Have you seen this before?
====================================
        /var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/image//usr/share/doc/pam-1.1.4/
make[3]: Leaving directory `/var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/work/Linux-PAM-1
.1.4/doc/sag'
make[2]: Leaving directory `/var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/work/Linux-PAM-1
.1.4/doc/sag'
Making install in adg
make[2]: Entering directory `/var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/work/Linux-PAM-
1.1.4/doc/adg'
make[3]: Entering directory `/var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/work/Linux-PAM-
1.1.4/doc/adg'
make[3]: Nothing to be done for `install-exec-am'.
/bin/sh ../../mkinstalldirs
/var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/image//usr/share/doc/pam-1.1.4
/bin/sh ../../mkinstalldirs
/var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/image//usr/share/doc/pam-1.1.4
/bin/sh ../../mkinstalldirs
/var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/image//usr/share/doc/pam-1.1.4/html
test -f html/Linux-PAM_ADG.html || exit 0; \
    /bin/sh /var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/work/Linux-PAM-1.1.4/install-sh
-c -m 644 html/Linux-PAM_ADG.html html/adg-*.html \
        /var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/image//usr/share/doc/pam-1.1.4/html/
|| \
    /bin/sh /var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/work/Linux-PAM-1.1.4/install-sh
-c -m 644 ./html/Linux-PAM_ADG.html \
        ./html/sag-*.html \
        /var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/image//usr/share/doc/pam-1.1.4/html/
test -f Linux-PAM_ADG.txt || exit 0; \
    /bin/sh /var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/work/Linux-PAM-1.1.4/install-sh
-c -m 644 Linux-PAM_ADG.txt
/var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/image//usr/share/doc/pam-1.1.4/ ||
\
    /bin/sh /var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/work/Linux-PAM-1.1.4/install-sh
-c -m 644 ./Linux-PAM_ADG.txt \
        /var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/image//usr/share/doc/pam-1.1.4/
test -f Linux-PAM_ADG.pdf || exit 0; \
    /bin/sh /var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/work/Linux-PAM-1.1.4/install-sh
-c -m 644 Linux-PAM_ADG.pdf
/var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/image//usr/share/doc/pam-1.1.4/ ||
\
    /bin/sh /var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/work/Linux-PAM-1.1.4/install-sh
-c -m 644 ./Linux-PAM_ADG.pdf \
        /var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/image//usr/share/doc/pam-1.1.4/
make[3]: Leaving directory
`/var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/work/Linux-PAM-1.1.4/doc/adg'
make[2]: Leaving directory
`/var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/work/Linux-PAM-1.1.4/doc/adg'
Making install in mwg
make[2]: Entering directory
`/var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/work/Linux-PAM-1.1.4/doc/mwg'
make[3]: Entering directory
`/var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/work/Linux-PAM-1.1.4/doc/mwg'
make[3]: Nothing to be done for `install-exec-am'.
/bin/sh ../../mkinstalldirs
/var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/image//usr/share/doc/pam-1.1.4
/bin/sh ../../mkinstalldirs
/var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/image//usr/share/doc/pam-1.1.4
/bin/sh ../../mkinstalldirs
/var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/image//usr/share/doc/pam-1.1.4/html
test -f html/Linux-PAM_MWG.html || exit 0; \
    /bin/sh /var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/work/Linux-PAM-1.1.4/install-sh
-c -m 644 html/Linux-PAM_MWG.html html/mwg-*.html \
        /var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/image//usr/share/doc/pam-1.1.4/html/
|| \
    /bin/sh /var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/work/Linux-PAM-1.1.4/install-sh
-c -m 644 ./html/Linux-PAM_MWG.html \
        ./html/sag-*.html \
        /var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/image//usr/share/doc/pam-1.1.4/html/
test -f Linux-PAM_MWG.txt || exit 0; \
    /bin/sh /var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/work/Linux-PAM-1.1.4/install-sh
-c -m 644 Linux-PAM_MWG.txt
/var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/image//usr/share/doc/pam-1.1.4/ ||
\
    /bin/sh /var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/work/Linux-PAM-1.1.4/install-sh
-c -m 644 ./Linux-PAM_MWG.txt \
        /var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/image//usr/share/doc/pam-1.1.4/
test -f Linux-PAM_MWG.pdf || exit 0; \
    /bin/sh /var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/work/Linux-PAM-1.1.4/install-sh
-c -m 644 Linux-PAM_MWG.pdf
/var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/image//usr/share/doc/pam-1.1.4/ ||
\
    /bin/sh /var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/work/Linux-PAM-1.1.4/install-sh
-c -m 644 ./Linux-PAM_MWG.pdf \
        /var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/image//usr/share/doc/pam-1.1.4/
make[3]: Leaving directory
`/var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/work/Linux-PAM-1.1.4/doc/mwg'
make[2]: Leaving directory
`/var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/work/Linux-PAM-1.1.4/doc/mwg'
make[2]: Entering directory
`/var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/work/Linux-PAM-1.1.4/doc'
make[3]: Entering directory
`/var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/work/Linux-PAM-1.1.4/doc'
make[3]: Nothing to be done for `install-exec-am'.
test -z "/usr/share/doc/pam-1.1.4/html" || /bin/mkdir -p
"/var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/image//usr/share/doc/pam-1.1.4/html"
 /usr/bin/install -c -m 644 'index.html'
'/var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/image//usr/share/doc/pam-1.1.4/html/index.html'
make[3]: Leaving directory
`/var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/work/Linux-PAM-1.1.4/doc'
make[2]: Leaving directory
`/var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/work/Linux-PAM-1.1.4/doc'
make[1]: Leaving directory
`/var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/work/Linux-PAM-1.1.4/doc'
Making install in examples
make[1]: Entering directory
`/var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/work/Linux-PAM-1.1.4/examples'
make[2]: Entering directory
`/var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/work/Linux-PAM-1.1.4/examples'
make[2]: Nothing to be done for `install-exec-am'.
make[2]: Nothing to be done for `install-data-am'.
make[2]: Leaving directory
`/var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/work/Linux-PAM-1.1.4/examples'
make[1]: Leaving directory
`/var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/work/Linux-PAM-1.1.4/examples'
Making install in xtests
make[1]: Entering directory
`/var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/work/Linux-PAM-1.1.4/xtests'
make[2]: Entering directory
`/var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/work/Linux-PAM-1.1.4/xtests'
make[2]: Nothing to be done for `install-exec-am'.
make[2]: Nothing to be done for `install-data-am'.
make[2]: Leaving directory
`/var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/work/Linux-PAM-1.1.4/xtests'
make[1]: Leaving directory
`/var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/work/Linux-PAM-1.1.4/xtests'
make[1]: Entering directory
`/var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/work/Linux-PAM-1.1.4'
make[2]: Entering directory
`/var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/work/Linux-PAM-1.1.4'
make[2]: Nothing to be done for `install-exec-am'.
make[2]: Nothing to be done for `install-data-am'.
make[2]: Leaving directory
`/var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/work/Linux-PAM-1.1.4'
make[1]: Leaving directory
`/var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/work/Linux-PAM-1.1.4'
/var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/temp/environment: line 2226:
scanelf: command not found
 * ERROR: sys-libs/pam-1.1.4 failed (install phase):
 *   unable to read SONAME from libpam.so
 *
 * Call stack:
 *     ebuild.sh, line   56:  Called src_install
 *   environment, line 3509:  Called gen_usr_ldscript '-a' 'pam'
'pamc' 'pam_misc'
 *   environment, line 2227:  Called die
 * The specific snippet of code:
 *                       [[ -z ${tlib} ]] && die "unable to read
SONAME from ${lib}";
 *
 * If you need support, post the output of 'emerge --info =sys-libs/pam-1.1.4',
 * the complete build log and the output of 'emerge -pqv =sys-libs/pam-1.1.4'.
 * The complete build log is located at
'/var/log/portage/sys-libs:pam-1.1.4:20111014-213620.log'.
 * The ebuild environment file is located at
'/var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/temp/environment'.
 * S: '/var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/work/Linux-PAM-1.1.4'
 * QA Notice: command not found:
 *
 *      /var/tmp/portage/sys-libs/pam-1.1.4/temp/environment: line
2226: scanelf: command not found
====================================

Another x86 machine installs fine.  emerge --info attached.
-- 
Regards,
Mick