MN - 5 - Knack

The ride to the beach went quickly. Four strong oarsmen pulled on the sweeps to make the boat fly over the water. When the boat grounded, Art went ashore with his new companions. No one was talking much yet, but Art had developed the habit of watching people and sizing them up, making something of their way of holding themselves, the way they looked at others.

Most of the people he saw in this crowd he pegged as being overconfident, too sure of their own prowess. They’d each spent their lives, by the look of it, being the toughest man – or woman – in whichever local barroom they hung out in.