thillerman.theblessingway-第8章

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　〃Maybe；〃　Leaphorn　said。　〃And　whoever　did　it　didn't　know　it　was　going　to　rain　so　they　brushed　out　their　tracks。〃
　〃But　why？〃　McKee　asked。　He　looked　around。　Here　the　body　was　sure　to　be　found　and　down　in　the　wash　it　could　have　been　buried；　probably　forever。
　〃I've　got　better　questions　than　that；〃　Leaphorn　said。　〃Like　how　did　he　die？　We　can　find　that　out。　And　then　maybe　it　will　be　who　did　it；　and　why。　Why　would　anyone　want　to　kill　the　poor　bastard？〃
　
　Chapter　7
　
　Old　Woman　Gray　Rocks　leaned　back　against　the　cedar　pole　supporting　one　corner　of　the　brush　hogan　and　took　a　long　pull　on　the　cigarette　McKee　had　lit　for　her。　She　blew　the　smoke　out　her　nostrils。　Behind　her；　the　foothills　of　the　Lukachukais　shimmered　under　the　blinding　sun…gray　mesquite　and　creosote　bush；　gray…green　scrub　cedar；　and　the　paler　gray　of　the　eroded　gullies；　and　above　the　grayness　the　blue…green　of　the　higher　slopes　shaded　now　by　an　embryo　early…afternoon　thundercloud。　By　sundown；　McKee　thought；　the　cloud　would　be　producing　lightning　and　those　frail　curtains　of　rain　which　would；　in　arid…country　fashion；　evaporate　high　above　the　ground。　He　wondered　idly　if　Leaphorn　had　been　right…if　Horseman　had　been　hiding　back　in　that　broken　canyon　country。
　He　refocused　his　eyes　to　the　dimmer　light　under　the　brush　and　saw　that　Old　Woman　Gray　Rocks　was　smiling　at　him。
　〃The　way　they　do　it；〃　she　said；　〃is　catch　the　Wolf　and　tie　him　down。　Not　give　him　anything　to　eat　or　any　water　and　not　let　him　take　his　pants　down　for　anything　until　he　tells　that　he's　the　one　that's　doing　the　witching。　Once　they　tell　it；　it's　all　right　after　that。　Then　the　witching　turns　around　and　the　man　he　did　it　to　gets　all　right　and　the　witch　gets　sick　and　dies。〃
　Old　Woman　Gray　Rocks　removed　the　cigarette　and　held　it　between　thumb　and　first　finger。　It　occurred　to　McKee　that　every　Navajo　he　had　ever　seen　smoking…including　children…used　the　same　unorthodox　grip。
　〃I　don't　think　they're　going　to　catch　this　one；〃　she　said。
　〃Why　do　you　say　that？〃　McKee　was　feeling　good　that　his　mand　of　Navajo　had　returned。　Two　days　ago　he　would　only　have　said　〃Why？〃　which　required　a　single　monosyllabic　guttural。　He　had　only　had　time　for　one　afternoon　in　the　language　lab　listening　to　tapes　and　his　pronunciation　had　been　rough　at　first。　Now　he　was　almost　as　fluent　as　he　had　been　at　twenty…seven。　〃Kintahgoo'　bil　i　noolhtah？〃　he　said；　repeating　the　question　and　relishing　the　sound。
　They　don't　think　he　lives　around　here。　He's　a　stranger。〃
　McKee　was　suddenly　mildly　interested。　He　had　been　feeling　drowsy；　the　effect　of　an　unusually　heavy　meal　（lamb　stew；　floating　in　fat；　boiled　corn；　fried　cornbread；　and　canned　peaches）　and　of　a　certainty；　established　not　long　after　Canfield　had　dropped　him　off　at　the　hogan；　that　the　woman　would　tell　him　nothing　useful。　He　had　hoped　he　would　learn　something　of　the　motivation　behind　the　witchcraft　gossip；　detect　the　sickness；　or　the　intra…family　tensions；　or　the　jealousies；　or　whatever　trouble　had　produced　a　need　for　a　scapegoat　witch。　This　hope　had　grown　when　Old　Woman　Gray　Rocks　had　proved　friendly　and　weled　him　warmly。　All　morning　long　it　had　faded。　But　there　was　nothing　to　do　now　but　wait　for　Canfield　to　stop　on　his　way　back　from　buying　supplies　to　pick　him　up。　If　there　was　serious　trouble　in　the　clan；　natural　or　human；　Old　Woman　Gray　Rocks　seemed　genuinely　unaware　of　it。　She　gossiped　cheerfully　about　minor　affairs。　The　nephew　of　an　uncle　by　marriage　had　left　his　wife　and　taken　up　with　a　woman　in　the　Peach　Tree　Clan　at　Moenkopi。　He　had　stolen　one　of　his　wife's　horses。　One　of　the　sons　of　Hosteen　Tom　had　gone　to　Farmington　to　join　the　Marine　Corps　but　they　said　now　that　he　was　working　at　the　place　where　they　mined　the　coal　near　Four　Corners。　They　said　the　Marines　didn't　take　him　because　he　didn't　do　right　on　the　papers。
　There　had　been　much　other　information。　The　winter　had　been　wet　and　early　grazing　was　pretty　good。　The　price　of　wool　was　down　a　little　but　the　price　of　mutton　was　up。　Some　of　the　nephews　had　found　jobs　at　the　new　sawmill　the　Tribal　Council　had　opened。　George　Charley　had　seen　trucks　way　over　by　Los　Gigantes　Buttes　and　the　men　told　him　they　belonged　to　an　oil　pany　and　that　Hosteen　Charley　had　better　move　his　sheep　out　of　there　because　they　would　be　shooting　off　dynamite。　Old　Woman　Gray　Rocks　thought　this　was　strange　and　McKee　had　not　felt　his　Navajo　good　enough　to　undertake　an　explanation　of　how　seismograph　crews　record　shock　waves　in　searching　for　petroleum　deposits。
　Until　now；　only　two　of　her　remarks　had　been　worth　remembering。　She　had　mentioned　that　a　man　driving　a　truck　had　stopped　her　sister's　husband　and　asked　him　about　a　road。　McKee　had　asked　her　about　that；　thinking　of　Miss　Leon's　misplaced　electrical　engineer。　The　road　had　been　the　one　which　leads　into　Many　Ruins　Canyon。　Old　Woman　Gray　Rocks　said　the　driver　had　been　a　Belacani　like　McKee　and　the　truck　had　been　pulling　a　little　two…wheel　trailer；　and　it　was　like　those　they　haul　bread　in；　with　a　door　in　the　back…which　meant　it　might　be　a　van；　like　Dr。　Hall's　van。　She　didn't　know　what　color　it　was　but　her　grandson　had　seen　it　parked　in　Hard　Goods　Canyon　three　or　four　weeks　ago　when　he　was　trapping　rabbits。　Hard　Goods　was　the　wash　that　runs　into　Many　Ruins　Canyon　about　nine　miles　up　from　the　mouth；　she　said。
　And　then　Old　Woman　Gray　Rocks　had　returned　to　the　subject　of　the　decline　of　the　younger　generation；　and　mentioned　a　cousin　of　her　nephews　had　cut　up　a　Nakai　in　Gallup　and　stolen　a　car　and　run　away。
　〃I　heard　about　that　at　Window　Rock；〃　McKee　said。　〃I　heard　his　name　was　Luis　Horseman。〃　He　checked　an　impulse　to　tell　her　that　Horseman　was　dead　and　to　ask　her　if　the　cousin　of　her　nephews　had　e　home　to　hide。　It　was　better　to　let　her　talk。
　〃That's　his　name；〃　Old　Woman　Gray　Rocks　said。　She　spit　on　the　ground。　〃He　always　acted　like　he　didn't　have　any　relatives。　Got　drunk　all　the　time　and　fought　people。　His　mother　wasn't　any　good　either。　Run　off　from　her　children。〃　She　lit　another　cigarette。
　McKee　wondered　how　far　Leaphorn's　news　had　spread。　〃Did　he　kill　that　man　in　Gallup？〃
　〃They　say　he　got　well；〃　she　said。　〃A　policeman　came　to　Shoemaker's　and　said　that；　and　said　he　should　e　in　to　talk　to　Law　and　Order。　It　would　be　better　if　he　did　that。〃
　〃How's　he　going　to　know？〃
　Old　Woman　Gray　Rocks　looked　toward　the　Lukachukais。　〃They　said　somebody　went　back　in　there　and　told　him　about　it；〃　she　said。　〃I　think　it　was　one　of　those　boys　in　the　Nez　outfit　went　to　tell　him。〃
　And　that；　McKee　thought；　will　tell　Joe　Leaphorn　that　he　guessed　right　about　Horseman　ing　home　to　hide。　And　maybe　it　will　tell　him　somebody　named　Nez　saw　Horseman　the　evening　before　his　body　turned　up。　That　gave　him　a　chance　to　return　one　of　Leaphorn's　many　favors。
　And　now　it　seemed　that　this　gossipy　woman　knew　more　about　the　witching　incidents　than　she　had　been　willing　to　admit。　He　thought　about　her　statement　that　the　Wolf　was　a　stranger。　A　few　hours　earlier　he　would　have　rejected　such　an　idea　as　incongruous。　The　witch　should　be　one　of　the　clan；　a　known　irritant　or　target　of　envy。　But　now　he　was　faced　with　a　new　set　of　facts。　There　seemed　to　be；　if　Old　Woman　Gray　Rocks　was　well　informed；　none　of　the　usual　causes　to　produce　a　scapegoat　witch。　The　cause；　when　he　found　it；　now　would　likely　be　something　isolated　and　outside　the　usual　social　pattern。　He　decided　to　pursue　this　point　very　gingerly。
　〃Who　is　the　Navajo　who　says　this　Wolf　is　a　stranger？〃　McKee　asked。
　〃I　heard　that　from　my　husband。　He　said　they　told　him　that　one　of　the　Tsosie　boys　found　the　place　in　an　arroyo　over　that　way〃…Old　Woman　Gray　Rocks　made　a　vague　gesture　with　her　lips　toward　the　Lukachukai　slopes…〃where　the　Wolf　had　camped。　It　was　a　dry　camp　and　there　was　a　spring　just　a　mile　up　the　arroyo。　If　he　lived　around　here　he　would　have　known　where　the　water　was。〃
　〃How　did　they　know　it　was　the　Wolf's　camp？〃　McKee　asked。
　They　said　to　my　husband　that　the　boot　tracks　were　the　same　tracks　that　Tsosie　Begay　found　around　his　sheep　pen　after　the　Wolf　came　there。〃
　So；　thought　McKee。
　〃Is　this　boy　of　the　family　of　Charley　Tsosie？〃　he　asked。
　〃It　is　the　son　of　Charley；〃　Old　Woman　Gray　Rocks　said。　〃He　didn't　get　married　so　he　is　still　with　the　clan。〃
　〃And　th