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Then suddenly, he understood. Bimbo was telling him the way out—urging him there. The sea gate, of course. The sea gate—and then the sea. Far from falling buildings, heaving ground. He turned, Bimbo guiding him across open pits and dangerous pools of bubbling mud, away from buildings that had caught fire and were dropping their burning beams. Tito could no longer tell whether the noises were made by the shrieking sky or the agonized people. He and Bimbo ran on—the only silent beings in a howling world.
忽然他意识到宾博是要告诉他出去的路，赶着他往通海闸门走，然后到海里去。那里远离倒塌的建筑和抖动的地面。他转过身来，宾博领着他穿过深坑和冒着泥泡的危险水池。他们躲避着冒着火光的、烧着的横梁不断往下掉的危险建筑。蒂托已经分不清那些声音是天空的尖叫还是愤怒的人们发出的。他和宾博继续跑着，他们是那个咆哮的世界里唯一默不作声的生灵。
New dangers threatened. All Pompeii seemed to be thronging toward the marine gate and, squeezing among the crowds, there was the chance of being trampled to death. But the chance had to be taken. It was growing harder and harder to breathe. What air there was choked him. It was all dust now—dust and pebbles, pebbles as large as beans. They fell on his head, his hands—pumice stones from the black heart of Vesuvius. The mountain was turning itself inside out. Tito remembered a phrase that the stranger had said in the Forum two days ago: "Those who will not listen to men must be taught by the gods." The people of Pompeii had refused to heed the warnings; they were being taught now—if it was not too late.
新的危险出现了。庞贝所有的人似乎都向着通海闸门涌过来，挤在这样的人群中，有被踩踏致死的可能。但是这个险一定要冒。他周围的空气很浑浊，充满了尘土和像黄豆那么大的石头，让他越来越难以呼吸。这些石头落到了他的头上、手上——是从维苏威山地心来的浮石。 维苏威山自己翻了个底朝天。蒂托想起了两天前有个陌生人在广场上说过的话，那个人说：“不听劝告的人终将会受到上帝的惩罚。”庞贝人没有听从警告，现在他们正在接受惩罚——希望为时不晚。
