The black man swelled with pride, he puffed out his cheeks and strutted up and down before his companions with the most comical air of importance.
Dobbin was so nearly overcome with a desire to laugh that he coughed violently, and had to hide in Trim’s tent to keep from spoiling the effect of the proceeding.
Pretty soon the elder put his hands up to the hat and took it from his head with great care; he seemed to be afraid that it would drop and break.
He felt of the crown, looked inside, and was apparently very puzzled.
Trim saw what was in the great man’s mind, so he stepped up to the elder, held out his hand for the hat, took it, and with a smart blow pushed the top of the crown down to the rim, thus restoring the hat to the shape of a platter.
The elder’s jaw dropped as if he feared that the beauty and usefulness of the thing had been destroyed.
Trim quickly worked the springs again in the opposite direction, and again the hat assumed its stove-pipe appearance.
Then the lad handed the hat back to the elder. The latter timidly pressed his hand against the top of the crown. He was a little afraid of it at first, but presently he had crushed it, and the next moment he had worked the springs outward.
Then for at least a dozen times he amused himself in opening and shutting the hat, while his two companions looked on with admiring and envious curiosity. At length the chief elder put the hat on his head and held out his hand to Trim, at the same time jabbering rapidly.
It was a long speech. The interpreter translated it all to Trim, but the long and short of it was that while the elder was very grateful and had the biggest sort of respect for the young white traveler, he was still of the opinion that it would be better if the white traveler should face about and go to the east.