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It was then the crashing began. First a sharp crackling, like a monstrous snapping of twigs; then a roar like the fall of a whole forest of trees; then an explosion that tore earth and sky. The heavens, though Tito could not see them, were shot through with continual flickerings of fire. Lightnings above were answered by thunders beneath. A house fell. Then another. By a miracle the two companions had escaped the dangerous side streets and were in a more open space. It was the Forum. They rested here a while—how long he did not know.
就在那時毀滅開始了。首先是一陣如同猛獸咬斷樹枝的尖銳的噼啪聲；然后是一陣呼嘯聲，聽上去仿佛整個森林里的樹木頃刻之間倒掉了；再后來就是一聲驚天動地的爆炸聲。盡管蒂托看不見，但天空被那不停閃爍的火光給擊穿了。天空中的亮光和地上的巨響呼應著。一間房子倒了，緊接著是另一間……他們兩個奇跡般地逃離了危險的街道，到了一個比較空曠的 地方。那是市中心廣場。他們兩個在那里休息了不知多長時間。
Tito had no idea of the time of day. He could feel it was black—an unnatural blackness. Something inside—perhaps the lack of breakfast and lunch—told him it was past noon. But it didn't matter. Nothing seemed to matter. He was getting drowsy, too drowsy to walk. But walk he must. He knew it. And Bimbo knew it; the sharp tugs told him so. Nor was it a moment too soon. The sacred ground of the Forum was safe no longer. It was beginning to rock, then to pitch, then to split. As they stumbled out of the square, the earth wriggled like a caught snake and all the columns of the temple of Jupiter came down. It was the end of the world—or so it seemed. To walk was not enough now. They must run. Tito was too frightened to know what to do or where to go. He had lost all sense of direction. He started to go back to the inner gate; but Bimbo, straining his back to the last inch, almost pulled his clothes from him. What did the creature want? Had the dog gone mad?
蒂托不知道現在是什么時間，但是他能感覺到天很黑——異常黑暗。可能是由于沒吃早飯和午飯，肚子開始咕咕叫了，這使他意識到正午已過。但是這無關緊要，什么都不重要了。他越來越昏昏欲睡，幾乎不能走路了。但是他必須得走，他知道這一點，賓博也知道，它那強有力的拽拉告訴了他這一點。現在必須得快點走，廣場這個圣地現在也不安全了。路面開始 慢慢地晃動、傾斜、斷裂。當他們跌跌撞撞地走出廣場的時候，地面就像是一條被捕的蛇一樣扭動著，朱庇特主神廟里所有的柱子都倒了。似乎今天就是世界末日了。僅僅走已經不行了，他們必須得趕快跑。蒂托很害怕，根本不知道該干什么，該往哪里跑。他完全失去了方向感。蒂托開始向內城門走去，但是賓博卻使勁把他往回拖，差點把他的衣服拽了下來。這只狗想做什么？難道是瘋了嗎？
