Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-07-01
BEL RUBIO:
OR, THE
CHILDREN OF THE EARTHQUAKES.
CHAPTER I.
THE GREAT EARTuorrarr

The city of Lisbon, always beautiful was
never more beautiful than on that Hateful Tues
day, November 1, 1885, when the great earth.
quake came.
and the streets were full of vehicles, CARRYING
pleasure-seekers to and fro.
The bay was crowded with shipping Two
men-of-war lay near the new marble quay lust
completed; which was already popular resort
for fashionables and unfashionables to gather
of an afternoon and listen to the playing of the
bands.
In the midst of this peace and pleasure came
low, rumbiins, jarring sound. The windows
ratified; horses stood still, snorting and tremb-
ling, refus ng to move further.
Every one SaZed in the face Of his neighbour,
growing p;tle-he knew not why; and then. as
the tremor ceased, people laughed uneasily, and
said sal to each other that it was nothing after
But still the horses refused to bulge when
whipped up.
Then came another rumble which rose to a
roar. The tremor was renewed, and became a
SWaylng to and ffO. Men and women staggered
like drunkards; and in the midst of it the tower
of the church of San Lorenzo was seen to be
totterIng To its fall over the square OF the same
name.
People came running from the houses in every
street, frantic with fear, making instinctively
lor some open place. The square was the near
est; and as the tower was beheld shaking, a bit
ter cry rose from the crowd.
Some tried to flee, but their limbs refused to
sustain them on the heaving earth, which
added a dizzy sickness to their misery and fear.
The great tower, two hundred and eighty feet
high, fell into the square, crushing hundreds.
The heaving became succession of waves.
level.
Then came a shock, more violent than before.
ana the rattle of falling buildings echoed
through the doomed city.
People ran as hard as they could towards the
river, with the instinct OF hunted animals to
seek the water. Seltishness ruled the hour, and
men struck 1ercely at women and children If
the poor things got in the way.
In the midst OF the crowd near the square,
stood carriage. The panic-stricken horses had
refused to stir. In the carriage sat two ladies
with babies in their arms. Both were richly
hour, by their nurses. All distinctions of rank
were lost, and they only remembered that their
babies were crying and that they must hush
them. Then came lull in the tremor OF the
ground, and both mothers sprang out of the
carriage and began to run with the crowd.
way We shall never escape"
The other, who was nearly fainting, gaSped:
"Oh, my God! We are LOST"
"No We are not lost!' retorted the first, who
seemed to have courage in spite of the terrible
commotion. "Only don't drop down. Keep on
your YOU feet, whatever happens, and hold fast to
Then they began to run in the crowd, where
all seemed frantic with fear.
Out in the harbor by the pier. the two men,
Their anchors were down; their officers shout
Ing hoarse orders as they prepared to get the
ships out to sea.
One was English, the other French.
In the midst of the commotion the captain of
the English ship heard voice hailing him
from boat shooting past:
Guy! Guy, Fere are you'"
The English captain uttered a fervent "Thank
God!' under his breath, for he recognized the
voice ana foreign accent.
a young officer, in French naval uniform,
was waging his hand from the stern of the boat
as 1t passed the frigate and called out in French:
II will save them. BE not afraid"
The English captain waved his hand in reply,
but his face was as pale as that of corpse. His
wife and child, and that of the French officer,
were both ashore, and he dared not leave his
duty to save them. Then, as the boat glided
towards the quay. the English captain gave "a
GUS shudder he could not avoid, and turned his
attention to his own ship, resolutely depressing
every feeling but that OF strict duty.
At the moment the first rumble of the earth
quake began, a small, half-decked craft,
| lateen sail, was floating not far from the
| pier, her crew of three men trying to pro-
pei her from the vicinity by means of clumsy
| sweeps.
When the first tremor came, it was not
noticed on the water; but the sailors heard
swarthy young fellow, with keen black
eyes, and huge ide-whskerS-rested on his
oar moment to look round and say, in
Spanish:
THAT thunder ought to give US wind, boys"
The next minute the second shock came up
tain turned shade paler through his bronze,
| and muttered, in a voice of apprehension:
| Mother OF Heaven 1t is the earthquake Pull
e say "eS' '0f Tie open sea- 0a ne'p us ALL run
The words "the earthquake" were enough for
the two Spaniards who composed the crew,
when they heard them. They bent to their oars
with all their might and the boat began to
move through the water.
-, They were leaving the pier rapidly, when the
| sudden sinking 8
were going down. The water seemed to drop
from under them, and then they were swept
out to sea- with q rush, as fast as u horse could
| have galloped, the sensation Of sinking grow
| ing stronger every moment
or ! ned WHO were pulling the
OF man when he can do nothing more, raising
their hands to Heaven, and praying wildly for
The captain, on the other hand, turned his
face towards them, and snarled tiercely:
Get to your oars you fools! The saints can't
The next minute he himself was hurled from
his place by u violent shock, and the men
completely unstrung by what had just hap
pened.
The boat ,cas high and dry on the bottom of the
to sea, as hit were being sucked up by some
strange monster, revealing the ground, jag
ged with rocks, and intersperssd with pools OF
But the dauntless captain did not give way.
i He rose from the place where he had been
to your s oass! y LOOK s RMHsE mem
He pointed to the retiring wave. 1t had
paused In It's course, and was stationary, while
| a great wall of water was beginning to curl
over at the top, as ii the contending forces were
| struggling for the mastery.
The trembling sailors obeyed him instinct
lively; but it seemed useless to hold an oar in
| the face of such peril.
The wall of water curled over, and the wave
came racing back; but the cool and heroic cap
| tain had not held his post in vain. In front of
the great wave came lower one, and as IT
| neared the Spaniards it caught up their little
| craft and swept it inland again.
keep the boat from drifting brOadside to the
| water that came racing after them, and the ad.
| vance wave swept them on, swifter than it had
carried them out, straight towards the city of
Lisbon.
A great cloud of dust had risen from the
ruins OF the doomed city, and hung over the
harbor, like pail. Everything was dark;
but q flash Of lightning shot through the
| cloud.
BY the light Of that fash they saw a strange
scene.
They were close to the great marble pier,
and the bottom Of the bay was clearly visible,
all round 1t, While the pier itseg sras rising in
| with loud laundering reports.
The stately frigates lay helpless on their
| sides by the foot Of the pier; and the wave, on
which the Spanish boat hung, seemed TO pause
| q moment before 1t completed its work.
Then something seemed to give way, and
| Lisbon, into the midst OF o black, yawning
| chasm.
The wall of water, that had been following
the boat, suddenly seemed to sink beneath 1t;
the little craft was hurled high in the air, tossed
about on the great pillows like feather, and