第5部分(第5/7 頁)

eeth　as　they　plowed；　deep　countryside　where　men　were　apt　to　handle　snakes　on　Sunday　morning　and　lie　down　in　carnal　embrace　with　their　daughters　on　Sunday　night。　I　knew　their　families；　most　of　them　had　sent　Sparky　a　meal　from　time　to　time。　On　the　far　side　of　the　river；　the　members　of　the　posse　could　see　the　June　sun　glinting　off　the　steel　rails　of　a　Great　Southern　branch　line。　About　a　mile　downstream　to　their　right；　a　trestle　crossed　toward　the　coal…fields　of　West　Green。

Here　they　found　a　wide　trampled　patch　in　the　grass　and　low　bushes；　a　patch　so　bloody　that　many　of　the　men　had　to　sprint　back　into　the　woods　and　relieve　themselves　of　their　breakfasts。　They　also　found　the　rest　of　Cora's　nightgown　lying　in　this　bloody　patch；　and　Howie；　who　had　held　up　admirably　until　then；　reeled　back　against　his　father　and　nearly　fainted。

And　it　was　here　that　Bobo　Marchant's　dogs　had　their　first　and　only　disagreement　of　the　day。　There　were　six　in　all；　two　bloodhounds；　two　bluetick　hounds；　and　a　couple　of　those　terrierlike　mongrels　border　Southerners　call　coon　hounds。　The　coonies　wanted　to　go　northwest；　upstream　along　the　Trapingus；　the　rest　wanted　to　go　in　the　other　direction；　southeast。　They　got　all　tangled　in　their　leads；　and　although　the　papers　said　nothing　about　this　part；　I　could　imagine　the　horrible　curses　Bobo　must　have　rained　down　on　them　as　he　used　his　hands　…　surely　the　most　educated　part　of　him　…　to　get　them　straightened　around　again。　I　have　known　a　few　hound…dog　men　in　my　time；　and　it's　been　my　experience　that；　as　a　class；　they　run　remarkably　true　to　type。

Bobo　shortleashed　them　into　a　pack；　then　ran　Cora　Detterick's　torn　nightgown　under　their　noses；　to　kind　of　remind　them　what　they　were　doing　out　on　a　day　when　the　temperature　would　be　in　the　mid…niies　by