第七章
沙柳默默地點點頭，望著父親的一雙眼睛淚汪汪的。她把頭巾角咬在嘴裏，以免哭出來。她了解父親，他想定了事情，天陷地崩也休想讓他回頭。沙柳心裏更加責怪起旁邊的這兩個人。都是因為他們闖進了這裏，破壞了沙漠世界的安寧、和平、以及生態平衡，致使這裏的有限生命都瀕於死亡的危險中。
“大叔，你別走了，把我們交給她，能行嗎？”那位年輕的秘書說得可憐巴巴。
“哼，有我在，就有你們活！膽小鬼！”沙柳被激怒了，衝這位自己羨慕已久的場部的人吼了一聲，並橫下了心，“爸，你去吧，我送出他們再回來接你！”them out of the desert. Go straight east to wherethe moon rises. You'll be out by dawn. "
"What about you, dad?" Her heart poundedwith fear.
"I'll look for her. She has cubs and no wa-ter. They'll die of thirst. " He never took his eyesoff the gloomy desert.
She shuddered silently. After a long pauseshe asked, "Is the ruined city very far? '
"I don't know. Probably not. Maybe just a-head. "
"Well then, Sandy, after that fox?' saidBeardy, picking up bits and pieces of their con-versation. "Good for you! The damned beast al-most killed us. " He patted his gun, which he stillhad. The secretary had lost his.
The old man shook his head with a wrysmile. He didn't want to explain anything at atime like this. Would Beardy, who had alwaysenjoyed hunting, understand his feelings for thefox? He turned to his daughter. ' 'Off you gonow. When you pass that dead horse, be sure tocut a large chunk of meet. Your rations won'tlast long. "
She nodded quietly, looking tearfully at
“你們放心去吧，出不了差錯。”老沙頭平靜地說。沙柳走過去，把地下的拐棍遞給父親，又把自己的外衣脫下來披在老人身上。
黑夜中的沙漠，猶如一片黑色的海，在他們麵前無邊無際地靜默著，顯得那樣的幽深、神秘而不可捉摸，似乎等候著吞沒所有敢於蔑視它的生命。
老沙頭向前微挺起身子， 向這片黑色的大海邁出了大步。“爸爸，我來接你！你要當心！”沙柳往前跟著走了幾步，眼睛濕潤了。很快，老沙頭的身影隱沒在沙海的昏黑中，偶爾，從遠處的沙漠傳來幾聲艱難的咳嗽聲。
沙柳被一聲叫喊驚醒了。昨夜裏，她領著兩個人走過死馬處時，二人累得說啥也不走了，隻好就露宿在這裏。
“那是什麼？你們快看！”大胡子在喊。
沙柳順聲望去。原來，東邊四十米外的一座沙丘下，站立著那隻老沙狐！清晨的霞光中，它him. She bit hard at a corner of her scarf tokeep from breaking down. She knew he wouldnever turn back once the decision was made,which made her put all the blame on the twomen before her. They had come to this place anddisturbed its quiet, its peace and its ecologicalbalance and brought the few lives in the desert tothe brink of death.
"Don't go, sir. You can't just leave us toher!" said the wretched young secretary.
"Hah! I can guarantee your lives, you cow-ard, " shouted the hurt girl at the man from theenvied center. She hardened instantly and toldher father, "Off you go, dad. I'll get them outof this place and then come back for you. '
"Trust her. She's reliable, " the old mansaid calmly. She picked up his stick for him andtook off her coat to wrap around his shoulders.
The desert at night was like a black seastretching out silently before them, profound,mysterious and unfathomable, as if waiting toswallow all life that dared to challenge it.
Sandy straightened up and made his way in-to this black sea. "I'll be back for you, dad.Take care." The daughter followed him a few的毛色更顯得火紅而明亮，像一團桔紅色的火焰在閃動，漂亮極它正給一隻小患子喂奶，那溫和仁慈的神態，似乎是不忍心打斷正在吃奶的小患子逃開去。
“好哇，該死的畜牲，原來它在這兒！”大胡子一見這隻老沙狐，氣不打·處來，伸手抓起了獵槍。