dawn light--and the words came out suddenly, as if forced from his mouth. He said, 'I saw a nagual!'
Dodson groaned. 'Not again,' and nudged his horse with his knees.
'Wait a minute,' Billy-Jack said quickly. Then to Ofelio, 'This nagual, you actually saw it?'
The old man bit his lips. 'Yes.'
'It was an animal you saw, then.'
'It was a nagual. '
Dodson said, 'You stand in the rain and talk crazy. I'm getting this over with.'
Billy-Jack swung down next to the old man.
'Listen a minute, Val.' To Ofelio, gently again, 'But it was in the form of an animal?'
Ofelio's head nodded slowly.
'What did the animal look like?'
'It was,' the old man said slowly, not looking at the deputy, 'a great stallion.' He said quickly, 'I can tell you no more than that.'
Dodson dismounted.
Billy-Jack said, 'And where did go?'
Ofelio was looking beyond the deputy toward the house. He saw the back door open and John Stam came out on the porch, the shotgun cradled in his arm. Ofelio continued to stare. He could not speak as it went through his mind: He thinks I have told them! Seeing the old man's face, Billy-Jack turned, then Dodson.
Stam called, 'Ofelio, come here!'
Billy-Jack said, 'Stay where you are,' and now his voice was not gentle. But the hint of a smile returned as he unfastened the two lower buttons of his slicker and suddenly he called, 'Mr. Stam! You know what a nagual is?' He opened the slicker all the way and drew a tobacco plug from his pants pocket.
Dodson whispered hoarsely, 'What's the matter with you!'
Billy-Jack was smiling. 'I'm only askin' a simple question.'
John Stam did not answer. He was staring at Ofelio.
'Mr. Stam,' Billy-Jack Trew called, 'before I tell you what a nagual is I want to warn you I can get out a Colt a helluva lot quicker than you can swing a shotgun.'
Ofelio Oso died at the age of ninety-three on a ranch outside Tularosa. They said about him he sure told some tall ones--about devils, and about seeing a nagual hanged for murder in Mesilla . . . whatever that meant . . . but he was much man. Even at his age the old son relied on no one, wouldn't let a soul do anything for him, and died owing the world not one plugged peso. And wasn't the least bit afraid to die, even though he was so old. He used to say, 'Listen, if there is no way to tell when death will come, then why should one be afraid of it?'
