“我忘了一件事，”我说，“我还应该绝对休息和锻炼。”
After this consultation I felt much better. The reestablishing in my mind of the fact that I was hopelessly ill gave me so much satisfaction that I almost became gloomy again. There is nothing more alarming to a neurasthenicneurasthenic adj.神经衰弱的 n.神经衰弱 than to feel himself growing well and cheerful.
经过这次就诊，我感觉好多了。重新树立了病人高度的信念之后，我感到特别满意，几乎又可以郁郁不乐了。对一个神经衰弱患者来说，再没有比自我感觉良好更可怕的事了。
John looked after me carefully. After I had evinced so much interest in his White Orpington chicken he tried his best to divert my mind， and was particular to lock his hen house of nights. Gradually the tonic mountain air， the wholesome food， and the daily walks among the hills so alleviated my malady that I became utterly wretched and despondent. I heard of a country doctor who lived in the mountains nearby. I went to see him and told him the whole story. He was a graybearded man with clear， blue， wr inkled eyes， in a homemade suit of gray jeans.
约翰细心照顾我。自从我对他的奥尔平顿白鸡表示兴趣以后，他尽可能转移我的注意。晚上特别小心地把鸡舍门锁好。清新宜人的山地空气、营养丰富的食物以及每天的山间散步，大大减轻了我的疾病，以至我变得万分痛苦绝望。我听说附近山区有位乡村大夫。我去看他，把我的情况全告诉了他。他胡子灰白，眼睛清澈湛蓝，穿一身家制的灰斜纹布衣服。
In order to save time I diagnosed my case， touched my nose with my right forefinger， struck myself below the knee to make my foot kick， sounded my chest， stuck out my tongue， and asked him the price of cemeterycemetery n.墓地， 公墓 lots in Pineville.
为了节省时间，我自己进行诊断；我用右手食指触摸鼻子。叩击膝健，让小腿踢直，敲敲胸部，吐出舌头，并且询问他派因维尔的墓地价格。
He lit his pipe and looked at me for about three minutes. “Brother，” he said， after a while， “you are in a mighty bad way. Theres a chance for you to pull through， but its a mighty slim one.”
他点燃烟斗，瞅了我三分钟左右。“老弟，”他最后说，“你的情况糟透了。你熬过来的希望固然有，但是很渺茫。”
“What can it be？” I asked eagerly. “I have taken arsenic and gold， phosphorus， exercise， nux vomica， hydrotherapeutichydrotherapeutic adj.［医］水疗法的 baths， rest， excitement， codein， and aromaticaromatic adj.芬芳的 spirits of ammoniaammonia n.［化］氨， 氨水. Is there anything left in the pharmacopoeiapharmacopoeia n.药典， 一批备用药品？”
“什么希望呢。”我急切地问道。“我试过砷、金、磷、运动、番木鳖、水疗法、休息、兴奋、可待因和阿摩尼亚芳香精。医药学中还有没尝试过的吗？”
“Somewhere in these mountains，” said the doctor， “theres a plant growing—a flowering plant thatll cure you， and its about the only thing that will. Its of a kind thats as old as the world， but of late its powerful scarce and hard to find. You and I will have to hunt it up. Im not engaged in active practice now： Im getting along in years， but Ill take your case. Youll have to come every day in the afternoon and help me hunt for this plant till we find it. The city doctors may know a lot about new scientific things， but they dont know much about the cures that nature carries around in her saddlebagssaddlebag n.鞍囊， 毛纤维布料之一种.”
“这个山区，”大夫说，“长了一种植物——一种开花的植物，能治你的病，恐怕也只有它能治好你的病。这种植物像地球一般古老；不过近来越来越少，不容易找了。你我两人非找到它不可。我上了年纪，已经不正式开诊，但是我收下你这个病人。你每天下午来我这儿，帮我去找那种植物，找到方休。城里的大夫也许了解不少科学上的新东西，但是不太懂大自然揣在鞍袋里的草药。”
So every day the old doctor and I hunted the cureall plant among the mountains and valleys of the Blue Ridge. Together we toiled up steep heights so slippery with fallen autumn leaves that we had to catch every sapling and branch within our reach to save us from falling. We waded through gorges and chasms， breastdeep with laurel and ferns， we followed the banks of mountain streams for miles； we wound our way like Indians through brakes of pine—road side， hill side， river side， mountain side we explored in our search for the miraculousmiraculous adj.奇迹的， 不可思议的 plant.
此后老大夫和我每天在蓝岭的山头山脚寻觅那种治疗百病的植物。我们一起翻山越岭，陡峭的山坡上满是秋天的落叶，脚下打滑，我们要抓住手边的小树和大树枝条，才不至于摔下山去。我们在峡谷中齐胸高的月桂灌木和该类植物之间艰苦跋涉，我们沿着山洞一走就是好几英里，像印第安人似的在松树林中迂回——在路边、河边和山边探索，寻找那种神奇的植物。
