EARTHQUAKES 



wind, and bright moonlight. They were chatting 

 about their affairs when a dull, deep noise was heard, 

 coining from under the ground. It sounded like the 

 mar of the big mill-dam. At the same moment they 

 staggered as if the ground had been giving way un- 

 der them. Then nothing more. The moon con- 

 tinued to shine, the night was calm and serene. It 

 was so soon over that Mathieu and his son wondered 

 whether they had not dreamed it. 



These were among the more serious incidents re- 

 lated. Meanwhile there was passing from mouth to 

 mouth, moving some to incredulous smiles and oth- 

 ers to grave reflections, the terrible word "earth- 

 quake." 



In the evening Uncle Paul was surrounded by his 

 auditors, eager for some explanation of the great 

 news of the day. 



"Is it true, Uncle," asked Jules, "that the earth 

 sometimes trembles?" 



"Nothing is truer, my dear child. Sometimes 

 here, sometimes elsewhere, suddenly there is a move- 

 ment of the ground. In our privileged countries we 

 are far from having any exact idea of these terrible 

 agitations of the earth. If once in a while a slight 

 trembling is felt, it is talked of for days as a curios- 

 ity; then it is forgotten. Many tell to-day of the 

 eventfl <>f the past ni-ht without attaching much im- 

 portance to them, not knowing that the force re- 

 vraled to us by a light movement of the earth can, 

 in its brutal power, bring about frightful disasters. 

 Jacques has told you of the bellowing of the cattle 

 and Axor's outcry. Mother . \ml.roi-mr has de- 



