swinging his gourd round and round, he sent it bounding down from point to point, until it fell as if on purpose, nearer to little Winny than any of the other spectators. Nevertheless, as might be expected, Benjie's "pie-grape" was somewhat damaged in its descent.
Also an account, written from Benjie's lips, as to what trees and fruits might be poisonous, what we had better avoid, and particular orders about the night air, the musquitos; in fact he seems to have left nothing for us to think of, and the papers wound up with many sweet messages to the children, and the dear young ladies, a characteristic speech to Schillie, a hope that the good old lady would not be nervous, or keep the children too long at their lessons, which was a bad thing in hot climates, and a very urgent appeal to all to be careful of her, whose heart was wrapped up in their happiness, to whom the breath of life came ebbing and flowing, according to the welfare and goodness of her precious charge.
I smiled at Benjie's account, whereat he pretended to look very indignant, as if I had doubted his veracity. I afterwards made inquiries among the seamen. Two or three asserted that they had witnessed an extraordinary sight during the night, but they all differed considerably in their accounts. It may be supposed that they were trying to practise on the credulity of a greenhorn.
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