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The travelers adopted the practice of arranging the animals in a circle at night, sleeping together in the center as protection against the nocturnal cold.
趕路的人便將牲口圍成一個圈，所有的人都擠在里邊睡覺，試圖以此抵御夜間的寒冷。
And the leader posted armed sentinels at the fringes of the group.
頭領還在商隊周圍安排了持槍的哨兵。
The Englishman was unable to sleep one night.
有一天夜里，英國人睡不著覺。
He called to the boy, and they took a walk along the dunes surrounding the encampment.
他叫醒了男孩，兩個人開始沿著宿營地周圍的沙丘散步。
There was a full moon, and the boy told the Englishman the story of his life.
那是一個月圓之夜，男孩把自己的全部經歷都講給英國人聽。
The Englishman was fascinated with the part about the progress achieved at the crystal shop after the boy began working there.
英國人被水晶店的故事吸引，尤其聽說男孩在店里工作后，水晶店生意蒸蒸日上，更是非常著迷。
"That's the principle that governs all things," he said.
“這就是推動一切事物發展的基礎。”英國人說道，
"In alchemy, it's called the Soul of the World.
“在煉金術中被稱作‘世界之魂’。
When you want something with all your heart, that's when you are closest to the Soul of the World.
當你一心一意希望得到某種東西時，就離世界之魂更近了。
It's always a positive force."
它永遠是一種積極的力量。”
He also said that this was not just a human gift, that everything on the face of the earth had a soul, whether mineral, vegetable, or animal—or even just a simple thought.
他還說，這不是人類獨有的天賦：地球上的一切事物都有靈魂，無論是礦物、植物、動物，還是一個簡單的念頭，無一例外。
"Everything on earth is being continuously transformed, because the earth is alive ... and it has a soul.
“地球上所有的事物永遠都在變化，因為地球是有生命的，并且有靈魂。
We are part of that soul, so we rarely recognize that it is working for us.
我們是這一靈魂的組成部分，可我們卻很難察知它一直在幫助我們。
But in the crystal shop you probably realized that even the glasses were collaborating in your success."
不過你應該明白，在水晶店里，就連那些水晶杯都在為你的成功加油。”
The boy thought about that for a while as he looked at the moon and the bleached sands.
男孩望著月亮和白沙，半晌沒有說話。
"I have watched the caravan as it crossed the desert," he said.
“我看到了商隊穿越沙漠向前行進。”男孩終于開口道，
"The caravan and the desert speak the same language, and it's for that reason that the desert allows the crossing.
“商隊和沙漠講同一種語言，所以沙漠允許商隊通過。
It's going to test the caravan's every step to see if it's in time, and, if it is, we will make it to the oasis."
沙漠將檢驗商隊走出的每一步，以便看看商隊是否與它完全協調一致。如果協調一致，商隊必將到達綠洲。”
"If either of us had joined this caravan based only on personal courage, but without understanding that language, this journey would have been much more difficult."
“如果我們當中的某個人勇氣十足地來到這里，卻不懂得這種語言，那么，這段旅程會更加艱難。”
They stood there looking at the moon.
他們一起仰望著月亮。
"That's the magic of omens," said the boy.
“這就是預兆的魔力。”男孩又說，
"I've seen how the guides read the signs of the desert, and how the soul of the caravan speaks to the soul of the desert."
“我目睹了領隊們怎樣閱讀沙漠中的預兆，目睹了商隊的靈魂怎樣同沙漠的靈魂對話。”
The Englishman said, "I'd better pay more attention to the caravan."
過了一會兒，英國人開口了。“我得多注意觀察商隊。”他說。
"And I'd better read your books," said the boy.
“我得多讀讀你那些書。”男孩說。
