1 November.—All day long we have travelled, and at a good speed.
The horses seem to know that they are being kindly treated, for
they go willingly their full stage at best speed. We have now had
so many changes and find the same thing so constantly that we are
encouraged to think that the journey will be an easy one. Dr. Van
Helsing is laconic, he tells the farmers that he is hurrying to
Bistritz, and pays them well to make the exchange of horses. We get
hot soup, or coffee, or tea, and off we go. It is a lovely country.
Full of beauties of all imaginable kinds, and the people are brave,
and strong, and simple, and seem full of nice qualities. They are
very, very superstitious. In the first house where we stopped, when
the woman who served us saw the scar on my forehead, she crossed
herself and put out two fingers towards me, to keep off the evil
eye. I believe they went to the trouble of putting an extra amount
of garlic into our food, and I can't abide garlic. Ever since then
I have taken care not to take off my hat or veil, and so have
escaped their suspicions. We are travelling fast, and as we have no
driver with us to carry tales, we go ahead of scandal. But I
daresay that fear of the evil eye will follow hard behind us all
the way. The Professor seems tireless. All day he would not take
any rest, though he made me sleep for a long spell. At sunset time
he hypnotized me, and he says I answered as usual,"darkness,
lapping water and creaking wood." So our enemy is still on the
river. I am afraid to think of Jonathan, but somehow I have now no
fear for him, or for myself. I write this whilst we wait in a
farmhouse for the horses to be ready. Dr. Van Helsing is sleeping.
Poor dear, he looks very tired and old and grey, but his mouth is
set as firmly as a conqueror's. Even in his sleep he is intense
with resolution. When we have well started I must make him rest
whilst I drive. I shall tell him that we have days before us, and
he must not break down when most of all his strength will behe must not break down when most of all his strength will be
needed … All is ready. We are off shortly.
2 November, morning.—I was successful, and we took turns driving
all night. Now the day is on us, bright though cold. There is a
strange heaviness in the air. I say heaviness for want of a better
word. I mean that it oppresses us both. It is very cold, and only
our warm furs keep us comfortable. At dawn Van Helsing hypnotized
me. He says I answered "darkness, creaking wood and roaring water,"
so the river is changing as they ascend. I do hope that my darling
will not run any chance of danger, more than need be, but we are in
God's hands.
2 November, night.—All day long driving. The country gets wilder
as we go, and the great spurs of the Carpathians, which at Veresti
seemed so far from us and so low on the horizon, now seem to gather
round us and tower in front. We both seem in good spirits. I think
we make an effort each to cheer the other, in the doing so we cheer
ourselves. Dr. Van Helsing says that by morning we shall reach the
Borgo Pass. The houses are very few here now, and the Professor
says that the last horse we got will have to go on with us, as we
may not be able to change. He got two in addition to the two we
changed, so that now we have a rude four-in-hand. The dear horses
are patient and good, and they give us no trouble. We are not
worried with other travellers, and so even I can drive. We shall
get to the Pass in daylight. We do not want to arrive before. So we
take it easy, and have each a long rest in turn. Oh, what will
tomorrow bring to us? We go to seek the place where my poor darling
suffered so much. God grant that we may be guided aright, and that
He will deign to watch over my husband and those dear to us both,
and who are in such deadly peril. As for me, I am not worthy in His
sight. Alas! I am unclean to His eyes, and shall be until He may
deign to let me stand forth in His sight as one of those who have
not incurred His wrath.
MEMORANDUM BY ABRAHAM VAN HELSINGnot incurred His wrath.
MEMORANDUM BY ABRAHAM VAN HELSING
4 November.—This to my old and true friend John Seward, M. D.,
of Purefleet, London, in case I may not see him. It may explain. It
is morning, and I write by a fire which all the night I have kept
alive, Madam Mina aiding me. It is cold, cold. So cold that the
grey heavy sky is full of snow, which when it falls will settle for
all winter as the ground is hardening to receive it. It seems to
have affected Madam Mina. She has been so heavy of head all day
that she was not like herself. She sleeps, and sleeps, and sleeps!
She who is usual so alert, have done literally nothing all the day.
She even have lost her appetite. She make no entry into her little
diary, she who write so faithful at every pause. Something whisper
to me that all is not well. However, tonight she is more vif. Her
long sleep all day have refresh and restore her, for now she is all
sweet and bright as ever. At sunset I try to hypnotize her, but
alas! with no effect. The power has grown less and less with each
day, and tonight it fail me altogether. Well, God's will be done,
whatever it may be, and whithersoever it may lead!
Now to the historical, for as Madam Mina write not in her
stenography, I must, in my cumbrous old fashion, that so each day
of us may not go unrecorded.
We got to the Borgo Pass just after sunrise yesterday morning.
When I saw the signs of the dawn I got ready for the hypnotism. We
stopped our carriage, and got down so that there might be no
disturbance. I made a couch with furs, and Madam Mina, lying down,
yield herself as usual, but more slow and more short time than
ever, to the hypnotic sleep. As before, came the answer, "darkness
and the swirling of water." Then she woke, bright and radiant and
we go on our way and soon reach the Pass. At this time and place,
she become all on fire with zeal. Some new guiding power be in her
manifested, for she point to a road and say, "This is the way."
"How know you it?" I ask.