[fetchmail]multi-hop ssh

[Derek Broughton]

Due to "issues" with the $%^*!@#  firewall at my client's site, I can't get
out to my mailbox, directly.  So, I'm trying to use fetchmail via ssh in
two hops. This works from home:
  poll pointerstop.ca with proto imap 
    plugin "ssh pointers@%h /usr/sbin/imapd" auth ssh
    user "pointers" 

and this works (as user fetchmail)  from the client's site:
  ssh  derek@io.acad.athabascau.ca \
    'ssh pointers@pointerstop.ca /usr/sbin/imapd'
and seems to meet the criteria for a plugin: I can give it imap commands on
stdin and get results on stdout.  The ssh keys are configured correctly so
that no passwords are requested.

But this  doesn't:
  poll pointerstop.ca with proto imap 
    plugin "ssh derek@io.acad.athabascau.ca \
      'ssh  pointers@pointerstop.ca /usr/sbin/imapd'"
      auth ssh
    user "pointers" 

Syslog shows:
  socket error while fetching from pointerstop.ca

What am I doing wrong?  Is there some really good reason why I can't do it?
-- 
derek