And that was all Chot could get out of him. So he and Tom and Hoki went off to the creek together, speculating on what Fleet was doing, but not reaching any satisfactory conclusion.
“It may be an invention of some sort,” said Tom.
“No; I believe not,” said Chot. “Fleet is not of an inventive turn of mind. He’s a good electrician and a good general mechanic, but when it comes to originating ideas along these lines, he has never displayed any talent.”
“That’s right,” Tom replied. “Well, I suppose he will tell us about it in due time.”
At last one day Fleet came out of his den, his face wreathed in smiles, and when he went to the post office he carried a package of considerable size, which he stamped and mailed.
Then he joined in the activities with the other boys. Excursions to the woods, canoeing on the creek, with daily swims in the cool waters, served to make the time pass quickly.
Hoki was initiated into the mysteries of an athletic life. He already knew considerable of his own jiu-jitsu, and he, in turn, taught the boys considerable of this, and much of their time was spent in becoming perfect in it, as its many advantages were manifest.
Learned in connection with scientific boxing, it would prove formidable against any sort of an antagonist, they felt.
Hoki was a continual source of delight to them, his quaint manners and methods of speech causing them to laugh uproariously on all occasions. This the little Jap took good naturedly. It did not discourage him in the least. He was determined to learn thoroughly American ways and customs, and in exchange for the knowledge given him by the boys, told them many wonderful things about the land of the Mikado.
One afternoon a little incident occurred that proved beyond any doubt the Jap’s loyalty to the Comrades.