[XeTeX] using xetex in make

[Mike Maxwell]

I have a makefile that is supposed to automate a lot of the process of 
producing a .pdf file (out of a DocBook file, but that's a long story; 
suffice to say that by the time of the problem, the file exists in the 
appropriate format for xetex).  For some reason xetex works fine if I 
run it directly from the command line, but won't work if it's run inside 
of make.

Here's the make recipe:
-----------
%.pdf: %.xetex
	pwd ; \
	ls -l $^ ; \
	$(XETEX) $< -o $@
-----------
The 'pwd' and 'ls' are just in there to make sure make didn't change 
directories or something.

When I run make, this is what I get:
-----------
 > make test.pdf
pwd ; \
ls -l test.xetex ; \
/usr/share/bin/x86_64-linux/xelatex test.xetex -o test.pdf
/home/mmaxwell/Data/XeTeX
-rw-rw-r--  1 mmaxwell mmaxwell 598519 Aug 15 22:04 test.xetex
This is XeTeXk, Version 3.141592-2.2-0.996 (Web2C 7.5.6)
  %&-line parsing enabled.
entering extended mode
! I can't find file `test.xetex'.
<*> test.xetex
                -o test.pdf
Please type another input file name:
! I can't find file `test'.
<*> test.xetex
                -o test.pdf
Please type another input file name:
-----------

You'll notice that 'ls' finds the file just fine.  (I hit the <Enter> 
key after the first prompt; I'm not sure why it switches from asking for 
'test.xetex' the first time to asking for 'test' the second time.)

If I copy the command line from the above and paste it directly in to 
the bash prompt, xetex finds the input file and proceeds to run.

I suppose xetex could be expecting the file suffix to be .latex or .tex 
instead, but then why would it run OK on the bash prompt, but not inside 
make?  Nope, just tried renaming the source file and changing the recipe 
accordingly.

This is in RedHat Linux, Gnu make v3.80.  I'm running the bash shell, 
although I've tried running the xetex command using 'sh' and it works 
fine.  (I was thinking that because 'make' uses 'sh' instead of 'bash', 
this might be cause of the problem.)

Mysterification.  I've never had a problem misbehave just because I ran 
it from make.  There is a v3.81 of make...nope, just downloaded and 
built it, and I get the same result.
-- 
	Mike Maxwell
	maxwell at umiacs.umd.edu
	"Theorists...have merely to lock themselves in a room
	with a blackboard and coffee maker to conduct their business."
	--Bruce A. Schumm, Deep Down Things