ing them with large stones. The sea
seemed to roll back upon itself, and to be driven from its banks by the
convulsive motion of the earth; it is certain at least the shore was
considerably enlarged, and several sea animals were left upon it. On the
other side, a black and dreadful cloud, broken with rapid, zig-zag
flashes, revealed behind it variously shaped masses of flame: these last
were like sheet lightning, but much larger. Upon this our Spanish
friend, whom I mentioned above, addressing himself to my mother and me
with great energy and urgency: "If your brother," he said, "if your
uncle be safe, he certainly wishes you may be so too; but if he
perished, it was his desire, no doubt, that you might both survive him:
why therefore do you delay your escape a moment?"

We could never think of our own safety, we said, while we were uncertain
of his. Upon this our friend left us, and withdrew from the danger with
the utmost precipitation. Soon afterward, the cloud began to descend and
cover the sea. It had already surrounded and concealed the island of
Capreae[43] and the promontory of Misenum.

My mother now besought, urged, even commanded me to make my escape at
any rate, which, as I was young, I might easily do; as for herself, she
said, her age and corpulency rendered all attempts of that sort
impossible; however, she would willingly meet death if she could have
the satisfaction of seeing that she was not the occasion of mine. But I
absolutely refused to leave her, and, taking her by the hand, compelled
her to go with me. She complied with great reluctance, and not without
many reproaches to herself for retarding my flight. The ashes now began
to fall upon us, though in no great quantity. I looked back; a dense,
dark mist seemed to be following us, spreading itself over the country
like a cloud. "Let us turn out of the high-road," I said, "while we can
still see, for fear that, should we fall in the road, we should be
pressed to death in the dark by the crowds that are following us."

We had scarcely sat down when night came upon us, not such as we have
when the sky is cloudy, or when there is no moon, but that of a room
when it is shut up and all the lights put out. You might hear the
shrieks of women, the screams of children, and the shouts of men; some
calling for their children, others for their parents, others for their
husbands, and seeking to recognize each other by the voices that
replied; one lamenting hi