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In these first few hours, only the quick-witted managed to escape. A wealthy wool merchant called his family together and crammed jewelry and money into a sack. Lighting a torch, he led his little band out into the nightmare of the streets. Many hundreds of Pompeiians fled in those first few dark hours. Stumbling in the darkness, they made their way to the city gates, then out and down to the harbor. They boarded boats and got away, living to tell the tale of their city's destruction. Others preferred to remain within the city, huddling inside the temples, or in the public baths or in the cellars of their homes. They still hoped the nightmare would end.
在最初的幾個小時里，只有一些特別機智的人逃了出來。一位有錢的羊毛商把他的家人聚集在一起，將首飾和錢塞入大口袋，點著火把帶領他的那一小群家人走進亂哄哄的街道。幾百個龐貝人在城市陷入黑暗的最初幾個小時逃了出去，他們在黑暗中跌跌撞撞，艱難地走向城門，出了城后直奔港口，登上船逃離了危險，這才活下來將他們城市毀滅的故事告訴他人。其他人選擇留在城里，聚集在廟里，公共澡堂里，或者自己家的地窖里，他們仍然希望噩夢會結束。
It was evening now. And a new trouble was in store for Pompeii. The earth trembled and quaked! Roofs went crashing in ruin, burying hundreds who had hoped to survive the eruption. In the forum the tall columns toppled. The entire city seemed to shake in the grip of a giant fist.
已經是晚上了，龐貝正將面臨新的災難。大地晃動了起來！屋頂頃刻倒塌，將希望躲過火山噴發的幾百人埋在廢墟下。廣場上高大的柱子倒了，整個城市就像被一只巨拳緊握著顫動。
Three feet of pumice stones now covered the ground. Ash floated in the air. Poisonous gas came drifting from the crater, though people could still breathe. Roofs were collapsing everywhere. The cries of the injured and dying filled the air. Rushing throngs, blinded by the darkness and the smoke, rushed up one street and down the next, trampling the fallen in a crazy fruitless dash toward safety. Dozens of people plunged into dead-end streets and found themselves trapped by crashing buildings. They waited there, too frightened to run further, expecting the end.
此時已有三英尺厚的浮石覆蓋著大地；火山灰在空中飄蕩；雖然人們尚能呼吸，可有毒的氣體還在從火山口飄出。四處的房屋都在倒塌，到處都可以聽到傷者和奄奄一息的人的哭喊聲。在黑暗和煙霧中，人們什么都看不見，為了尋找安全地帶，徒勞地到處亂竄，踏著摔倒的人的身體，從一條街跑到另一條街。大群人闖進死胡同，發現自己被困在紛紛倒塌的建筑物中。他們待在那里，嚇得再也跑不動了，只能等待死亡降臨。
