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DRACULA `
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by `
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Bram Stoker `
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1897 edition `
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CHAPTER 1 `
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Jonathan Harker's Journal `
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3 May. Bistritz.--Left Munich at 8:35 P.M., on 1st May, arriving at `
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Vienna early next morning; should have arrived at 6:46, but train was `
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an hour late. Buda-Pesth seems a wonderful place, from the glimpse `
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which I got of it from the train and the little I could walk through `
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the streets. I feared to go very far from the station, as we had `
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arrived late and would start as near the correct time as possible. `
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The impression I had was that we were leaving the West and entering the `
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East; the most western of splendid bridges over the Danube, which is `
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here of noble width and depth, took us among the traditions of Turkish `
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rule. `
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We left in pretty good time, and came after nightfall to Klausenburgh. `
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Here I stopped for the night at the Hotel Royale. I had for dinner, `
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or rather supper, a chicken done up some way with red pepper, which `
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was very good but thirsty. (Mem. get recipe for Mina.) I asked the `
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waiter, and he said it was called "paprika hendl," and that, as it was `
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a national dish, I should be able to get it anywhere along the `
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Carpathians. `
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I found my smattering of German very useful here, indeed, I don't know `
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how I should be able to get on without it. `
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Having had some time at my disposal when in London, I had visited the `
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British Museum, and made search among the books and maps in the `
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library regarding Transylvania; it had struck me that some `
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foreknowledge of the country could hardly fail to have some importance `
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in dealing with a nobleman of that country. `
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I find that the district he named is in the extreme east of the `
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country, just on the borders of three states, Transylvania, Moldavia, `
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and Bukovina, in the midst of the Carpathian mountains; one of the `
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wildest and least known portions of Europe. `
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I was not able to light on any map or work giving the exact locality `
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of the Castle Dracula, as there are no maps of this country as yet to `
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compare with our own Ordance Survey Maps; but I found that Bistritz, `
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the post town named by Count Dracula, is a fairly well-known place. I `
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shall enter here some of my notes, as they may refresh my memory when `
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I talk over my travels with Mina. `
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In the population of Transylvania there are four distinct `
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nationalities: Saxons in the South, and mixed with them the Wallachs, `
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who are the descendants of the Dacians; Magyars in the West, and `
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Szekelys in the East and North. I am going among the latter, who `
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claim to be descended from Attila and the Huns. This may be so, for `
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when the Magyars conquered the country in the eleventh century they `
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found the Huns settled in it. `
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I read that every known superstition in the world is gathered into the `
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horseshoe of the Carpathians, as if it were the centre of some sort of `
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imaginative whirlpool; if so my stay may be very interesting. (Mem., `
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I must ask the Count all about them.) `
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I did not sleep well, though my bed was comfortable enough, for I had `
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all sorts of queer dreams. There was a dog howling all night under my `
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window, which may have had something to do with it; or it may have `
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been the paprika, for I had to drink up all the water in my carafe, `
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and was still thirsty. Towards morning I slept and was wakened by the `
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continuous knocking at my door, so I guess I must have been sleeping `
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soundly then. `
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I had for breakfast more paprika, and a sort of porridge of maize `
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flour which they said was "mamaliga", and egg-plant stuffed with `
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forcemeat, a very excellent dish, which they call "impletata". (Mem., `
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get recipe for this also.) `
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I had to hurry breakfast, for the train started a little before eight, `
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or rather it ought to have done so, for after rushing to the station `
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at 7:30 I had to sit in the carriage for more than an hour before we `
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began to move. `
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It seems to me that the further east you go the more unpunctual are `
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the trains. What ought they to be in China? `
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All day long we seemed to dawdle through a country which was full of `
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beauty of every kind. Sometimes we saw little towns or castles on the `
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top of steep hills such as we see in old missals; sometimes we ran by `
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rivers and streams which seemed from the wide stony margin on each `
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side of them to be subject to great floods. It takes a lot of water, `
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and running strong, to sweep the outside edge of a river clear. `
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At every station there were groups of people, sometimes crowds, and in `
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all sorts of attire. Some of them were just like the peasants at home `
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or those I saw coming through France and Germany, with short jackets, `
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and round hats, and home-made trousers; but others were very `
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picturesque. `
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The women looked pretty, except when you got near them, but they were `
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very clumsy about the waist. They had all full white sleeves of some `
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kind or other, and most of them had big belts with a lot of strips of `
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something fluttering from them like the dresses in a ballet, but of `
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course there were petticoats under them. `
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The strangest figures we saw were the Slovaks, who were more barbarian `
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than the rest, with their big cow-boy hats, great baggy dirty-white `
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trousers, white linen shirts, and enormous heavy leather belts, nearly `
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a foot wide, all studded over with brass nails. They wore high boots, `
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with their trousers tucked into them, and had long black hair and `
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heavy black moustaches. They are very picturesque, but do not look `
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prepossessing. On the stage they would be set down at once as some `
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old Oriental band of brigands. They are, however, I am told, very `
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harmless and rather wanting in natural self-assertion. `
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It was on the dark side of twilight when we got to Bistritz, which is `
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a very interesting old place. Being practically on the frontier--for `
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the Borgo Pass leads from it into Bukovina--it has had a very stormy `
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existence, and it certainly shows marks of it. Fifty years ago a `
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series of great fires took place, which made terrible havoc on five `
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separate occasions. At the very beginning of the seventeenth century `
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it underwent a siege of three weeks and lost 13,000 people, the `
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casualties of war proper being assisted by famine and disease. `
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Count Dracula had directed me to go to the Golden Krone Hotel, which I `
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found, to my great delight, to be thoroughly old-fashioned, for of `
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course I wanted to see all I could of the ways of the country. `
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I was evidently expected, for when I got near the door I faced a `
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cheery-looking elderly woman in the usual peasant dress--white `
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undergarment with a long double apron, front, and back, of coloured `
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stuff fitting almost too tight for modesty. When I came close she `
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bowed and said, "The Herr Englishman?" `
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"Yes," I said, "Jonathan Harker." `
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She smiled, and gave some message to an elderly man in white `
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shirtsleeves, who had followed her to the door. `
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He went, but immediately returned with a letter: `
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"My friend.--Welcome to the Carpathians. I am anxiously expecting `
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you. Sleep well tonight. At three tomorrow the diligence will `
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start for Bukovina; a place on it is kept for you. At the Borgo `
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Pass my carriage will await you and will bring you to me. I trust `
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that your journey from London has been a happy one, and that you `
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will enjoy your stay in my beautiful land.--Your friend, Dracula." `
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4 May--I found that my landlord had got a letter from the Count, `
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directing him to secure the best place on the coach for me; but on `
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making inquiries as to details he seemed somewhat reticent, and `
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pretended that he could not understand my German. `
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This could not be true, because up to then he had understood it `
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perfectly; at least, he answered my questions exactly as if he did. `
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He and his wife, the old lady who had received me, looked at each `
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other in a frightened sort of way. He mumbled out that the money had `
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been sent in a letter, and that was all he knew. When I asked him if `
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he knew Count Dracula, and could tell me anything of his castle, both `
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he and his wife crossed themselves, and, saying that they knew nothing `
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at all, simply refused to speak further. It was so near the time of `
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starting that I had no time to ask anyone else, for it was all very `
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mysterious and not by any means comforting. `
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Just before I was leaving, the old lady came up to my room and said in `
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a hysterical way: "Must you go? Oh! Young Herr, must you go?" She `
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was in such an excited state that she seemed to have lost her grip of `
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what German she knew, and mixed it all up with some other language `
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which I did not know at all. I was just able to follow her by asking `
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many questions. When I told her that I must go at once, and that I `
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was engaged on important business, she asked again: `
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"Do you know what day it is?" I answered that it was the fourth of `
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May. She shook her head as she said again: `
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"Oh, yes! I know that! I know that, but do you know what day it is?" `
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On my saying that I did not understand, she went on: `
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"It is the eve of St. George's Day. Do you not know that tonight, `
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when the clock strikes midnight, all the evil things in the world will `
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have full sway? Do you know where you are going, and what you are `
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going to?" She was in such evident distress that I tried to comfort `
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her, but without effect. Finally, she went down on her knees and `
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implored me not to go; at least to wait a day or two before starting. `
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It was all very ridiculous but I did not feel comfortable. However, `
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there was business to be done, and I could allow nothing to interfere `
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with it. `
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I tried to raise her up, and said, as gravely as I could, that I `
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thanked her, but my duty was imperative, and that I must go. `
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