avoiding the chief 's eye ( he had n't advanced the honor of britain all that much , especially if you took the needless fisticuffs into account ) , and wondering what in the world pat had been told ( but being too proud , and also too cautious , to ask ) , he said `` thank you , but in this game part of the game is to pretend everything 's easy , so you 'll excuse me if i just shrug , i hope . ''