《牧羊少年奇幻之旅》 94 二人被士兵拦住

On the following day, the first clear sign of danger appeared.

第二天，首次出现了真切的危险预兆。

Three armed tribesmen approached, and asked what the boy and the alchemist were doing there.

三名当地士兵向他们走来，询问他们到这里来做什么。

"I'm hunting with my falcon," the alchemist answered.

“我带着猎鹰来这里打猎。”炼金术士回答。

"We're going to have to search you to see whether you're armed," one of the tribesmen said.

“我们必须进行捜查，看看你们是否携带武器。”一名士兵说。

The alchemist dismounted slowly, and the boy did the same.

炼金术士慢条斯理地下了马，男孩也下了马。

"Why are you carrying money?" asked the tribesman, when he had searched the boy's bag.

“你带这么多钱干什么？”看到男孩的钱袋时，一名士兵问。

"I need it to get to the Pyramids," he said.

“为了去埃及的路上用。”男孩回答。

The tribesman who was searching the alchemist's belongings¹ found a small crystal flask² filled with a liquid,

搜查炼金术士的士兵发现了一个装满液体的小玻璃瓶，

and a yellow glass egg that was slightly larger than a chicken's egg.

还有一块比鸡蛋稍大一点的卵形黄色玻璃。

"What are these things?" he asked.

“这些是什么东西？”士兵问道。

"That's the Philosopher's Stone and the Elixir³ of Life. It's the Master Work of the alchemists.

“点金石和长生不老液。这是炼金术士们炼出的元精。

Whoever swallows that elixir will never be sick again, and a fragment from that stone turns any metal into gold."

谁要是喝了这种液体，就永远不会得病，而这块石头的一点碎片就能将任何金属变成黄金。”

The Arabs laughed at him, and the alchemist laughed along.

士兵们哈哈大笑起来。炼金术士也跟着他们一起大笑。

They thought his answer was amusing, and they allowed the boy and the alchemist to proceed with all of their belongings.

士兵觉得炼金术士的回答非常可笑，便不再为难他们，让他们带着自己的全部东西走。

"Are you crazy?" the boy asked the alchemist, when they had moved on. "What did you do that for?"

“您疯了吗？”他们走出很远以后，圣地亚哥问炼金术士，“您为什么要那样说呢？”

"To show you one of life's simple lessons," the alchemist answered.

“为了向你证实一个简单的真理，”炼金术士回答。

"When you possess great treasures within you, and try to tell others of them, seldom are you believed."

“当巨大的财富就在我们眼前时，我们却从来都觉察不到，因为人们不相信财宝存在。”

They continued across the desert.

他们继续在沙漠中赶路。

With every day that passed, the boy's heart became more and more silent.

日子一天天过去，男孩的心一天比一天平静。

It no longer wanted to know about things of the past or future;

它已经不想知道过去的或者将来的事情，

it was content simply to contemplate⁴ the desert, and to drink with the boy from the Soul of the World.

它只满足于观望沙漠，和男孩一起汲取世界之魂。

The boy and his heart had become friends, and neither was capable now of betraying the other.

男孩和他的心成了好朋友，彼此都不违背对方的意愿。

1 belongings   

n.私人物品，私人财物

参考例句：

• I put a few personal belongings in a bag.我把几件私人物品装进包中。
• Your personal belongings are not dutiable.个人物品不用纳税。

2 flask   

n.瓶，火药筒，砂箱

参考例句：

• There is some deposit in the bottom of the flask.这只烧杯的底部有些沉淀物。
• He took out a metal flask from a canvas bag.他从帆布包里拿出一个金属瓶子。

3 elixir   

n.长生不老药，万能药

参考例句：

• There is no elixir of life in the world.世界上没有长生不老药。
• Keep your mind awake and active;that's the only youth elixir.保持头脑清醒和灵活便是保持年轻的唯一灵丹妙药。

4 contemplate   

vt.盘算，计议；周密考虑；注视，凝视

参考例句：

• The possibility of war is too horrifying to contemplate.战争的可能性太可怕了，真不堪细想。
• The consequences would be too ghastly to contemplate.后果不堪设想。