another blinding rush of driving snow, and the whole landscape was
blotted out. It soon passed, however, and once more his glasses
were fixed on the plain.
Then came a sudden cry, "Look! Look! Look! See, two horsemen
follow fast, coming up from the south. It must be Quincey and John.
Take the glass. Look before the snow blots it all out!" I took it
and looked. The two men might be Dr. Seward and Mr. Morris. I knew
at all events that neither of them was Jonathan. At the same time I
knew that Jonathan was not far off. Looking around I saw on the
north side of the coming party two other men, riding at breakneck
speed. One of them I knew was Jonathan, and the other I took, of
course, to be Lord Godalming. They too, were pursuing the party
with the cart. When I told the Professor he shouted in glee like a
schoolboy, and after looking intently till a snow fall made sight
impossible, he laid his Winchester rifle ready for use against the
boulder at the opening of our shelter.
"They are all converging," he said."When the time comes we shall
have gypsies on all sides." I got out my revolver ready to hand,
for whilst we were speaking the howling of wolves came louder and
closer. When the snow storm abated a moment we looked again. It was
strange to see the snow falling in such heavy flakes close to us,
and beyond, the sun shining more and more brightly as it sank down
towards the far mountain tops. Sweeping the glass all around us I
could see here and there dots moving singly and in twos and threes
and larger numbers. The wolves were gathering for their prey.
Every instant seemed an age whilst we waited. The wind came now
in fierce bursts, and the snow was driven with fury as it swept
upon us in circling eddies. At times we could not see an arm's
length before us. But at others, as the hollow sounding wind swept
by us, it seemed to clear the air space around us so that we could
see afar off. We had of late been so accustomed to watch for
sunrise and sunset, that we knew with fair accuracy when it wouldsunrise and sunset, that we knew with fair accuracy when it would
be. And we knew that before long the sun would set. It was hard to
believe that by our watches it was less than an hour that we waited
in that rocky shelter before the various bodies began to converge
close upon us. The wind came now with fiercer and more bitter
sweeps, and more steadily from the north. It seemingly had driven
the snow clouds from us, for with only occasional bursts, the snow
fell. We could distinguish clearly the individuals of each party,
the pursued and the pursuers. Strangely enough those pursued did
not seem to realize, or at least to care, that they were pursued.
They seemed, however, to hasten with redoubled speed as the sun
dropped lower and lower on the mountain tops.
Closer and closer they drew. The Professor and I crouched down
behind our rock, and held our weapons ready. I could see that he
was determined that they should not pass. One and all were quite
unaware of our presence.
All at once two voices shouted out to, "Halt!" One was my
Jonathan's, raised in a high key of passion. The other Mr. Morris'
strong resolute tone of quiet command. The gypsies may not have
known the language, but there was no mistaking the tone, in
whatever tongue the words were spoken. Instinctively they reined
in, and at the instant Lord Godalming and Jonathan dashed up at one
side and Dr. Seward and Mr. Morris on the other. The leader of the
gypsies, a splendid looking fellow who sat his horse like a
centaur, waved them back, and in a fierce voice gave to his
companions some word to proceed. They lashed the horses which
sprang forward. But the four men raised their Winchester rifles,
and in an unmistakable way commanded them to stop. At the same
moment Dr. Van Helsing and I rose behind the rock and pointed our
weapons at them. Seeing that they were surrounded the men tightened
their reins and drew up. The leader turned to them and gave a word
at which every man of the gypsy party drew what weapon he carried,at which every man of the gypsy party drew what weapon he carried,
knife or pistol,and held himself in readiness to attack. Issue was
joined in an instant.
The leader, with a quick movement of his rein, threw his horse
out in front, and pointed first to the sun, now close down on the
hill tops, and then to the castle, said something which I did not
understand. For answer, all four men of our party threw themselves
from their horses and dashed towards the cart. I should have felt
terrible fear at seeing Jonathan in such danger, but that the ardor
of battle must have been upon me as well as the rest of them. I
felt no fear, but only a wild, surging desire to do something.
Seeing the quick movement of our parties, the leader of the gypsies
gave a command. His men instantly formed round the cart in a sort
of undisciplined endeavor, each one shouldering and pushing the
other in his eagerness to carry out the order.
In the midst of this I could see that Jonathan on one side of
the ring of men, and Quincey on the other, were forcing a way to
the cart. It was evident that they were bent on finishing their
task before the sun should set. Nothing seemed to stop or even to
hinder them.Neither the levelled weapons nor the flashing knives of
the gypsies in front, nor the howling of the wolves behind,
appeared to even attract their attention. Jonathan's impetuosity,
and the manifest singleness of his purpose, seemed to overawe those
in front of him. Instinctively they cowered aside and let him pass.
In an instant he had jumped upon the cart, and with a strength
which seemed incredible, raised the great box, and flung it over
the wheel to the ground. In the meantime, Mr. Morris had had to use
force to pass through his side of the ring of Szgany. All the time
I had been breathlessly watching Jonathan I had, with the tail of
my eye, seen him pressing desperately forward, and had seen the
knives of the gypsies flash as he won a way through them, and they
cut at him. He had parried with his great bowie knife, and at first