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When the sun had set, and the first stars made their appearance, the boy started to walk to the south.
太陽完全墜落下去，點點星光開始閃爍。此時，圣地亞哥向南走去。
He eventually sighted a single tent, and a group of Arabs passing by told the boy that it was a place inhabited by genies.
綠洲南端僅有一頂帳篷，幾個路過的阿拉伯人說，那里到處是鬼怪精靈，
But the boy sat down and waited.
但男孩還是坐下來，等了很長時間。
Not until the moon was high did the alchemist ride into view. He carried two dead hawks over his shoulder.
月上中天之時，煉金術士翩然而至，肩頭搭著兩只死去的鷹。
"I am here," the boy said.
“我在這兒。”男孩說。
"You shouldn't be here," the alchemist answered.
“你不該在這兒。”煉金術士回答，
"Or is it your personal legend that brings you here?"
“難道你的天命就是要到這里來嗎？”
"With the wars between the tribes, it's impossible to cross the desert. So I have come here."
“部落之間發生了一場戰爭。已經不可能穿越沙漠了。”
The alchemist dismounted from his horse, and signaled that the boy should enter the tent with him.
煉金術士翻身下馬，揮手讓男孩隨他進帳。
It was a tent like many at the oasis.
那帳篷與男孩在綠洲見過的其他帳篷別無二致。
The boy looked around for the ovens and other apparatus used in alchemy, but saw none.
男孩的視線搜尋著冶煉金屬的用具和爐灶，但什么也沒找到。
There were only some books in a pile, a small cooking stove, and the carpets, covered with mysterious designs.
只有幾本書立在那里，還有一只做飯的爐子、布滿神秘圖案的地毯。
"Sit down. We'll have something to drink and eat these hawks," said the alchemist.
“請坐，我去沏茶。”煉金術士說，“咱們一起把這兩只鷹吃掉。”
The boy suspected that they were the same hawks he had seen on the day before, but he said nothing.
男孩懷疑這鷹就是他前一天看到的那兩只，但是他沒說話。
The alchemist lighted the fire, and soon a delicious aroma filled the tent. It was better than the scent of the hookahs.
煉金術士點燃爐火，很快，帳篷里就飄滿了肉香，比水煙袋的香味好聞多了。
"Why did you want to see me?" the boy asked.
“您為什么要見我？”男孩問。
"Because of the omens," the alchemist answered.
“因為有預兆。”煉金術士回答，
"The wind told me you would be coming, and that you would need help."
“風告訴我你要來，并需要幫助。”
"It's not I the wind spoke about. It's the other foreigner, the Englishman. He's the one that's looking for you."
“需要幫助的不是我，是另外一個異鄉人，那個英國人，他正在找您。”
"He has other things to do first. But he's on the right track. He has begun to try to understand the desert."
“在找到我之前，他還必須先找到其他一些東西。不過他已經走在正確的道路上了。他開始觀察沙漠了。”
"And what about me?"
“那我呢？”
"When a person really desires something, all the universe conspires to help that person to realize his dream," said the alchemist, echoing the words of the old king.
“當你想要某種東西時，整個宇宙會合力助你實現愿望。”煉金術士說道，他重復的是老撒冷王的話。
The boy understood. Another person was there to help him toward his personal legend.
男孩明白了，另一個人出現在他人生的路途上，來引導他達成自己的天命。
