Chapter 4 Chapter 3 Missing

At dawn, they left the oasis in Dunhuang.When the camel trudged on the sand dunes, its rough and wide feet sank in the soft sand, and the camel bell made a screeching sound. The sand dunes divided the sunlight into several parts. One side is completely white, while the other is completely shaded, imprinted on pale, caramel-colored sand.The caravan lost its direction for a while, and couldn't tell east, west, north, south, and there were piles of bones everywhere, with camel skulls standing on top of them.Tarken turned the leader camel's head to the south, followed by a long procession.Even if the rider doesn't know how to do it, the camel knows its job.Temeraire followed like a disproportionate shepherd dog, far enough away from the camels that they would not panic too much and feel relatively comfortable, yet close enough to them that they could catch up team.

Lawrence had worried about the terrible sun, but the desert couldn't hold the heat because it was too far north.People sweat profusely at noon, it's bone-chilling an hour after sundown, and there's frost on buckets at night.Hawks feed on brown-spotted lizards and small mice that run restlessly under stones when shadows come.Temeraire ate a camel a day, and the number of camels dwindled every day, and the rest ate thin sticks of biltong, which they chewed for hours, and drank a cheap, earthy mixture of oats and toasted wheat Made crude tea.The buckets were for Temeraire, and each of them drank his daily ration from the waterskins, and every other day or so they were filled with water from small, dying wells, mostly salty; Shallow pools with willow trees were filled with water, the roots of which were rotting in the dirt, and the water was yellow, bitter, and cloudy, hard to swallow even when boiled.

Every morning, Laurence and Temeraire took Tarken high up in the air, flying to the front of the camel caravan to survey the terrain, but there was always some distorted twilight on the horizon that affected their vision.To the south, the Tian Shan mountains seemed to float in the mist, as if the blue mountains had been separated from the ground and stood on another plane entirely. "What a wild and lonely place!" said Temeraire.As much as he enjoyed the flight, the heat of the sun seemed to make his body exceptionally light, and perhaps the airbags that allowed the dragon to fly were working in another way, requiring little force to stay aloft.

During the day he and Laurence would often stop, Laurence reading to him, or Temeraire doing his best to recite some poetry, a habit they had picked up in Beijing.In Beijing, these things are considered more suitable occupations for Tianlong than participating in war.When the sun was about to set, they flew into the air and followed the sound of camel bells, and followed the guards through the dusk. "Sir," said Granby, staggering up to Lawrence when they landed, "a cook is missing." They immediately flew to the sky to look for him again, but there was no sign of the poor devil. Gale was a busy house maintainer, and quickly covered up the tracks left by the camels. Just ten minutes later, the scene here looked like Like already in the afterlife.Flying low in the sky, Temeraire listened in vain for the jingle of camel bells.Night fell quickly, and the extended shadows of the dunes merged with the darkness. "I can't see anything, Laurence," said Temeraire sadly.The stars came out, and the faint silver light of the crescent moon.

"We'll look for it tomorrow," Lawrence said reassuringly, but there was little hope of finding it.They set up camp again.Lawrence walked to the swaying bonfire, shook his head silently, and then happily took a cup of strong tea to warm his cold hands and feet. "This camel is a terrible loss." Tarken shrugged, turned away, and said cruelly but honestly.Cao Jing only loves himself.Even Su Gang, his countryman and longest acquaintance, just sighed, and then he made Temeraire sit beside the camels waiting to be grilled.For a change of taste today, camels were roasted with tea in a fire pit.

The people in the oasis towns they passed through were narrow-minded, and they were not unfriendly to strangers, but more confused.The market seemed lazy and slow, and people were all wearing black hats, smoking cigarettes and drinking strong tea in the shade, looking at them in surprise.From time to time, Tarken communicated with them in Chinese or other languages.The streets were dilapidated and not in good repair, littered with loose sand and potholed ruts.They bought bags of apricots and dried vegetables, sweet apricot cakes, and raisins, filled the sandbags with water in a clean deep well, and moved on.

In the evening, the camels began to howl, the first sign of warning.When the watchman came to Lawrence, the low clouds had swallowed up the sky full of stars. "It will take some time to get Temeraire to drink and eat," Tarken said.Two ground crews lifted the covers from behind the flat-sided wooden butts and wiped the damp, cold sawdust off the swollen leather straps.Temeraire looked down, and the two poured the ice-water mixture into his mouth.After nearly a week of practice, he didn't waste a drop of water, closed his jaw tightly, raised his head, and swallowed it.The unburdened camel looked around and found himself being led out by his companions, but he didn't know what to do.Plant and his companions, all big men, dragged it behind the tent.Su Gang pulled a knife on the camel's neck, and deftly poured the gushing blood into a large bowl.Temeraire ate dully: he was tired of eating camels all the time.

There were still fifteen bags of water under the cover, and Granby assembled the lieutenant and ensign while the crew carefully anchored the tent.The soft fine sand on the surface of the dunes has been scraped up, and even though their collars are turned up and scarves are wrapped around their mouths and noses, the sand still hits their hands and faces, making them feel a sting.The thick leather-trimmed tent, which had served them well in the cold nights, was a great relief, but now it was suffocating heat as they struggled and shoved among the camels.Even the thin leather tents they used to cover Temeraire and themselves felt suffocating for a while.

Then, the sandstorm came, hissing and attacking violently, not like the sound of rain.Even when it hit the wall of the leather tent and fell, the sound didn't stop.No one can ignore this sound, the noise rises and falls in an unpredictable rhythm, whistling for a while, rustling for a while, repeating itself, never tired of it, so they can only take a restless nap for a while, but their faces are written with fatigue. Full of tiredness.They could not risk many lights in the tent, and as the sun went down, Laurence sat by Temeraire's head in the dark, listening to the howling wind. "Some people say that the black storm is caused by the ghost of the devil." In the darkness, Tarken said.He was cutting some hides to make some new foot straps for the eagle.The eagle was locked in the cage at this time, and it could be seen clearly in the dark that it was holding its head, looking left and right. "If you listen carefully, you can hear their voices." Indeed, they could hear some low, mournful cries in the high wind, whining and muttering as if in a foreign language.

"I don't understand." Temeraire asked, looking cheerful and unfazed by the ghost of the devil. "What language is that?" "It's not the language of humans or dragons." Tarken said seriously, the lieutenants were listening, the older people pretended not to hear, Roland and Dale curled up tightly, their eyes wide open, "Those who listen Those who live too long are disorientated and disorientated. They are never found again, save for washed-out bones warning other travelers away." "Woo," said Temeraire dubiously, "I want to see a devil who can eat me." The devil would need to be of a gigantic variety, of course.

The corner of Tarken's mouth twitched, "That's why they dare not disturb us, dragons as big as yours are rare in the desert." When everyone heard this, they all leaned tightly on Temeraire, and no one said anything. to go outside. "Have you ever heard that dragons have their own language?" Temeraire asked Tarken softly after a while, when most of them were drowsy, "I always thought we only learned languages ​​from humans .” "Duza is a language of dragons," Tarken said. "There are voices in it that humans can't understand. Your voice is more an imitation of our language than your own." "Oh, will you teach me?" said Temeraire eagerly.Draconis are not like other dragons in that they retain the ability to learn new languages ​​with ease after they pass the hatching and juvenile stages. "This language is useless," Tarken said. "It is only used in mountainous areas, such as the Pamirs and Mongolia." "I don't mind," said Temeraire. "It will be very useful when we return to England. Lawrence, if we invent our own language, the government can't say we're mere animals." He added, expecting Get confirmation of your own words. "A man of judgment wouldn't say that, no matter—" Lawrence had just started, but was interrupted by Tarken's short, contemptuous laugh. "On the contrary," he said, "they'd rather think of you as an animal that doesn't speak a language like English, or at least an unremarkable animal, that you'd better develop a high pitch." As he spoke, his voice changed into a limp manner that was especially popular. "It's a very strange way of speaking." Temeraire said suspiciously, trying to repeat the last syllable a few times. "To me, this language is so special that it should speak to people. There is a difference, and it must be a particularly difficult thing to learn to speak the language. Can a translator be hired to speak exactly?" "Yes, they are called lawyers." Tarken smiled softly. "I certainly don't think it's advisable for you to imitate in this particular way." Lawrence said flatly when Tarken had recovered from his pastime. "The best you can do is impress those guys on Bond Street." , if he doesn't run away when he hears this." "This is a fact. You'd better take Colonel Lawrence as your role model." Tarken tilted his head and said, "It's how a gentleman should speak. I believe any official will agree with this point of view." In the shadows, his expression could not be seen, but Laurence felt as if he was taunting himself in a dark way, perhaps harmlessly, but irritating him. "I see you've done research on the subject, Mr. Tarken." He said something dry, and Tarken shrugged. "If necessity was a strict teacher, it was a thorough one," he said. "I found that people were always eager to deny my rights, but never gave them a convenient excuse to do so." Fire me. Slowly, you will find this problem too." He added to Temeraire: "If you want to insist on your rights, people with power and privilege will not want to share power and privilege with you. .” Lawrence said the same on many occasions, but behind Tarken's words the cynicism made them all the more true and convincing: "I believe I don't see why they don't want justice." Temeraire Not sure, and said with difficulty.Laurence found that he did not want to see Temeraire take his own advice from the bottom of his heart. "Justice is expensive," Tarken said. "That's why there is so little justice in the world, and only those few who have enough wealth and influence can get it." "Maybe it's just in some corners of the world," said Lawrence, unable to bear the words, "but thank God we have a set of laws in England that stop those with power from abusing their power and becoming tyrannical ruler." "Or it's just putting tyranny in the hands of more people," Tarken said. "I don't know what's wrong with China's system. It also has restrictions on an evil monarch. If he is really evil, people will overthrow him." . A hundred corrupt members of Parliament can also act unjustly, perhaps even more unjustly, and not so easily uprooted." "In that case, what level do you place Bonaparte?" Lawrence asked, his tone becoming more and more indignant and impolite.It's one thing to complain about corruption or propose sensible reforms, while the other mixes the British system with absolute despotism. "As a person, a monarch, or a system of rule?" Tarken asked, "I've never heard that there is more injustice in France than anywhere else. Choose to be injustice to the nobility and the rich and benefit the common people system, that's a lunatic. Still, it doesn't seem so bad to me, or, for that matter, might go on for a long time. As to the rest, I respect your judgment, sir. You'll do it for Who goes to the field? The noble King George or the Second Adjutant of Artillery from Corsica?" "I will obey Lord Nelson," said Lawrence. "I am sure no one will say that he preferred Bonaparte to honor, but he gave his talents to the country and the king, and took their rewards with ease. , instead of making yourself a tyrant." "So giving an example must kill all controversy, in fact, I'm ashamed to be the result of any awakening." Tarken's feeble smile was now clearly visible.Outside, it was getting brighter, "I think we took a break from the storm, I'm going to go out and see the camels." He wrapped the mask around his face a few times, pulled the hat down, and pulled on the gloves , put on the cloak, and then walked out of the tent along the side with a cat. "Laurence, but the government must listen to us, because there are so many dragons." After Tarken walked out, Temeraire turned to his real concerns and asked. "They should listen!" Laurence said without thinking, still sullen and angry, and he regretted it as soon as he said it: Temeraire wished so much to be free from doubt.Temeraire brightened at this, and said, "I believe it must be so." However much the previous conversation had disappointed him, it was of no use now. The storm lingered for another day, and the wind was so strong that it pierced many holes in the leather of the tent in a short while.They tried their best to patch the hole from the inside, but sand still came through the gap.As they chewed the cold, dried meat, the dust scraped onto their clothes and food, making it uncomfortable.Temeraire sighed, shaking his body from time to time, sand cascading from his shoulders and wings - there was already a layer of sand inside the tent. Lawrence didn't know when the storm would stop.When the stillness of night came, they both fell asleep, and for the first time in days they actually fell asleep.He was awakened by the satisfying scream of an eagle outside. He staggered out of the tent and found a camel lying beside the campfire pit with a broken neck. Fresh meat torn from the top. "A tent is not fully covered," Tarken said behind him.Lawrence didn't immediately understand what he meant. He turned around and saw eight camels standing loosely at the edge of a pile of hay, their legs stiff and trembling from the long hours tied there.The tent that sheltered them remained standing, tilted to one side from the accumulation of sand.The second tent was gone except for two iron stakes still deeply rooted in the ground, only fragments of brown leather left, swaying in the wind. "What about the rest of the camels?" Lawrence asked with a trace of fear in his heart.Immediately he sent Temeraire high into the air, and the others shouted in different directions, but it was all in vain.The wind that washed everything left no trace, no sign, not even a bloody hide. By noon, they had given up their search and started back to camp in desperation to gather their gear.Seven camels were lost, along with the buckets they carried to add weight and stabilize them. "Can we buy some camels in Chechnya?" Lawrence asked wearily, wiping his eyebrows with his hand.He hadn't seen many animals on the streets of the town, where they had been gone for nearly three days. "There are some difficulties," Tarken said. "The camels are very rare there, and people charge a lot. Some people may object to selling healthy animals to people for food. In my opinion, we can't go back." Seeing Lawrence's skeptical Eyes, he added: "I set the number at thirty, which is relatively large, in case of accidents. This is worse than I expected, but we can still control it until we reach the Keriya River. We have to quantify Divide the camels, fill Temeraire's buckets in the oasis as much as you can, drink as little as you can, of course it's not going to be good, but I swear I can do it." These words were quite seductive, and Lawrence didn't want to waste any more time.Three days to return to Chechnya, possibly losing time there to acquire new load animals, while having to find food and water for Temeraire in a town not accustomed to supporting any dragon, even one much smaller than himself, Of course, this will take at least a week.Tarken looked confident, however... Lawrence pulled Granby into the tent and discussed privately: considering that it was best to keep their actions as secret as possible, so as not to add useless anxiety to the situation in Europe, Lawrence did not tell the other team members the purpose of their operation, but Convince everyone that they returned by land only to avoid long waits in port. "A week is long enough to get a dragon's egg from a camp somewhere," said Granby anxiously. "Gibraltar—Malta's outpost—could be the difference between success and failure. I swear to you, for this chance, All of us are willing to endure hunger and thirst, and Tarken does not tell us of the real adventure of thirst." Suddenly Lawrence said: "Do you trust his judgment in this matter?" "Certainly more reliable than any of our judgments." Granby asked suspiciously. "What do you mean by that?" Lawrence didn't know how to put into words his unease, in fact he hardly knew what he was worried about. "I just don't feel like I'd want to put all of our lives in his hands," he said. "Traveling a few more days and we'll be off the border of Chechnya, with the current equipment, if he goes wrong ..." "Well, his advice has been good so far," said Granby, a little uncertainly, "but I can't deny that sometimes he behaves in a queer way." "He was out of the tent for a long time during the storm," Lawrence said calmly. "Just after the first day, halfway there, he said he went to check on the camels." They stood there silently. "Maybe we can find out how long the camel has been dead," Granby suggested.They decided to check it out, but it was too late.Su Gang had already propped up the remaining meat of the dead camel and roasted it on the fire. At this time, the meat had already turned black, so he couldn't tell them any answer anyway. After discussing it, Temeraire said: "It's a pity, but I don't mind eating it every other day, especially if the camel must be eaten." He added in a low voice, "Very well, let's move on." Despite his misgivings, Lawrence decided to go.Temeraire finished his food, and although the sky was still gloomy after the storm, they continued on slowly across the land.After the ravages of the storm, the shrubs and plants have been blown away, and even the colorful pebbles scattered everywhere have been blown away, leaving only sand and no other colors.At this time, they even hoped to meet even a creepy pursuer, but no, there was nothing to guide them except the compass and Tarken's instinct. They walked slowly, the desert dying away mile by mile, long dry days followed by dread and monotony.There is no sign of life, not even a collapsed ancient well.Most of the party rode on Temeraire and followed the trail of the little caravan that remained.Even Temeraire's head drooped when it was dark, and he had only half the usual water supply. "Sir," said Digby, opening his parched mouth and holding out his finger, "I see something black there, though not very large." Lawrence saw nothing, it was late.The long shadows cast by the piled stones and the broken stumps of the desert in the setting sun were eerie, but Digby had a keen eye, the surest lookout, and no exaggeration.So they continued walking towards the shadow.Before long, they were able to see the round black spot, but it was too small to be a wellhead.Tarken stopped the camel next to him and looked down as Laurence slid off Temeraire's neck and made his way there.Here is a missing bucket lid, thrown incongruously on top of the sand.They had walked thirty miles in the open desert since they left camp in the morning. "Eat your rations." Lawrence said resolutely. He saw that Roland and Dale just half put the biltong in their mouths. They were both very hungry, but it was painful to keep chewing with dry mouths. Now they had to Not to sneak a drink from Temeraire's bucket.Another long day passed, and they still hadn't found the well.To reduce the loss of water during cooking, Temeraire had begun eating camels raw. Two days later, they stumbled upon a dry and cracked irrigation channel, and following Tarken's advice, they followed it north in the hope of finding some water at the source.Dead plants still hung withered and curled leaves, and gnarled twigs felt as dry and light as paper.They continued on, and in the haze of the desert, the entire city appeared in front of them. The broken wooden sticks protruding from the sand, after years of strong winds, have become pointed tree stumps; ; the remnants of buildings swallowed by the desert; the river beds that once supported life are now filled with mud; no living things can be seen as far as the eye can see, only the same brown desert turf grows on the top of some sand dunes, and camels rush hungry. Go up and eat. Another day, and they would have no hope of returning. "I'm afraid this is a harsh place in the desert, but we will find water soon." Tarken carried a pile of broken wood and set up a bonfire, and said, "Fortunately, we found this city. We must be traveling on an ancient road now." on the road." Bright flames danced and crackled, and the dry wood quickly blazed.Among the ruins and ruins of the city, the warm sunshine was comforting, but Lawrence stepped aside, brooding.His map was useless, with no road signs, nothing to see for miles.Especially seeing Temeraire suffering hunger and thirst, he was distraught. "Please don't worry, Laurence, I'm fine," Temeraire assured him, but his eyes couldn't hide the longing in his heart, and he kept looking at the remaining camels.Seeing that he was extremely tired every day and his tail often dragged on the ground, Lawrence was heartbroken.Temeraire didn't want to fly, but plodded along behind the camel, often needing to lie down to rest. If they returned in the morning and Temeraire had enough to eat and drink, they might fill him with two casks of water, butcher an extra camel for him to carry, and fly back to Chechnya by air as best they could.Laurence thought that if Temeraire had less weight and had enough food and water, he could fly back there in two days.He would take the youngest of the crew: Roland, Dale, and the ensign, who would drag the others down and require Temeraire to carry less water.Although he was reluctant to leave the others behind, he calculated that the remaining four camels would carry enough water to return to Chechnya by land if they traveled twenty miles a day. Then again, money was an issue.Even if he could see the camels, he wouldn't have that much silver to buy a whole herd of animals, but perhaps he could find someone who would risk a check and pay him a higher rate, or they could exchange some labor.In the desert towns, where they rarely saw living dragons, Temeraire's power was able to accomplish many tasks quickly.Worst case, he would trade the gold and jewels off the hilts for them, and if he could find a buyer, he could sell the china.God knows how long this would take: weeks if not a month, and great risks.When Lawrence finished his shift and went to bed, he was still sullen and unresolved.Before dawn Granby shook him awake and said: "Temeraire heard noises which he thought were horses." Light was slowly creeping up on top of the low dunes outside the town.In the distance, there is a group of people riding on bushy ponies.When Laurence and Granby saw it, five or six more men on horseback had reached the top of the dunes to join them, carrying short cutlasses in their hands, and others with bows. "Pull up the tent and gather the camels together." Lawrence said with a sad expression, "Digby, gather Roland, Dale and the other lieutenants and stand by the camels. You must not let the camels get lost. The rest Wrap around the equipment and get back to that wall over there—that's the broken wall," he said again to Granby. Temeraire sat down. "Are we going to have a war?" he asked, looking eager for war rather than frightened. "Those horses should taste good." "I mean be ready and let them see, but we're not going to take the initiative," Lawrence said. Will show them the flag of truce. Where's Tarken?" Tarken was gone, and the eagle was gone, and a camel was gone, and no one saw him go.At first, Lawrence felt a bit of shock, a feeling that outweighed his previous suspicions, a blaze of anger, then fear.They have traveled far, another camel has been stolen, which means they will not be able to return to Chechnya, and the beams of flames last night may have attracted the attention of these enemies. He made up his mind, and said, "Very well, Mr. Granby, if any of them know a little Chinese, I'll raise a flag to them. We'll see if they can understand us." "You can't go over by yourself," said Granby at once, but in this case there was no need for any quarrel.Suddenly the rider turned around and moved away, disappearing behind the dunes, the neighing of the horses fading away. "Oh," Temeraire said disappointedly, and dropped his head under his legs again. The rest of them stood uneasy for a moment, alert, but the rider did not appear. "Lawrence," said Granby calmly, "I think they know the place, we don't, and if they try to catch us, they'll do something about it, go away now and wait for the night to attack. Once camped, it's not waiting for us Position them, and they're on the attack, perhaps doing something wrong with Temeraire. We shouldn't just let them slip." "More importantly," Lawrence said, "the horses didn't carry much water." They followed the deep hoofprints to the southwest and climbed some hills.The hot wind was blowing in the face, and the camel let out a low moan, and quickened its pace without being instructed.As they climbed the next slope, they saw unexpectedly before their eyes the narrow green tops of poplars, whose leaves swayed in the wind and seemed to beckon to them. This oasis, hidden in a crevasse, looks like just another lye-smelling pool, mostly mud, but for all, it's a hopeless hope.The riders were all clustered on the far edge, and their horses circled anxiously, their eyes rolling, as soon as Temeraire appeared.Tarken and the stolen camel stood between them.He walked up to them, as if he didn't think he had done anything wrong, and said to Lawrence, "They told me they saw you, and I'm glad you followed." "Really?" Lawrence asked. The words made him pause for a moment, and he looked at Lawrence, the corners of his mouth curled up, and said, "Follow me." Still holding pistols and swords in their hands, they followed him along the winding edge of the pond. .Next to the green sand dunes, there is a huge arched building of mud bricks, the same color as straw after the grass has turned yellow, with only an arched opening to look into.There was a small window on the opposite wall through which the sun lit the room, which was filled with glowing water. "You can widen the opening and let him drink, but be careful not to bring the roof down," Tarken said. Laurence watched the men on horseback across the oasis warily, and Temeraire stared at their backs. Laurence sent Plant, the ordnance maintainer, and the two taller lieutenants to help.Armed with heavy mallets and some probing sticks, they quickly slapped bricks away from the rough edge of the opening, big enough for Temeraire to thrust his mouth in excitedly and gulp down his drink.He raised his wet nose and licked the drops away with his long, narrow forked tongue. "Oh, it's so delicious! It's so cool!" he said with relief. "They were piled up with snow in the winter," Tarken said. "Most of them are not used and empty now, but I hope we can find one here. These people are from Yutian, we are on the way to Hotan, In four more days we shall be able to reach the city. Temeraire can eat as much as he pleases, and there will be no need for rationing." "Thanks, I'd rather be more cautious," said Laurence. "Ask the people if they can sell us some animals. I'm sure Temeraire would like a change from eating camels all day long." There was a pony with a lame leg, and its owner was willing to exchange it with him for five taels of silver. "What a lion's mouth," Tarken grumbled. "He can't get that price again." But seeing Temeraire happily enjoying the delicious food, Laurence thought it was worth it.The seller, too, watched with pleasure the fate of the goods. He got behind another horseman, and four or five others immediately left the oasis, heading south into the rising mist.The rest of the riders stayed there, burning hot water for tea over some small grass fires, and peeked across the pond towards Temeraire.Temeraire was lying in the shade of the poplar, snorting occasionally, but otherwise in a vague sleep.They might just be worried about the horses, but Lawrence began to worry that he would give the riders so much money so easily, it would make them think they were rich and stimulate their greed, so he asked his men to keep an eye on each other's movements, only the two of them together Only when you are a companion can you go to the mouth to drink water. What made him feel relieved was that after the light gradually faded, the riders tore down the tent and left. Along the way, the horseshoes galloped, and dust was everywhere, forming a thin layer of mist in the dim light.Finally, Lawrence walked to the opening by himself, knelt by the side, and put the ice-cold water directly into his mouth. The water was very fresh, purer than any water he had ever drank in the desert, only because of the hidden earth bricks that had always existed. Medium, so a little earthy.He put his wet hands on the back of his face and neck, wiped off the yellow-brown dirt that had accumulated on his skin, and drank a few handfuls of water as if tasting nectar, then stood up again and inspected the tent they were setting up. The bucket was filled again and became heavy again, only the camel was not too pleased about it, but not unhappy either.Instead of blowing and kicking as they usually do while loading, they calmly accepted their duties and eagerly poked their heads out into the tender green bushes beside the water.The spirits were high, and the younger ones even used a dry twig as a bat and a pair of rolled up socks as a ball on a freezing night.Although Lawrence had ordered them to pour out all liquids and fill them with water before entering the desert, he still saw flasks being passed around which must have contained something heavier than water.Plus, they had a great meal.在水边上，他们找到了一些野生的洋葱，苏刚把干肉和谷物以及洋葱放在一起做了炖菜，并说这菜非常适合人类消受。 塔肯拿到了自己的一份，在远一点的地方支起了小帐篷，低声地跟鹰说话，鹰吃了两只青蛙和两只迟钝的老鼠，然后被包在了笼子里，一动不动地待在他的手中，沉默无语。这种孤立并不完全是他所愿意的。劳伦斯没有对手下人谈起他的猜疑，但那天早上，他对塔肯失踪所表现出的愤怒即使不说，谁也都能看出来。无论如何，没有人会理解他以这种方式突然离开。最糟糕的是，他可能故意让他们陷入困境。当然，如果没有骑马人偶然给他们留下的踪迹，他们也不能独自发现这片绿洲。他可能想抛弃他们，让他们陷入无法预知的命运中，而偷走一头骆驼和足以维持生命的水逃命。发现绿洲后，他可能会回到他们的队伍中，但他的离开只是为了在前面侦察吗？劳伦斯无法相信，为什么一个招呼也不打？难道也不需要一个同伴？如果不能完全证明判断有误，这些答案都不令人满意。 如何处置他也是一个难题：尽管劳伦斯不愿意和一个不能信赖的人前行，但没有导游，他们将无法前进。而且他无法想象如何找到另外一个可以做导游的人。至少，他下定决心，到达玉田后再作决定。即便塔肯不想为他们做更多的事情，他不能把这个人独自扔在沙漠里，至少在证据不足的情况下不能这么做。这时，塔肯独自一人在一处。当手下人开始打算睡觉时，劳伦斯平静地安排格兰比加强对骆驼的警戒，让手下人认为只是担心骑马的人返回来。 太阳落下去后，蚊子围着他们嗡嗡叫着，甚至用手捂住耳朵也无法挡住尖细的噪声。突然传来了一声解脱的嚎叫，很显然是人的声音，接着骆驼叫了起来，四处乱窜。营地中央传来了马的顿足声，还有骑士大声下命令的声音。地上，篝火的灰烬被长长的粗筛般的树枝拖得散落开来。 泰米艾尔从帐篷后坐了起来，大声吼叫着，骆驼全都更加疯狂地在足枷里挣扎，许多小马嘶叫着跑掉了。劳伦斯听到枪声从各个方向传了过来，白色的枪火在黑暗中闪过。“该死，不要浪费子弹！”他咆哮着，抓住了脸色苍白、惊慌失措的年轻的艾伦，此时他用颤抖的手拿着枪，向帷幄后哆哆嗦嗦地退去，“放下，如果你不能使用它的话。”劳伦斯说。枪落下时，他刚好接住。这个男孩跌倒在地，血从肩膀的枪伤处流了出来。 “凯恩斯！”劳伦斯喊道，把虚弱的男孩推到外科医生的臂弯里。他拿出剑，冲向骆驼，卫兵都无用地瘫倒在地，刚从醉酒的睡梦中惊醒的人睡眼蒙眬，两个空空的扁酒瓶“啪嗒”一声掉在地上。迪格比正紧挨着动物群，踉踉跄跄地护住骆驼，这是唯一一个有用的人，尽管他瘦弱的身体几乎无法把它们制伏，他在缰绳的另一端又蹦又跳，一头蓬乱的金发又长又脏，随着他的跳动四散开来。 其中一个袭击者，从因恐惧而发狂的马上摔了下来，如果他能够到达围牲畜旁，把绳子割断，将骆驼释放出来，就完成了一半工作。因为在当前混乱和恐惧的状态下，骆驼肯定会直接逃出营地，马背上的袭击者可以把他们再聚拢起来赶走，消失在周围沙丘形成的小山和峡谷中。 值班的中尉萨利尔一只手正摸索着手枪，尽力把枪举起来，另一只手揉搓着粘着的眼睛。就在此时，一个人举起马刀向他袭击过来。突然，塔肯出现了，从萨利尔松弛无力的手中把枪拿了起来，直接射向了袭击者的胸膛，那个人举着长剑，跌倒在地。另外一个袭击者从马背上向他头上砍去，塔肯沉着地蹲下，切开了马的腹部，马嘶叫着，跌跌撞撞地冲了出去。那个人被颠簸下来，大声嚎叫着，劳伦斯把手中的剑挥了下去，一次，两次，两个人都安静了下来。 “劳伦斯，劳伦斯！这里！”泰米艾尔喊道，黑暗中，他向一个供给帐篷中吹了一口气，火的红色残留物发出了一些微光，足以看到在边上移动的身影，那是后腿立起、喷着白气的马的轮廓。泰米艾尔用爪子把帐篷撕裂，帐篷在一个人的身体周围倒塌，其他骑马人都突然跑了。当他们从坚硬的营地逃到松软的沙土上时，发出安静的、像被蒙住的嗡嗡声，这时，只剩下蚊子又开始哼哼地唱起歌来。 他们清点了一下，解决了五个人和两匹马，损失了一位中尉麦克唐纳。他曾经举起马刀冲向马的腹部，但现在只是平静地躺在帆布床上喘着粗气。年轻的艾伦，当马在旁边嘶叫时，和他睡在同一个帐篷里的哈利痛苦地开了一枪，现在正在角落里平静地抽泣，直到凯恩斯用无礼的方式告诉男孩：“不要像个喷壶一样，你最好搞明白，像那样的一枪不会杀死任何人。”然后就派他为少尉切断绷带。 “麦克唐纳是一个坚强的家伙。”凯恩斯平静地对劳伦斯说，“但我不会给你任何虚假的希望。”黎明前几个小时，他发出哽咽的叹息声，死了。在离水池远一点的杨树阴下的干燥地上，泰米艾尔为他挖了一个墓穴。坑挖得很深，以防沙尘暴把尸体吹出来。他们把另外的人埋在一个浅一点的巨大墓穴里。袭击者以鲜血的代价得到很少的回报：一些餐具、一袋子谷物和几张毛毯。一个帐篷在泰米艾尔发动袭击时被毁掉了。 “我想他们不会再进行一次尝试了，但我们最好尽快离开。”塔肯说，“如果他们把一个关于我们的虚假报告带回和田的话，我们在那里就会遇到麻烦。” 劳伦斯不知道该怎么来看待塔肯：他不是活着的最厚颜无耻的叛变者，就是最复杂的矛盾体，或者自己的猜疑完全不公正，自己误解了塔肯。在这次战争中，在他身边没有懦夫，只有两边恐慌的动物，袭击者的目的只是财物，塔肯可以平静地闪避，或者甚至为强盗们让路，在混乱中为自己抓到一头骆驼。然而，一个人能够拿起剑，说明他非常勇敢，不过，这对了解他的性格帮助并不是很大。劳伦斯为自己有这样的想法感到尴尬和不快。 然而，他将不会错过进一步的机会。如果四天后，他们能够像塔肯确定的那样到达玉田的话就最好了，但如果塔肯的承诺不能兑现，劳伦斯也不会让自己陷入饿死的境地。幸运的是，在狼吞虎咽吃完两匹死马后，泰米艾尔现在可以有两天时间不再去找骆驼的麻烦了。晚上，吃了第三只后，劳伦斯把他带到高空，他们看到了远处狭长的克里亚河流正在落日余晖照耀下波光粼粼，把沙漠一分为二，像是给它戴上了厚重而翠绿的植物花环。 晚上，泰米艾尔高兴地吃了骆驼，所有人都喝足了水。第二天早上，他们很快就到达了有农田的地方，四周都是比人还要高的大麻，随风飘荡着。田地是方形的，整齐划一，像是固定在沙丘上一样。在通向巨大沙漠城市的路上，还有巨大的桑树林，微风吹拂之下，叶子发出飒飒的声音。 市场被一分为二，一边是用骡子或小马拉的运输和购物用的四轮车，上面绘着彩画，许多车子上还飘着彩色的羽毛；另一边是一些用白杨枝做构架、通风好的棉帐篷，这是一些店面。一些小龙戴着明亮的珠宝饰物陪伴在商人旁，抬着头惊奇地看着泰米艾尔走过来。他同样满怀兴趣地看着他们，发出贪婪的目光。 “这是锡和玻璃。”劳伦斯匆忙地说，希望能够阻止泰米艾尔的目光，渴望他能同样理智地掩饰自己的情绪，“这些不值一提。” “噢，但是非常可爱。”泰米艾尔遗憾地说，在一个缀着玻璃珠子的长链子的饰物前，他挪不开脚步了。这个混合着紫红色和青铜色的冠状头饰，耀眼夺目，非常吸引人。 和他们遇到的骑马人一样，这些人的脸更像是土耳其人，而不像是东方人。在沙漠强烈的光照下，他们的脸都晒成了胡桃色，但那些戴着厚厚面罩的女人，只把手和脚露在外面。另外一些女人没有盖住脸，但戴着和男人一样的四角帽子，只是用染色的丝绸镶了华丽的边，正睁大黑色的眼睛吃惊地看着他们，和男人一样兴致勃勃。劳伦斯朝年轻的步枪兵邓恩和哈克利严肃地瞪了一眼，他们正举起手向穿过街道的年轻女人飞吻。看到这个眼神，他们马上负疚地把手放下了。 在集市的每个角落里都堆着货物。结实的棉帆布袋子堆在地上，里面装满了谷物、珍贵调味品和干蔬菜；成捆的丝绸上画着不像花也不知道是什么意思的奇怪的图案；还有一些漂亮的箱子，拱形箱壁用珠宝装饰着闪闪发光，上面还镶嵌着线条流畅的青铜条；明亮的铜壶挂在那里，为了让水冷却，白色的圆锥形的瓶子装了一半水放在地上；尤其引人注目的是，在许多木制的架子上放着一排令人印象深刻的刀具，刀柄制作精美，上面镶嵌着珠宝，刀刃细长弯曲，看上去非常漂亮。 一开始，他们神情紧张地走在集市的街道上，眼睛盯着阴影处，但他们担心的另外一次伏击并没有发生，当地人只是笑着从货摊后向他们招手，甚至龙们也发出邀请，让他们过来看看，买点什么，有些甚至吹着笛子，泰米艾尔不时停下来，尝试着用塔肯开始教给他的龙的语言进行一些回应。当泰米艾尔走过一个中国人脸孔的商人边上时，这个商人从货摊后走了出来，跪在地上，以示恭敬，同时困惑地看着其他人。 塔肯准确无误地领着他们穿过龙聚集区，绕过一个有着精美彩绘的小清真寺，寺前挤满了人，甚至还有一些龙也都跪伏在柔软的丝绸垫子上。走到市场边缘，他们到达了一个巨大的亭子里，这个亭子用高大细长的木柱支撑着，上面是用帆布做的顶子，周围到处都是白杨树形成的阴凉地。这个亭子很大，不仅能够容纳所有的人，甚至泰米艾尔都能舒服地在里面休息。劳伦斯用日渐减少的银币为泰米艾尔买了几只羊做正餐，他们自己则吃羊肉、洋葱和潮湿的甜葡萄炖成的肉饭，还有烤面包片，喝柠檬水。 “明天我们把剩下的骆驼卖掉。”把所剩无几的东西收拾好后，塔肯说。大家在亭子里安置好后，都舒服地在毯子或垫子上打着瞌睡。他正用苏刚扔掉的羊肝喂鹰，“从这里到喀什葛尔，绿洲之间的距离并不远，我们只需要带够一天的水就行了。” 没有什么消息比这个更受欢迎了，人们马上对他们的安全穿越有了巨大的信心，身体和精神上都恢复过来，劳伦斯却打算留有一点余地。找到另外一个向导需要花费时间，周围的白杨树飒飒地响着，提示他时间已经很短暂了：树叶开始变成金黄色，这表明秋天已经到来了。 “你和我走一会儿吧。”当塔肯把鹰放进笼子里，悬挂好后，他对塔肯说。他们一起走了一段路，回到了市场的巷子里，商人们开始把东西打包，把麻布袋展开，盖在货物上，准备离开。 街道繁忙而拥挤，但大家听不懂英语。劳伦斯在最近的阴暗处停了下来，向塔肯转过身来，塔肯脸上流露出疑惑的表情，“我希望你明白我想对你说什么。”劳伦斯说。 “上校，对不起，我不知道，我不得不麻烦你解释一下。”塔肯说，“但是可能这样最好，可以避免为什么你不愿意对我坦诚相见。” 劳伦斯停了停，这对他来说，是又一次半嘲弄性质的更加狡猾的表现，因为塔肯不是傻瓜，在四天里，他并没有完全避开大家的视线。“那我不得不说。”劳伦斯更加尖锐地说道，“到目前为止，你已经把我们成功地带到这里，对于你的付出，我不会不领情，但内心里，我对于你在沙漠中不打招呼抛弃我们的行为感到很不满。” “我不想听什么借口。”看到塔肯眉毛抬了起来，他加了一句，“当我不知道是否该相信这些借口时，我认为借口没有用。但我要你发誓，没有得到允许，你不能再次离开我们的帐篷——我不想再发生不打招呼就离开的情况。” “嗯，对不起，我无法让你满意。”塔肯想了一会儿说，“除了责任感外，我从来不希望让你认为做了一个赔本的买卖。如果你愿意，我非常乐意就此分手。你可以在一周或两周，或许三周后找到一个当地的导游，但我相信这也并不意味着什么，你当然仍旧相信可以比'忠诚号'带着你们更快地返回英国。” 这个回答完全避开了要求的承诺，直接把劳伦斯引到了这个新话题上：他们不能轻易放弃三周或一周的时间——如果开始时他们对于前景没有一个乐观估计的话，因为他们既不懂当地接近土耳其语而不是汉语的语言，也不懂得当地人的习俗。劳伦斯甚至不敢确信，他们仍然在中国人的领地里，或者在一个小一点的公国里。 他压抑住愤怒，重新猜疑起来，尽管喉咙里使劲地压抑着，他还是迅速作出了回答。 “不。”他阴沉地说，“我们不能浪费时间，我想你很清楚这个问题。”他补充说。塔肯的口吻不可理喻得变得温和了，但是有点太温和了。从他的表情里能够看出些问题，好像他明白他们特殊的紧急情况。兰顿上将的信仍然保存在劳伦斯的口袋里，但现在他想起了，信刚给他时，密封的红蜡变得柔软，上面有许多污渍，带着信穿越千山万水，非常容易把信打开，再把它封上。 但是在谴责的暗示下，塔肯的表情并没有改变，他只是鞠了躬，温和地说道：“如你所愿。”然后，转身返回了亭子。