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The following night, the boy appeared at the alchemist's tent with a horse.
第二天晚上，圣地亚哥牵着一匹马来到炼金术士的帐篷前。
The alchemist was ready, and he mounted his own steed and placed the falcon on his left shoulder.
等了一会儿，炼金术士便出现了，他骑在马上，左肩停着那只猎鹰。
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."
“请把沙漠里的生命指给我看。”炼金术士说，“只有发现生命的人，才能找到宝藏。”
They began to ride out over the sands, with the moon lighting their way.
两个人头顶明亮的月光，向着沙漠走去。
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.
我还不熟悉沙漠呢。
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诉炼金术士，可他对炼金术士心存忌惮。
They reached the rocky place where the boy had seen the hawks in the sky, but now there was only silence and the wind.
他们来到一片石滩地，男孩就是在这里看到在天空盘旋的那两只鹰的。此刻，四周一片静寂，只有风声依旧。
"I don't know how to find life in the desert," the boy said.
“我找不到沙漠里的生命。”男孩说道，
"I know that there is life here, but I don't know where to look."
“我知道存在着生命，但我却找不到。”
"Life attracts life," the alchemist answered.
“生命吸引生命。”炼金术士回答。
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.
他立刻松开马缰绳，马儿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.
炼金术士一声不响地跟在后面。男孩的马走了差不多半个小时，
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.
他们已经看不到绿洲的椰枣树了，只有当空一轮硕大的明月和一地银光闪闪的岩石。
Suddenly, for no apparent reason, the boy's horse began to slow.
突然，在一处从未到过的地方，男孩发现自己的马停住了脚步。
"There's life here," the boy said to the alchemist.
“这里有生命。”男孩对炼金术士说，
"I don't know the language of the desert, but my horse knows the language of life."
“我不了解沙漠的语言，但我的马熟悉生命的语言。”
They dismounted, and the alchemist said nothing. Advancing slowly, they searched among the stones.
他们翻身下马。炼金术士一言不发，一边观察岩石，一边徐缓前行。
The alchemist stopped abruptly, and bent to the ground.
猛然间，他停住脚步，小心翼翼地弯下腰去。
There was a hole there among the stones.
地面乱石当中有一个洞。
The alchemist put his hand into the hole, and then his entire arm, up to his shoulder.
炼金术士将手伸进洞中，随后将整条胳膊都探了进去。
Something was moving there, and the alchemist's eyes—the boy could see only his eyes-squinted with his effort.
洞里有东西在动。男孩只能看见炼金术士的眼睛由于用力和紧张，眯成了一条缝。
His arm seemed to be battling with whatever was in the hole.
他的胳膊似乎在同洞里的东西搏斗。
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，炼金术士猛地一跳，抽出胳膊，手中抓着一条蛇的尾巴，然后将整条蛇拖了出来。
The boy leapt as well, but away from the alchemist.
男孩吃惊得往后跳开。
The snake fought frantically, making hissing sounds that shattered the silence of the desert.
那条蛇不停地挣扎，发出咝咝的声响，打破了沙漠的寂静。
It was a cobra, whose venom could kill a person in minutes.
是条眼镜蛇，其毒液能在短短几分钟内致人死命。
"Watch out for his venom," the boy said.
“小心毒液。”男孩说道。
But even though the alchemist had put his hand in the hole, and had surely already been bitten, his expression was calm.
炼金术士刚才把手伸进洞里，大概已经被咬了，可他的脸色却很平静。
"The alchemist is two hundred years old," the Englishman had told him.
“炼金术士有两百岁了。”英国人曾说过。
He must know how to deal with the snakes of the desert.
他应该知道怎样对付沙漠里的蛇。
