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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.
就在那时毁灭开始了。首先是一阵如同猛兽咬断树枝的尖锐的噼啪声；然后是一阵呼啸声，听上去仿佛整个森林里的树木顷刻之间倒掉了；再后来就是一声惊天动地的爆炸声。尽管蒂托看不见，但天空被那不停闪烁的火光给击穿了。天空中的亮光和地上的巨响呼应着。一间房子倒了，紧接着是另一间……他们两个奇迹般地逃离了危险的街道，到了一个比较空旷的 地方。那是市中心广场。他们两个在那里休息了不知多长时间。
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?
蒂托不知道现在是什么时间，但是他能感觉到天很黑——异常黑暗。可能是由于没吃早饭和午饭，肚子开始咕咕叫了，这使他意识到正午已过。但是这无关紧要，什么都不重要了。他越来越昏昏欲睡，几乎不能走路了。但是他必须得走，他知道这一点，宾博也知道，它那强有力的拽拉告诉了他这一点。现在必须得快点走，广场这个圣地现在也不安全了。路面开始 慢慢地晃动、倾斜、断裂。当他们跌跌撞撞地走出广场的时候，地面就像是一条被捕的蛇一样扭动着，朱庇特主神庙里所有的柱子都倒了。似乎今天就是世界末日了。仅仅走已经不行了，他们必须得赶快跑。蒂托很害怕，根本不知道该干什么，该往哪里跑。他完全失去了方向感。蒂托开始向内城门走去，但是宾博却使劲把他往回拖，差点把他的衣服拽了下来。这只狗想做什么？难道是疯了吗？
