. Italy. the abyss, and you have ascene which is rather different from what you pictureas you read that Vesuvius is once again in a state oferuption. CHAPTER XV THE BURIED CITIES THE most terrible eruption of Vesuvius, which is onrecord, happened more than 1,800 years ago. 79 two beautiful cities stood at the foot of thevolcanic mountain. They were Herculaneum andPompeii. Pompeii was then an old city, but was atthe height of its glory, with temples, baths, and splendidvillas, where wealthy Romans took their luxuriousease. On an August day, when the people were goingabout their work or t
. Italy. the abyss, and you have ascene which is rather different from what you pictureas you read that Vesuvius is once again in a state oferuption. CHAPTER XV THE BURIED CITIES THE most terrible eruption of Vesuvius, which is onrecord, happened more than 1,800 years ago. 79 two beautiful cities stood at the foot of thevolcanic mountain. They were Herculaneum andPompeii. Pompeii was then an old city, but was atthe height of its glory, with temples, baths, and splendidvillas, where wealthy Romans took their luxuriousease. On an August day, when the people were goingabout their work or their pleasure, suddenly there burstforth from the crater far above their heads a vastcolumn of black smoke. It rose to an immense heightin the blue sky and slowly spread abroad. As it spreadit shut out the light of the sun until, at midday, thecity was covered with a fearful darkness, lighted onlyby the flames which darted from the awful overhangingcloud. Many fled from the place, but many stayed in their. The Buried Cities houses, expecting that the cloud of vapour would passaway. But soon a rain of ashes began to fall. First,it was but a light dust, then it grew thicker and heavierand was mingled with pumice-stones, and the streetswere filled with choking sulphurous vapour. Heavierand heavier grew this dreadful rain until the streetswere impassable, and those who tried to escape stumbledand fell in the clogging masses of cinders and stones, orwere struck down by the heavier fragments hurled uponthem. Now, none was left alive save those who had shutthemselves up closely in their houses. But the doomof even these was close at hand. With a roar like athousand rivers in flood, streams of hot, black mudrushed down the mountain-side and overwhelmed theplace. These streams filled streets, houses, cellars,underground passages, everywhere, and completed thedestruction. In three days there was no sign thatPompeii had existed. It lay deep buried beneath avast bed of ashes, stones, and m
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