16 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA 



*'In the meantime the city was shaken with 

 earthquakes; shock succeeding shock, till we all 

 imagined that a catastrophe awaited us similar 

 to that which had taken place at Lisbon. The pes- 

 tilence killed you by degrees, and its approaches 

 were sufficiently slow, in general, to enable you 

 to submit to it with firmness and resignation; but 

 the idea of being swallowed up alive by the yawn- 

 ing earth at a moment's notice, made you sick at 

 heart, and rendered you almost fearful of your 

 own shadow. The first shock took place at six in 

 the evening, with a noise as though a thousand 

 carriages had dashed against each other. This 

 terrified many people to such a degree that they 

 paced all night long up and down the Alameda, or 

 public walk, rather than retire to their homes. I 

 went to bed a little after midnight, but was roused 

 by another shock about five o'clock in the morning. 

 It gave the bed a motion which made me fancy 

 that it moved under me from side to side. I 

 sprang up, and having put on my unmentionables 

 (we wore no trousers in those days), I ran out, 

 in all haste, to the Alameda. There the scene was 

 most distressing: multitudes of both sexes, some 

 nearly in a state of nudity, and others sick at 

 stomach, were huddled together, not knowing 

 which way to turn or what to do. 



'Omnes eodem cogimur.' 



However, it pleased Heaven, in its mercy, to spare 

 us. The succeeding shocks became weaker and 

 weaker, till at last we felt no more of them. ' ' 



A courageous sea-captain at last sailed away in 

 safety, though chased by the Spanish brigs of 



