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My surmise is, this: that in London the Count decided to get back to his |
castle by water, as the most safe and secret way. He was brought from |
the castle by Szgany, and probably they delivered their cargo to Slovaks |
who took the boxes to Varna, for there they were shipped for London. |
Thus the Count had knowledge of the persons who could arrange this |
service. When the box was on land, before sunrise or after sunset, he |
came out from his box, met Skinsky and instructed him what to do as to |
arranging the carriage of the box up some river. When this was done, and |
he knew that all was in train, he blotted out his traces, as he thought, |
by murdering his agent. |
I have examined the map and find that the river most suitable for the |
Slovaks to have ascended is either the Pruth or the Sereth. I read in |
the typescript that in my trance I heard cows low and water swirling |
level with my ears and the creaking of wood. The Count in his box, then, |
was on a river in an open boat--propelled probably either by oars or |
poles, for the banks are near and it is working against stream. There |
would be no such sound if floating down stream. |
Of course it may not be either the Sereth or the Pruth, but we may |
possibly investigate further. Now of these two, the Pruth is the more |
easily navigated, but the Sereth is, at Fundu, joined by the Bistritza |
which runs up round the Borgo Pass. The loop it makes is manifestly as |
close to Dracula's castle as can be got by water. |
_Mina Harker's Journal--continued._ |
When I had done reading, Jonathan took me in his arms and kissed me. The |
others kept shaking me by both hands, and Dr. Van Helsing said:-- |
"Our dear Madam Mina is once more our teacher. Her eyes have been where |
we were blinded. Now we are on the track once again, and this time we |
may succeed. Our enemy is at his most helpless; and if we can come on |
him by day, on the water, our task will be over. He has a start, but he |
is powerless to hasten, as he may not leave his box lest those who carry |
him may suspect; for them to suspect would be to prompt them to throw |
him in the stream where he perish. This he knows, and will not. Now men, |
to our Council of War; for, here and now, we must plan what each and all |
shall do." |
"I shall get a steam launch and follow him," said Lord Godalming. |
"And I, horses to follow on the bank lest by chance he land," said Mr. |
Morris. |
"Good!" said the Professor, "both good. But neither must go alone. There |
must be force to overcome force if need be; the Slovak is strong and |
rough, and he carries rude arms." All the men smiled, for amongst them |
they carried a small arsenal. Said Mr. Morris:-- |
"I have brought some Winchesters; they are pretty handy in a crowd, and |
there may be wolves. The Count, if you remember, took some other |
precautions; he made some requisitions on others that Mrs. Harker could |
not quite hear or understand. We must be ready at all points." Dr. |
Seward said:-- |
"I think I had better go with Quincey. We have been accustomed to hunt |
together, and we two, well armed, will be a match for whatever may come |
along. You must not be alone, Art. It may be necessary to fight the |
Slovaks, and a chance thrust--for I don't suppose these fellows carry |
guns--would undo all our plans. There must be no chances, this time; we |
shall, not rest until the Count's head and body have been separated, and |
we are sure that he cannot re-incarnate." He looked at Jonathan as he |
spoke, and Jonathan looked at me. I could see that the poor dear was |
torn about in his mind. Of course he wanted to be with me; but then the |
boat service would, most likely, be the one which would destroy the ... |
the ... the ... Vampire. (Why did I hesitate to write the word?) He was |
silent awhile, and during his silence Dr. Van Helsing spoke:-- |
"Friend Jonathan, this is to you for twice reasons. First, because you |
are young and brave and can fight, and all energies may be needed at the |
last; and again that it is your right to destroy him--that--which has |
wrought such woe to you and yours. Be not afraid for Madam Mina; she |
will be my care, if I may. I am old. My legs are not so quick to run as |
once; and I am not used to ride so long or to pursue as need be, or to |
fight with lethal weapons. But I can be of other service; I can fight in |
other way. And I can die, if need be, as well as younger men. Now let |
me say that what I would is this: while you, my Lord Godalming and |
friend Jonathan go in your so swift little steamboat up the river, and |
whilst John and Quincey guard the bank where perchance he might be |
landed, I will take Madam Mina right into the heart of the enemy's |
country. Whilst the old fox is tied in his box, floating on the running |
stream whence he cannot escape to land--where he dares not raise the lid |
of his coffin-box lest his Slovak carriers should in fear leave him to |
perish--we shall go in the track where Jonathan went,--from Bistritz |
over the Borgo, and find our way to the Castle of Dracula. Here, Madam |
Mina's hypnotic power will surely help, and we shall find our way--all |
dark and unknown otherwise--after the first sunrise when we are near |
that fateful place. There is much to be done, and other places to be |
made sanctify, so that that nest of vipers be obliterated." Here |
Jonathan interrupted him hotly:-- |
"Do you mean to say, Professor Van Helsing, that you would bring Mina, |
in her sad case and tainted as she is with that devil's illness, right |
into the jaws of his death-trap? Not for the world! Not for Heaven or |
Hell!" He became almost speechless for a minute, and then went on:-- |
"Do you know what the place is? Have you seen that awful den of hellish |
infamy--with the very moonlight alive with grisly shapes, and every |
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