512 
highest and most distant places, 
in order to preserve ourselves from 
so imminent a danger. The ho- 
rizon began to darken, and our 
anxieties redoubled. The noise 
‘of the volcano continually in- 
creased; the darkness augmented; 
and we continued our flight forthe 
preservation of our lives, remov- 
ing further and further from an 
object so terrific. But notwith- 
standing the swiftness with which 
we ran, we were overtaken in our 
disastrous flight by a heavy shower 
of huge stones; by the violence 
of which many unfortunate per- 
sons were in a moment deprived of 
life. ‘This unforeseen and cruel 
circumstance obliged us to make 
‘a pause in our career, and to shel- 
ter ourselves under the houses; 
but flames and burnt stones fell 
from above, which in a short time 
_ reduced them to ashes. 
“¢In this dreadful situation, we 
called upon God, in such manner 
as’ we could, from the bottom of 
our afflicted and almost broken 
hearts, beseeching him for par- 
don and mercy. It became com- 
pletely dark, and we remained 
enveloped and immersed in the 
most thick and palpable dark- 
ness, comparable only to that 
which in the time of Moses was 
witnessed in Egypt. From this 
moment, reflection was at an end, 
advice no longer given, and no 
person recognized another, The 
father abandoned his children, the 
husband his wife, she remembered 
not her beloved spouse, and the 
children forgot their parents. No 
one thought that he could assist his 
fellows, because all believed that 
they were about to die. 
* But as man, even in the most 
critical and. destitute situations, 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 
1815, 
endeavours by all possible methods 
to preserve life, each one of us, 
for this interesting object, made 
use of all the means and expedi- 
‘ents that could be resorted to, in 
the terrible condition to which we 
were reduced. Of what various 
and different methods did not we 
who have escaped with life, avail 
ourselves, that we might not pe- 
rish at that time? In the houses 
we now found no shelter. It was 
necessary to abandon them with 
all haste, in order not to perish 
withthem. ‘Togo out uncovered, 
was toexpose one’s-self toa danger 
not less imminent ; because the 
stones that fell were of an enor- 
mous size, and fell as thick as 
rain itself. It was necessary, that 
we might not die in the one or the 
other manner, to cover ourselves 
and defend ourselves as well as we 
could. Wedidso.—Some covered 
themselves with hides, others with 
tables and chairs, others with 
boards and tea-trays. Manytook 
refuge in the trunks of trees, 
othersamong the canesand hedges, 
andsome hid themselves in a cave, 
which the brow of the mountain 
offered them. Those only of us 
survive, who had the good fortune 
to protect ourselves by one or’ 
other of those methods; but those 
who were in the open air, with 
nothing at hand with which they 
could cover themselves, almost all 
perished or were wounded. 
«The horrid and frightful noise | 
of the volcano increased to its ut- 
most; the shower of stones and 
thick sand augmented ; the burn- 
ing stones and meteors continued 
to fall, and in a very short time 
reduced to ashes the most beauti- 
ful villages of the province of Ca- 
marines. Would you have signs 
en eee 
Se 
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