“Well--he's so busy! He shuts himself up all day with Braker, his secretary. The chap with the big spectacles. You see”--Kane laughed self-consciously; a naively boyish quality in him, kept him talking more eagerly than he knew--“the pater's reached the stage when he feels he ought to put himself right before the world. I guess he's been a great old pirate, the pater--you know, wrecking railroads and grabbing banks and going into combinations. Though it's just what all the others have done. From what I've heard about some of them--friends of ours, too!--you have to, nowadays, in business. No place for little men or soft men. It's a two-fisted game. This fellow spent a couple of years writing the pater's autobiography:--seems funny, doesn't it!--and they're going over it together on this trip. That's why Braker came along; there's no time at home. The original plan was to have Braker tutor me. That was when I broke out of college. But, lord!....”
Meantime the Manila Kid had sidled up to the captain.
“Say, Cap,” he observed cautiously, “wha'd you come down on Tex like that for?”
“Oh, come,” replied the captain testily, not turning, “don't bother me!”
“But what you expect us to do all this time on the river--play jackstraws?”
“I don't care what you do! Some trips they get up deck games.”
“You'll find plenty to read in the library”
“Then I guess you'll just have to stand it.”
For some time they stood side by side without speaking; the captain eying the river, the Kid moodily observing water buffalo bathing near the bank.
“Tex has got that Chinese heavyweight of his aboard--down below.”
“Yep. Knocked out Bull Kennedy in three rounds at the Shanghai Sporting. Got some matches for him up at Peking and Tientsin. Taking him over to Japan after that. There's an American marine that's cleaned up three ships'.” He was silent for a space; then added: “I suppose, now, if we was to arrange a little boxing entertainment, you wouldn't stand for that either, eh?”
“Oh, that's all right. Take the social hall if the ladies don't object. But who would you put up against him?”
“Well--if we could find a young fellow on board, Tex could tell Tom to go light.”
“You might ask Mr. Doane. He complains he ain't getting exercise enough.”