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The following night, the boy appeared at the alchemist's tent with a horse.
第二天晚上，圣地亞哥牽著一匹馬來到煉金術(shù)士的帳篷前。
The alchemist was ready, and he mounted his own steed and placed the falcon on his left shoulder.
等了一會兒，煉金術(shù)士便出現(xiàn)了，他騎在馬上，左肩停著那只獵鷹。
He said to the boy, "Show me where there is life out in the desert. Only those who can see such signs of life are able to find treasure."
“請把沙漠里的生命指給我看。”煉金術(shù)士說，“只有發(fā)現(xiàn)生命的人，才能找到寶藏。”
They began to ride out over the sands, with the moon lighting their way.
兩個人頭頂明亮的月光，向著沙漠走去。
I don't know if I'll be able to find life in the desert, the boy thought.
不知道我能不能在沙漠里找到生命，男孩暗自思忖，
I don't know the desert that well yet.
我還不熟悉沙漠呢。
He wanted to say so to the alchemist, but he was afraid of the man.
他本想把自己的想法告訴煉金術(shù)士，可他對煉金術(shù)士心存忌憚。
They reached the rocky place where the boy had seen the hawks in the sky, but now there was only silence and the wind.
他們來到一片石灘地，男孩就是在這里看到在天空盤旋的那兩只鷹的。此刻，四周一片靜寂，只有風(fēng)聲依舊。
"I don't know how to find life in the desert," the boy said.
“我找不到沙漠里的生命。”男孩說道，
"I know that there is life here, but I don't know where to look."
“我知道存在著生命，但我卻找不到。”
"Life attracts life," the alchemist answered.
“生命吸引生命。”煉金術(shù)士回答。
And then the boy understood.
男孩明白了。
He loosened the reins on his horse, who galloped forward over the rocks and sand.
他立刻松開馬韁繩，馬兒在沙石地上自由自在地向前走去。
The alchemist followed as the boy's horse ran for almost half an hour.
煉金術(shù)士一聲不響地跟在后面。男孩的馬走了差不多半個小時，
They could no longer see the palms of the oasis—only the gigantic moon above them, and its silver reflections from the stones of the desert.
他們已經(jīng)看不到綠洲的椰棗樹了，只有當(dāng)空一輪碩大的明月和一地銀光閃閃的巖石。
Suddenly, for no apparent reason, the boy's horse began to slow.
突然，在一處從未到過的地方，男孩發(fā)現(xiàn)自己的馬停住了腳步。
"There's life here," the boy said to the alchemist.
“這里有生命。”男孩對煉金術(shù)士說，
"I don't know the language of the desert, but my horse knows the language of life."
“我不了解沙漠的語言，但我的馬熟悉生命的語言。”
They dismounted, and the alchemist said nothing. Advancing slowly, they searched among the stones.
他們翻身下馬。煉金術(shù)士一言不發(fā)，一邊觀察巖石，一邊徐緩前行。
The alchemist stopped abruptly, and bent to the ground.
猛然間，他停住腳步，小心翼翼地彎下腰去。
There was a hole there among the stones.
地面亂石當(dāng)中有一個洞。
The alchemist put his hand into the hole, and then his entire arm, up to his shoulder.
煉金術(shù)士將手伸進(jìn)洞中，隨后將整條胳膊都探了進(jìn)去。
Something was moving there, and the alchemist's eyes—the boy could see only his eyes-squinted with his effort.
洞里有東西在動。男孩只能看見煉金術(shù)士的眼睛由于用力和緊張，瞇成了一條縫。
His arm seemed to be battling with whatever was in the hole.
他的胳膊似乎在同洞里的東西搏斗。
Then, with a motion that startled the boy, he withdrew his arm and leaped to his feet. In his hand, he grasped a snake by the tail.
然后，煉金術(shù)士猛地一跳，抽出胳膊，手中抓著一條蛇的尾巴，然后將整條蛇拖了出來。
The boy leapt as well, but away from the alchemist.
男孩吃驚得往后跳開。
The snake fought frantically, making hissing sounds that shattered the silence of the desert.
那條蛇不停地掙扎，發(fā)出咝咝的聲響，打破了沙漠的寂靜。
It was a cobra, whose venom could kill a person in minutes.
是條眼鏡蛇，其毒液能在短短幾分鐘內(nèi)致人死命。
"Watch out for his venom," the boy said.
“小心毒液。”男孩說道。
But even though the alchemist had put his hand in the hole, and had surely already been bitten, his expression was calm.
煉金術(shù)士剛才把手伸進(jìn)洞里，大概已經(jīng)被咬了，可他的臉色卻很平靜。
"The alchemist is two hundred years old," the Englishman had told him.
“煉金術(shù)士有兩百歲了。”英國人曾說過。
He must know how to deal with the snakes of the desert.
他應(yīng)該知道怎樣對付沙漠里的蛇。
