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Sometimes, their caravan met with another.
有时候，会在夜间与别的商队相遇。
One always had something that the other needed—as if everything were indeed written by one hand.
总有一支商队有另一支商队所需的物资，就仿佛一切真的是由同一只手写就。
As they sat around the fire, the camel drivers exchanged information about windstorms, and told stories about the desert.
赶驼人相互交换关于风暴的信息，并围坐在篝火旁，讲述沙漠里的故事。
At other times, mysterious, hooded men would appear; they were Bedouins who did surveillance along the caravan route.
还有的时候，会遇见一些戴风帽的神秘人物。
They provided warnings about thieves and barbarian tribes.
他们是为商队探路的贝都因人，给商队提供有关劫匪和野蛮人部落的消息。
They came in silence and departed the same way, dressed in black garments that showed only their eyes.
这些人一袭黑衣，只露出一双眼睛，悄无声息地赶来，悄无声息地离去。
One night, a camel driver came to the fire where the Englishman and the boy were sitting.
有一天晚上，那赶驼人来到圣地亚哥和英国人围坐着的篝火旁。
"There are rumors of tribal wars," he told them. The three fell silent.
“听说部落之间打起仗来了。”三个人都陷入了沉默。
The boy noted that there was a sense of fear in the air, even though no one said anything.
虽然谁都没说一句话，男孩却发现空气中弥漫着恐惧的气息。
Once again he was experiencing the language without words ... the universal language.
他再次觉察到了那种语言，即宇宙的语言。
The Englishman asked if they were in danger.
过了一会儿，英国人问是不是有危险。
"Once you get into the desert, there's no going back," said the camel driver.
“一旦进人沙漠，就不能走回头路。”赶驼人说，
"And, when you can't go back, you have to worry only about the best way of moving forward.
“既然不能回头，我们就只应该关心今后以什么方式行进最好。
The rest is up to Allah, including the danger."
其余的事，包括危险不危险，就都交给安拉来管了。”
And he concluded by saying the mysterious word: "Maktub."
他用那句神秘的话总结说：“马克图布。”
"You should pay more attention to the caravan," the boy said to the Englishman, after the camel driver had left.
“您得多注意观察商队。”赶驼人离开以后，男孩对英国人说，
"We make a lot of detours, but we're always heading for the same destination."
“虽然商队绕了许多圈子，却始终奔向同一个方向。”
"And you ought to read more about the world," answered the Englishman.
“而你应该多读一些关于世界的书籍。”英国人说，
"Books are like caravans in that respect."
“读书和观察商队具有同样的作用。”
The immense collection of people and animals began to travel faster.
这支由人群和牲口组成的庞大队伍开始加快行进的速度。
The days had always been silent, but now, even the nights—when the travelers were accustomed to talking around the fires—had also become quiet.
现在，大家不仅白天全沉默不语，就连夜晚也变得悄无声息了，而过去他们习惯于晚间聚在篝火旁聊天。
And, one day, the leader of the caravan made the decision that the fires should no longer be lighted, so as not to attract attention to the caravan.
有一天，商队头领决定连篝火也不点了，以免引起外人对商队的注意。
