English Original
Once upon a time, a tradesman led a caravan to another country to sell his goods. They reached the edge of a scorching desert, where daytime sand was as hot as charcoal. Unable to travel by day, they hired a guide to navigate by the stars and journey only at night.
One night, the overfed guide dozed off. The bullocks, unable to read the stars, wandered in a wide circle, leading the caravan back to their starting point by morning. With their water gone and the crossing incomplete, the travelers despaired, blaming their leaders.
The tradesman, however, refused to give up. He knew losing courage would doom them all. While pacing, he spotted a small clump of grass—a sign of possible water. He urged his companions to dig at that spot. They dug until they hit a large stone and wanted to quit, but the tradesman encouraged them to persist.
He listened at the stone and heard flowing water. He then asked a boy to strike the rock with a heavy hammer. To everyone's amazement, the rock split, and a mighty stream of water gushed forth. The travelers were saved. They refreshed themselves, raised a high banner to mark the new spring for others, and safely completed their journey.
中文翻译
从前，一位商人带领一支商队前往另一个国家贩卖货物。他们来到一片酷热沙漠的边缘，那里的沙子在白天热如木炭。由于无法在白天行进，他们雇佣了一位能观星导航的向导，只在夜间赶路。
一天晚上，吃得太饱的向导打起了瞌睡。拉车的阉牛不会观星，逐渐偏离方向，绕了一大圈，在清晨时分将商队带回了出发地。水已耗尽，沙漠却仍未穿越，旅人们陷入绝望，开始责怪领队和向导。
然而，商人拒绝放弃。他知道，此刻丧失勇气将令所有人陷入绝境。在他来回踱步思考时，瞥见了一小丛草——这可能是地下有水的迹象。他召集了最精力充沛的同伴，让他们在那处挖掘。他们挖啊挖，直到碰到一块大石头，便想放弃。但商人鼓励大家坚持下去。
他将耳朵贴在石头上，听到了流水声。于是，他叫来一个一直在挖掘的男孩，让他用重锤敲击石头。令所有人惊喜的是，石头裂成两半，一股强大的水流从中喷涌而出。旅人们得救了。他们饮水休整，并竖起一面高高的旗帜，为其他旅人标记出这沙漠中的新泉，然后安全地完成了旅程。