he pain was tolerable。 He stood up； surprised at how quickly his leg muscles had stiffened。 A mockingbird flew out of a young cotton…wood tree； whistling raucously。 It was then McKee was suddenly struck with the dismaying thought of Miss Ellen Leon。
Almost certainly in a very few hours he would meet her and； when he did； he would have to make her believe an absolutely incredible story。 He walked slowly down the canyon； thinking of how he would tell it。 As he thought； the incident seemed first wildly ridiculous and then entirely unreal。 The canyon was filled with the cool； gray light of full dawn now。 All that had happened under the moonlight was utterly absurd； like something out of a bad melodrama； and his own role in it had been thoroughly unheroic。 Yet Miss Leon had to be told…to get her out of the canyon。 There simply was no way to explain it all without sounding like a plete fool。 McKee wished fervently that the visitor were a man。
He trudged steadily down the canyon； turning in his mind the problem of confronting the woman。 He had skipped shaving yesterday in his haste to get to Chinle and call Leaphorn。 Now the face which confronted him each morning in his bathroom mirror would be worse by two days' growth of bristles。 And the torn and dirty shirt and the scraped cheekbone certainly wouldn't inspire confidence in a female。 Neither； he thought glumly； would the improbable tale he had to tell。
When he heard the sound of the motor again； it came almost as a relief。 He was crossing the point where a large tributary canyon drained into Many Ruins and where centuries of turbulent runoff had carved the cliffs into a series of horseshoe bends。 The motor sound and its confusion of echoes seemed first to e from upstream； and then from downstream。 Before it died abruptly away he decided the vehicle might be somewhere up the tributary。 Talking Rock Canyon； he thought it was； but he wasn't sure。 In the morning sunlight the sound of the truck seemed natural and sane； reassuring him that all that had happened in the darkness had not been merely nightmare。
And now he was sitting beside Miss Leon and she was saying that she wanted very badly to see Dr。 Canfield this morning。
McKee converted his embarrassment to irritation。
〃Listen；〃 he said。 〃There's a man somewhere up this canyon who isn't acting rationally。 I think he may have done something to Dr。 Canfield。 I don't know where the hell Canfield is and I can't start looking for him until I get you out of here。〃
Miss Leon said； 〃Oh；〃 in a small voice and looked at McKee。 He noticed again that she was a very pretty woman。
She thinks I'm a nut； he thought。
〃Canfield was gone when I got back to the camp yesterday；〃 McKee went on。 〃Left me a note and signed it 'John。' His name's Jeremy。〃 Even as he said it； the explanation sounded ridiculous。 Miss Leon glanced at him。
〃What did the note say？〃
〃It said a Navajo had e by with a snakebite and he was taking him to Teec Nos Pas。〃 The text of the note now seemed pletely reasonable。 〃But why would he sign it with a phony name？〃
〃Maybe it was a joke；〃 Miss Leon said。
Maybe it was a joke； McKee thought。 If it is； I'll kill the smirking bastard。
〃I thought of that； too；〃 McKee said； 〃But last night； sometime after midnight； I saw a man sneaking up on our tent。 Had a wolf skin over his head。〃 He had planned not to mention the wolf skin； thinking it might frighten her； or merely make the entire episode seem more ludicrous。 But he blurted it out。
〃Is that how you got that awful bruise？ Did he hit you？〃
The sympathy in her voice made McKee feel about seven years old。
〃No。 No；〃 he said； impatiently。 〃I fell on a rock。〃
Miss Leon slowed the Volks and shifted into low gear to make her way across a bed of rocks。
〃Your hand's hurt； too；〃 Miss Leon said。
〃I'd like you to drive back to Shoemaker's；〃 McKee said。 〃When you get there； tell Shoemaker that something happened to Canfield and ask him to call Chinle and get the Law and Order boys to send someone in here to help look。〃
McKee made a wry face。
〃Or； if you meet Canfield on your way to Shoemaker's； just forget the whole thing。〃 He laughed。 Tell Canfield you met some kind of nut up the canyon named Bergen McKee。〃
〃All right；〃 Miss Leon said。 She glanced at the right hand held rigidly inside his shirt front。 〃How badly。。。〃
Immediately ahead of them around an abrupt bend of the canyon； there was the whining sound of a motor running at a high speed。
〃Stop a minute；〃 McKee said； but Miss Leon was already braking the car。
As he reached across with his left hand for the door handle； he brushed the injured finger and felt suddenly sick and weak as a fresh wave of pain engulfed his brain。 He swung his legs out of the Volks and sat for a moment； head down； while the dizziness passed。 He heard Miss Leon opening her door。
〃I'll go see what's going on；〃 he said。 〃You wait here。〃 He realized； with self…disgust； that the words came slowly and his voice was thick。 When he got to his feet she was already out of the car。 Let it go； he thought。 He didn't feel like arguing。
It was less than fifty yards to the canyon bend but McKee had identified the sound before they reached it。 He was almost certain it was a winch working。 His first glance around the rocky point confirmed this guess。 Some five hundred yards downstream the canyon bent sharply to the north through a narrow defile。 Here a section of the undercut cliff had collapsed； tumbling huge blocks of rimrock to the canyon floor。 Just beyond this pile of talus； McKee saw a gray Land…Rover parked。 A cable from the winch reel on its front bumper was attached to a ponderosa pine carried into the canyon by the landslide。 The massive trunk of the long…dead tree was being swung slowly across the canyon。
〃Looks like we walk out；〃 McKee said softly。
〃What in the world is he doing？〃
〃He's blocking us in with that tree。〃
〃He is； isn't he？〃 She said it in a very small voice。
McKee couldn't see the man in the Land…Rover very well。 He was wearing a black hat and there was something which might be a rifle barrel jutting at an angle out of the side window。 The high whining noise of the winching operation had apparently covered the sound of their approach。
〃Let's go；〃 McKee said。 〃We'll drive back up the canyon and find one of those run…in washes； and climb out of here。〃
The sound of the winch stopped just as they reached the car。 There was a long moment of silence as they climbed into the Volkswagen； and then the sound began again。 McKee motioned for Miss Leon to start the motor。
〃Quietly as you can；〃 he said。 〃Don't race the motor and get it into second quick as possible。〃
She said nothing； driving petently and； McKee noticed out of the side of his eye； occasionally biting her lower lip。
〃But why would that man want to block the road？〃 she asked suddenly。 〃Do you think we should just drive down there and ask him to let us through？〃
〃I don't think so；〃 McKee said。 He felt very； very tired。
〃Was that the man you saw last night？ The man with the wolf skin？〃
〃I don't know。 I guess it is。〃
A half mile up the canyon he had her turn off the ignition。 From far behind them there still came the high whine of the winch； a faint sound now。
〃Anyway； he can't follow us；〃 Miss Leon said。 She smiled at McKee。 〃He's on the wrong side of his roadblock。〃
〃That's right；〃 McKee said。 But he knew it wasn't right。 He had to work the winch from the down side because the tree top was pointing upstream。 He'll simply swing the trunk downstream far enough so he can drive past it and then re…attach his winch line from the upstream side and pull it back in place across the canyon。 He'll drive in and close the gate behind him。 McKee wondered if Land…Rovers had four…wheel drive。 He was almost certain they did。 The Land…Rover could go anyplace the Volks could go； and lots of places it couldn't。 The sense of urgency returned； and his hand and cheekbone began throbbing in harmony。
〃Is your hand broken？〃
〃No；〃 McKee said。 〃Sprained my little finger。〃
She looked at him。 The sympathy in her eyes embarrassed him and he looked away。 〃But it hurts a lot；〃 she said。 〃It would feel better if you let