# Cousin Benedict — Dick Sands, the Boy Captain character guide > Cousin Benedict in Dick Sands, the Boy Captain by Jules Verne. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** Benedict, poor Benedict, Mr. Benedict **First appearance:** 0000-part-i-i-the-pilgrim ## Snapshot An absent-minded entomologist who would trade every whale in the ocean for a single rare insect, and whose obsessions prove both comic relief and unexpected liability. ## Who they are Cousin Benedict drifts through the voyage in a fog of taxonomic enthusiasm, stubbornly insisting a capsized hull is a sleeping cetacean even when the evidence is plain. His single-minded pursuit of specimens makes him oblivious to danger and indifferent to the crew's mounting anxieties. Yet his peculiar expertise and wandering attention place him at the edges of the story's turning points, where his harmless mania may matter more than anyone expects. ## Relationships ### [Dick Sands](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dick_sands_the_boy_captain_se/characters/dick_sands) _social_ Cousin Benedict is an eccentric entomologist who interacts with Dick as a fellow traveler, often oblivious to danger. ### [Mrs. Weldon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dick_sands_the_boy_captain_se/characters/mrs_weldon) _family_ Cousin Benedict is Mrs. Weldon's relative, traveling with her as a somewhat absent-minded family member. ### [Hercules](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dick_sands_the_boy_captain_se/characters/hercules) _social_ Cousin Benedict interacts with Hercules as a fellow traveler, often distracted by his insect collecting. ### [Tom](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dick_sands_the_boy_captain_se/characters/tom) _social_ Cousin Benedict and Tom are fellow passengers with little direct connection beyond shared circumstances. ### [Jack Weldon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dick_sands_the_boy_captain_se/characters/jack_weldon) _family_ Cousin Benedict is Jack's eccentric relative, often amusing or ignoring him. ### [Dick Sands](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dick_sands_the_boy_captain_se/characters/dick_sands) _social_ Cousin Benedict is an eccentric entomologist who interacts with Dick as a fellow traveler, often oblivious to danger. ### [Mrs. Weldon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dick_sands_the_boy_captain_se/characters/mrs_weldon) _family_ Cousin Benedict is Mrs. Weldon's relative, traveling with her as a somewhat absent-minded family member. ### [Dick Sands](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dick_sands_the_boy_captain_se/characters/dick_sands) _social_ Cousin Benedict is an eccentric entomologist who interacts with Dick as a fellow traveler, often oblivious to danger. ### [Mrs. Weldon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dick_sands_the_boy_captain_se/characters/mrs_weldon) _family_ Cousin Benedict is Mrs. Weldon's relative, traveling with her as a somewhat absent-minded family member. ### [Tom](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dick_sands_the_boy_captain_se/characters/tom) _social_ Cousin Benedict and Tom are fellow passengers with little direct connection beyond shared circumstances. ### [Jack Weldon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dick_sands_the_boy_captain_se/characters/jack_weldon) _family_ Cousin Benedict is Jack's eccentric relative, often amusing or ignoring him. ### [Tom](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dick_sands_the_boy_captain_se/characters/tom) _social_ Cousin Benedict and Tom are fellow passengers with little direct connection beyond shared circumstances. ## In the story ### [The Pilgrim](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dick_sands_the_boy_captain_se/chapters/part-i-i-the-pilgrim) An eccentric entomologist of about fifty, obsessed with insect collecting. He accompanies Mrs. Weldon and carries a prized specimen of Staphylin Neo-Zelandus. ### [The Apprentice](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dick_sands_the_boy_captain_se/chapters/part-i-ii-the-apprentice) A passenger on the Pilgrim, accommodated near Mrs. Weldon's cabin. Mentioned as part of the group taking meals with the captain. ### [Dingo's Sagacity](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dick_sands_the_boy_captain_se/chapters/part-i-v-dingo-s-sagacity) Obsessively searches for insects on deck, disappointed by Dingo's lack of parasitic specimens; displays single-minded entomological enthusiasm. ### [A Whale in Sight](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dick_sands_the_boy_captain_se/chapters/part-i-vi-a-whale-in-sight) Benedict dismisses the whale food as uninteresting, insisting his entomological studies are confined to Hexapoda. ### [XIV: Ashore](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dick_sands_the_boy_captain_se/chapters/part-i-xiv-ashore) Obsessed with entomology, wanders off to find specimens despite warnings, and shows little concern for the group's situation. ### [Through the Forest](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dick_sands_the_boy_captain_se/chapters/part-i-xvi-through-the-forest) Wanders off repeatedly to collect insects, is threatened by Mrs. Weldon, and is eventually escorted back by Hercules. ### [Misgivings](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dick_sands_the_boy_captain_se/chapters/part-i-xvii-misgivings) Benedict is overjoyed to capture a tsetse fly, an insect he recognizes as foreign to America, inadvertently revealing the truth. ### [XVIII: A Terrible Discovery](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dick_sands_the_boy_captain_se/chapters/part-i-xviii-a-terrible-discovery) Oblivious to the danger, he is the only one who sleeps soundly, his mind detached from reality. ### [Accomplices](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dick_sands_the_boy_captain_se/chapters/part-ii-ii-accomplices) Mentioned as the 'old fool of a cousin' who was bent on finding cocuyos. ### [On the March Again](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dick_sands_the_boy_captain_se/chapters/part-ii-iii-on-the-march-again) Misplaced his spectacles and magnifying-glass; kept between Actaeon and Austin to stay in line. ### [Rough Travelling](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dick_sands_the_boy_captain_se/chapters/part-ii-iv-rough-travelling) Excitedly identifies the termite mounds and insists on their African origin. ### [White Ants](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dick_sands_the_boy_captain_se/chapters/part-ii-v-white-ants) Delivers a detailed lecture on termites, completely unaware that their presence indicates they are in Africa. ### [A Diving-Bell](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dick_sands_the_boy_captain_se/chapters/part-ii-vi-a-diving-bell) Exclaims that the termites left their home because they knew the storm was coming; sleeps soundly during the crisis; is captured and taken to the camp. ### [A Slave Caravan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dick_sands_the_boy_captain_se/chapters/part-ii-vii-a-slave-caravan) Also taken by Negoro and Harris; Dick considers him helpless and unable to assist Mrs. Weldon. ### [XII: Royal Obsequies](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dick_sands_the_boy_captain_se/chapters/part-ii-xii-royal-obsequies) His spectacles are affixed to the wicker effigy of the king, adding a grotesque and ironic touch to the funeral preparations. ### [In Captivity](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dick_sands_the_boy_captain_se/chapters/part-ii-xiii-in-captivity) Preoccupied with entomology, he is allowed to roam the enclosure and is indifferent to the captivity. ### [An Exciting Chase](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dick_sands_the_boy_captain_se/chapters/part-ii-xv-an-exciting-chase) Becomes obsessed with capturing a rare manticora beetle, follows it through a mole-track, and inadvertently escapes the enclosure without realizing his newfound freedom. ### [A Magician](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dick_sands_the_boy_captain_se/chapters/part-ii-xvi-a-magician) Missing; escaped through a mole-track, causing Alvez's rage and Mrs. Weldon's grief. ### [Drifting Down the Stream](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dick_sands_the_boy_captain_se/chapters/part-ii-xvii-drifting-down-the-stream) Taciturn and missing his manticora, but delighted by a six-legged spider brought by Hercules. ### [An Anxious Voyage](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dick_sands_the_boy_captain_se/chapters/part-ii-xviii-an-anxious-voyage) Identifies an indicator bird leading to honey, and later notes that natives eat grasshoppers, providing a food source. ### [A Happy Reunion](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dick_sands_the_boy_captain_se/chapters/part-ii-xx-a-happy-reunion) Returns to his studies but is devastated to discover that his 'Hexapodes benedictus' is actually a common spider with broken legs, causing him a fit of illness. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dick_sands_the_boy_captain_se/characters/cousin_benedict - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dick_sands_the_boy_captain_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dick_sands_the_boy_captain_se/characters