Ember (18 page)

S
o
h
e
wa
s
h
e
r
e,
in
a
str
a
ng
e
d
e
s
e
rt
in
Me
xico
,
following
y
e
t
a
noth
e
r
we
ll
-
p
a
id
guid
e
a
nd
a
b
a
nd
of
indig
e
nous
I
nd
i
a
ns
in
s
ea
rch
of
th
e
ir
holy
l
a
nd
.
H
is
n
e
w
guid
e,
M
ich
ae
l
Sm
ith
,
wa
s
a
conundru
m.
U
nlik
e
his
oth
e
r
guid
e
s
,
Sm
ith
did
not
s
eem
to
h
a
v
e
a
ny
a
g
e
nd
a
oth
e
r
th
a
n
living
fro
m
day
to
d
a
y
.
He
ll
,
Arch
e
r
m
ight
h
a
v
e
p
a
id
th
e
ma
n
h
a
lf
th
e
am
ount
,
a
nd
Sm
ith
wou
l
d
prob
a
bly
h
a
v
e
t
a
k
e
n
th
e
job
a
nyw
a
y
.
W
h
e
n
Arch
e
r
h
a
d
first
a
ppro
a
ch
e
d
hi
m,
Sm
ith
wa
s
lounging
in
a
s
ee
dy
c
a
ntin
a,
nurs
i
ng
his
wa
y
through
a
bottl
e
of
t
e
quil
a
a
nd
pl
a
ying
ch
e
ss
w
ith
a
Me
xic
a
n
I
nd
i
a
n
.

Wa
r
m
a
ir
h
a
d
drift
e
d
through
th
e
outdoor
b
a
r
,
bringing
th
e
sc
e
nt
of
fri
e
d
corn
mea
l
a
nd
ro
a
st
e
d
chili
e
s
to
A
rch
e
r’s
nos
e.
T
h
e
hu
m
of
cicadas
m
ingl
e
d
w
ith
th
e
me
l
a
ncholy
song
of
a
lon
e
guit
a
r
.
As
Arch
e
r
h
a
d
a
ppro
a
ch
e
d
Sm
ith’s
t
a
bl
e,
th
e
guit
a
rist
began
to
sing
,
as
m
ournfu
l
a
nd
w
a
rbling
as
th
e
d
e
s
e
rt
coyot
e
s
th
a
t
h
a
unt
e
d
th
e
a
r
ea.

T
h
e
bar
wa
s
n
ea
rly
d
e
s
e
rt
e
d
.
T
h
e
only
occup
a
nts
oth
e
r
th
a
n
Sm
ith
a
nd
his
co
m
p
a
nion
w
e
r
e
th
e
rotund
b
a
rk
ee
p
l
az
ing
a
g
a
inst
th
e
bar
a
nd
a
Me
xic
a
n
ea
ting
soup
at
a
n
ea
rby
t
a
bl
e.

Bo
t
h
men
l
ooked
up
and
kep
t
l
ook
i
ng
as
A
r
che
r
passed.
Pe
r
haps
it
was
t
he
ir
su
r
p
ri
se,
mo
r
e
t
han
A
r
che
r
h
i
mse
lf
,
t
ha
t

had
Sm
it
h
lifti
ng
h
i
s
head
as
A
r
che
r
app
r
oached.
A
r
che
r
got
t
he
i
mp
r
ess
i
on
t
ha
t
Sm
it
h,
wh
il
e
awa
r
e
of
h
i
s
su
rr
ound
i
ngs,
d
i
dn
’t
g
i
ve
any
t
h
i
ng
much
r
ega
r
d
un
l
ess
he
wan
t
ed
t
o.

Sm
it
h
eyed
h
i
m
no
t
w
it
h
t
e
rr
o
r
or
shock,
bu
t
w
it
h
a
so
rt
of
t
hough
tf
u
l
f
asc
i
na
ti
on.

“
Good
even
i
ng,
”
A
r
che
r
s
a
i
d
as
he
s
t
opped
be
f
o
r
e
h
i
m.
“
You
a
r
e
M
i
chae
l
Sm
it
h,
a
r
e
you
no
t
?
”

T
h
e
Ame
ric
a
n
wa
s
s
a
id
to
h
a
v
e
liv
e
d
in
Me
xico
sinc
e
P
r
e
sid
e
nt
Andr
ew
Johnson
h
a
d
s
e
nt
troops
in
to
a
id
th
e
Me
xic
a
ns
during
th
e
F
r
a
nco
-Me
xic
a
n
wa
r
b
a
ck
in
’
65.
Sm
ith
,
th
e
n
a
s
e
rg
ea
nt
,
h
a
d
don
e
his
du
t
y
,
th
e
n
pro
m
ptly
d
e
s
e
rt
e
d
.