Abdeslam Bennani Smires nudges his grey Arab-Barb forwards into a canter, and then a gallop. I follow suit and soon both horses are striding forward, a cloud of red dust billowing at their hooves. We ride up a steep track flanked by a hedge of prickly pear, the plump, orange fruit looking inviting in the dry heat. To the south, the Atlas mountains rise as far as the eye can see, crowned by the snowy summit of Toubkal, north Africa’s highest peak.
贝纳尼•斯米雷斯(Abdeslam Bennani Smires)轻拍了一下自己的灰色阿拉伯-柏布马(Arab-Barb),先让它慢跑起来,然后纵马疾驰。我也依葫芦画瓢,很快两匹马都向前飞奔起来,马蹄过后,翻起滚滚红尘。我俩沿着一条陡路往上疾奔,路两旁种着仙人球以及果实累累的橙色水果,在烈日炎炎下显得那么些诱人可爱。放眼往南看,高耸的阿特拉斯山脉(Atlas)绵延千里,山顶被白雪皑皑的托布卡尔山(Toubkal)所覆盖,它也是北非的最高峰。