90 Charles Darwin. 



distant. The phenomenon was accompanied by an 

 earthquake, which was felt over an area covering one 

 thousand miles. This same night Vesuvius, Etna, 

 and even Hecla in Iceland burst out with unwonted 

 splendours, — a fact which when known to Darwin 

 was pregnant with suggestions as to the cause of the 

 phenomena. 



Our hero was fortunate, if so we may term it, in 

 being a witness to one of the most disastrous of 

 South American earthquakes in many years, or 

 within the memory of the oldest inhabitant. He 

 was on shore at the time, and, wearied from a long 

 tramp after specimens, was lying in the shade with a 

 companion, when suddenly he experienced a dizzy 

 feeling ; the ground rocked, and apparently moved 

 with undulations, which he judged passed from east 

 to west. He sprang to his feet and had no difficulty 

 in standing, though he states that the motion made 

 him giddy, and he describes it as resembling that of 

 the movement of a vessel in a cross ripple. There 

 seemed to be a breeze, the trees swaying and the 

 branches moving to and fro. In the town of Valdivia 

 and upon the sea-shore the scene was different. In 

 the former the inhabitants rushed from the houses ^ 

 into the streets terror stricken, while the wooden] 

 buildings creaked and groaned. It was low tide atl 

 the time, and the ocean rose almost immediately to 

 high-water mark, then returned again. After the 

 principal shocks smaller ones occurred of lesser 

 strength. 



At the time Darwin little dreamed of the destruc- 

 tion this earthquake caused a few miles away, but 



