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The two were taken to a nearby military camp.
两个人被带到了附近的一座军营。
A soldier shoved the boy and the alchemist into a tent where the chief was holding a meeting with his staff.
一名士兵将圣地亚哥和炼金术士推进了一顶帐篷，里面，一名指挥官正与他的参谋人员开会。
"These are the spies," said one of the men.
“他们是间谍。”一个人说道。
"We're just travelers," the alchemist answered.
“我们只是过路的。”炼金术士解释说。
"You were seen at the enemy camp three days ago. And you were talking with one of the troops there."
“三天前有人在敌方营地里见到过你们。而你们同其中一个士兵交谈过。”
"I'm just a man who wanders the desert and knows the stars," said the alchemist.
“我是个在沙漠里游走并熟悉星相的人，”炼金术士说。
"I have no information about troops or about the movement of the tribes. I was simply acting as a guide for my friend here."
“我可不知道军队的消息或者部落的动向。我只是给朋友带路才来到这里。”
"Who is your friend?" the chief asked.
“你的朋友是什么人？”指挥官问道。
"An alchemist," said the alchemist.
“一位炼金术士，”炼金术士回答说。
"He understands the forces of nature. And he wants to show you his extraordinary powers."
“他熟悉大自然的威力，并希望向指挥官展示他的特殊能力。”
The boy listened quietly. And fearfully.
男孩默默地听着，心里很害怕。
"What is a foreigner doing here?" asked another of the men.
“他跑到异国他乡来干什么？”另一个人问道。
"He has brought money to give to your tribe," said the alchemist, before the boy could say a word.
“他带着钱来这儿，想献给你们。”未等男孩开口，炼金术士便抢先回答。
And seizing the boy's bag, the alchemist gave the gold coins to the chief.
随后他拿过男孩的钱袋，把金币交给了指挥官。
The Arab accepted them without a word. There was enough there to buy a lot of weapons.
那阿拉伯人默默地将钱接过去。这笔钱可以购买很多武器。
"What is an alchemist?" he asked, finally.
“炼金术士是干什么的？”最后，那指挥官问道。
"It's a man who understands nature and the world. If he wanted to, he could destroy this camp just with the force of the wind."
“是熟悉自然和世界的人。如果他愿意，只借助风的力量，就可以摧毁这个营地。”
The men laughed. They were used to the ravages of war, and knew that the wind could not deliver them a fatal blow.
那些人全笑了。他们习惯了战争的力量，而风是无法阻挡一次致命打击的。
Yet each felt his heart beat a bit faster.
但是，他们的心跳都加速了。
They were men of the desert, and they were fearful of sorcerers.
他们是沙漠里的人，都畏惧巫师。
"I want to see him do it," said the chief.
“我想见识见识。”指挥官说。
"He needs three days," answered the alchemist.
“我们需要三天时间。”炼金术士回答，
"He is going to transform himself into the wind, just to demonstrate his powers.
“他将变成风，仅为向你们展示一下他的威力有多强大。
If he can't do so, we humbly offer you our lives, for the honor of your tribe."
如果他做不到，我们将乖乖地为你们的荣誉献上我们的生命。”
"You can't offer me something that is already mine," the chief said, arrogantly.
“你没有权利把已经属于我的东西拿来献给我。”指挥官傲慢地说。
But he granted the travelers three days.
不过，他同意了给旅行者三天时间。
The boy was shaking with fear, but the alchemist helped him out of the tent.
男孩吓得僵了，炼金术士架着他的胳膊，他才走了出来。
