94 The Earthquake at Mendoza, 20th March, 1861. 



day of separation from Garcia and his wife came, my heart 

 was now moved. Still I kept a serene look ; the moment for 

 saying farewell arrived ; I saw them in tears — speak they could 

 not — but ejaculated their prayers for my restoration to health. 

 I now felt most acutely, my heart beat rapidly ; I was tongue- 

 tied, but a flood of tears came to my relief. We embraced 

 each other ; I covered my face, and was glad indeed when the 

 carriage was announced to convey me to San Juan. 



" The spectacle of domestic life, and the love I observed in 

 the family of Garcia, made me a better man ; there I saw an 

 example of real felicity only to be obtained by the practice of 

 virtue, and I could not now believe that these were so excep- 

 tional as I had formerly considered. Can I ever forget Garcia, 

 his wife, and the coachman Gonzales ? 



" To conclude : if there were fiends in human form, and 

 who committed the most atrocious acts of rapine during and^ 

 after the calamitous earthquake, there were also examples of 

 heroism and goodness. A young lady who had been exhumed 

 from the ruins, and only had her under -garment on, the moment 

 she found herself preserved, began to work at once in the 

 liberation of others, continuing it all that very cold night, and 

 so scantily clothed. A poor woman (not a model of virtue) who 

 escaped death most miraculously, and badly wounded, worked 

 incessantly during that night of horrors, and saved at least five 

 fellow-creatures from amongst the ruins. A good man whose 

 habitation was without the city, but was in Mendoza when the 

 earthquake came on, remained all night succouring the dis- 

 tressed, assisting to save many from an untimely grave ; pro- 

 posing to himself that having disinterred the one he was at 

 work at, he would go and look after his own family ; which , 

 being done, another and another scene of distress met his sight, 

 to which he went. Kind Providence rewarded him, for at day- 

 break when he got to his own house, although he found it in 

 ruins, his family was safe, but weeping for him, supposing that 

 by his not returning during the night that he had been buried 

 in the ruins. 



u Your faithful Friend and Servant, 



(Signed) "Domingo de Oro." 



