The Blessing Way

McKee wakes from a nightmare in a large room in an Anasazi cliff dwelling. He and Ellen have no means of escape, since the only entrance is on the roof, and Eddie pulled up the ladder. McKee recalls seeing the men’s camp just outside the entrance, and the Big Navajo had reported that a third partner thought their work could be completed by tomorrow. This report worried McKee, because his letter probably wouldn’t be needed anymore, so he attacked the Big Navajo. Rather than kill him, the Big Navajo relocated McKee’s knuckle and bandaged his hand.

McKee passed out from the pain, and when he came to in Ellen’s arms, they were alone in the dwelling. Ellen grew anxious about not making it out alive, so McKee distracted her by asking about Dr. Hall. Ellen met Hall in a university literature class after her classmates snickered at his name, Jimmy Willie Hall. Ellen pitied the man who, dressed in cowboy gear, looked out of place in the city. She chatted with Hall after class and learned he was from a ranch in New Mexico. She was fascinated by his exotic stories, and she compared their connection to Desdemona and Othello.