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"I'm the leader of the caravan," said a dark-eyed, bearded man.
“我是这支商队的头领。”一个黑眼睛、蓄长髯的男人说道，
"I hold the power of life and death for every person I take with me. The desert is a capricious lady, and sometimes she drives men crazy."
“对商队中的每个人，我都有生杀予夺的权力。沙漠是个任性的女人，有时候会让男人发疯。”
There were almost two hundred people gathered there, and four hundred animals—camels, horses, mules, and fowl.
商队差不多有两百人，以及四百牲口，有骆驼、马匹、毛驴、家禽。
In the crowd were women, children, and a number of men with swords at their belts and rifles slung on their shoulders.
商队中有妇女、儿童，还有一些腰挎宝剑、肩扛长枪的男人。
The Englishman had several suitcases filled with books.
英国人则带了好几个箱子，里面装满了书。
There was a babble of noise, and the leader had to repeat himself several times for everyone to understand what he was saying.
货栈一带到处是嘈杂的人声，为了让所有人都能听明白他的意思，头领不得不把他的话重复了几遍。
"There are a lot of different people here, and each has his own God.
“这里有各种各样的人，各自心中都有不同的神明。
But the only God I serve is Allah, and in his name I swear that I will do everything possible once again to win out over the desert.
但是，我唯一信奉的神就是安拉。我向安拉发誓，将竭尽全力，求得圆满，再一次征服沙漠。
But I want each and every one of you to swear by the God you believe in that you will follow my orders no matter what.
现在，我要你们每个人都向各自心灵深处信奉的神明发誓，无论在何种情况下，都要服从我。
In the desert, disobedience means death."
在沙漠中，不服从就意味着死亡。”
There was a murmur from the crowd. Each was swearing quietly to his or her own God.
人群里响起一片窃窃私语声。大家都在低声向自己的神发誓。
The boy swore to Jesus Christ. The Englishman said nothing.
男孩向耶稣基督发了誓。英国人则默不作声。
And the murmur lasted longer than a simple vow would have. The people were also praying to heaven for protection.
窃窃私语的时间比普通的发誓要长，因为人们也在祈求上天保佑。
A long note was sounded on a bugle, and everyone mounted up.
一声长长的号音后，人们纷纷跨上各自的坐骑。
The boy and the Englishman had bought camels, and climbed uncertainly onto their backs.
男孩和英国人也已买好了骆驼，他们有些费力地爬到骆驼背上。
The boy felt sorry for the Englishman's camel, loaded down as he was with the cases of books.
男孩为英国人的骆驼感到难过，它还得驮着几箱沉甸甸的书呢。
"There's no such thing as coincidence," said the Englishman, picking up the conversation where it had been interrupted in the warehouse.
“根本不存在什么巧合。”英国人说，试图将他们在货栈里开始的那场谈话继续下去，
"I'm here because a friend of mine heard of an Arab who ..."
“是一个朋友把我带到了这里，因为他认识一个阿拉伯人，据说……”
But the caravan began to move, and it was impossible to hear what the Englishman was saying.
然而，商队启程，已经无法听清英国人说的话了。
The boy knew what he was about to describe, though:
不过，男孩很清楚英国人想说什么，
the mysterious chain that links one thing to another, the same chain that had caused him to become a shepherd,
他想说的是将一件事与另一件事联系在一起的神秘纽带。
that had caused his recurring dream, that had brought him to a city near Africa, to find a king,
就是这神秘的纽带让他重复做同一个梦，并到达了非洲附近的一座城市，接着让他在那个城市的广场上遇见撒冷，
and to be robbed in order to meet a crystal merchant, and ...
后来他的钱被偷，这使他结识了一位水晶店的老板，而后……
The closer one gets to realizing his personal legend, the more that personal legend becomes his true reason for being, thought the boy.
一个人越是接近梦想，天命就越成为他生存下去的真正理由，男孩心想。
