Then the earth began to shake violently, — we heard
a most tremendous explosion, and the sea receded in
Immense rollers. The prisoners became so fright-
ened, that they abandoned two of the boats, having
secured the other to a fig tree near the foot of the
oastle. It is impossible to describe the consterna-
tion we all were in,— the people screaming and
making dismal cries as they climbed the hills. The
soldiers had but barely time to save their arms before
the town was literallv covered with water, which, on
again receding, earned away the houses, trees, and
eatde, also several men and women, leaving only the
store-house, prison, and church, standing. The
roof of my house, and that of the soldiers' barracks,
which en account of the former being built on an
•levated situation, and both recently repaired, es-
caped, although the water reached the first story.
