Claire watched Longface stride across the compound toward an old man in a hammock. A mangy dog lying under the old man"s feet looked up as Longface neared, then lowered his head again. The men spoke for several minutes, until the old man pulled himself to his feet and limped behind Longface. Claire"s gaze went to old man"s misshapen leg, bent at an odd angle below the knee. Claire guessed it was from a fracture a long time ago. As Longface helped him sit, the old man turned to Manny and smiled companionably. The two men seemed to know each other. Finally, the old man began to speak in a slow-metered, reedy voice.
When he finished, Manny said, “He and I go back a long way, but I have never heard this tale. Anyway, here it is. He rambles on quite a bit. I will try to get to the point, thoug
