CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Dr Seward's Diary

29 October—We are now all aboard the train to Galatz. We will arrive in the morning. This sunset, Van Helsing, once again, put Mina under hypnosis. For some reason, it was much more difficult than before. She reported hearing water, but it was rushing water this time. There was also the sound of men speaking a foreign language, and wolves crying in the distance.

Clearly, Mina is beginning to lose her ability to see the Count when hypnotized. I pray that we can find him before she entirely loses it. Without this, we will never be able to locate him! God help us!

30 October (morning)—The train is quickly approaching Galatz. At sunrise, the professor, again, with much effort, helped Mina to find the Count in her mind. This time, she heard water, as if the Count were floating in it. She also heard the sound of cows. It seemed that there were other wood boxes nearby, for she could hear wood rubbing up against the Count's box.

"And there's something new ... it's the sound of ... Oh my God!" Her eyes suddenly became wide and her face turned very white.

"What is it, Mina?" cried the professor, "Quickly! Tell me!"

But then the sunlight came through the window and Mina was soon awake without any memory of what she had seen just moments before.

We are just now arriving at the station in Galatz!

Jonathan Harker's Journal

30 October—Today, a few of us managed to find out from the boat's captain the name of the man who picked up the Count's box in Galatz. He was Mr Hildesheim. It was no trouble then to find this man's office in town. He greeted us in a friendly way and explained that he had received a letter from London a few weeks before.

"A fellow named Mr De Ville sent it and asked that I get a box from off the Czarina Catherine when it arrives and then hand it over to another fellow named Petrof Skinsky."

Sadly, we learned, later in the day, that Mr Skinsky's body had been found outside a church. His neck was torn to pieces.

Feeling less hopeful about our search, we then returned to our hotel. Seeing us so disappointed, Mina suggested that we all rest for an hour or so. She, in the meantime, will write up a paper with everything that we now know about the Count at this time.

Memorandum Written By Mina Harker

1. We know that the Count cannot reach his home without being carried there in his box.

2. What sort of transport shall he use to get there?

a) Traveling by road would be too dangerous for him. He could easily be followed and there's the likely chance that someone would open the box out of curiosity.

b) Traveling by train would also be dangerous, mainly because train schedules are very unreliable. He could easily get caught somewhere in daylight.

c) Probably the safest way for him to go would be by boat, as there are fewer people to deal with and he can rise from his box at night.

Therefore, we believe the Count is now on water somewhere. Because the man who received the Count's box, Mr Skinsky, was known to work often with the local river workers, my guess would be that the Count arranged for his box to be placed on a riverboat. According to my map, the Sereth River runs closest to Castle Dracula. It is most likely that that same group of travelers who helped the Count leave his homeland is now helping him to return to it. They may even be guarding him during the journey.

Mina Harker's Journal

After showing my last writing to the men, they all thanked me one by one. Van Helsing was, of course, the most pleased. "Now we are back in the hunt!" he said.

Godalming has already arranged for a fast boat to take both he and Jonathan up the river after the Slovak boat that is carrying away the Count. Quincey and Dr Seward will then ride horses up the riverside, in case the boat makes any stops along the way. And the professor and I will be going as directly as we can to Castle Dracula. Jonathan did not like hearing this plan and became quite upset.

"How can you even think of taking Mina to such a terrible place. That is the center of all evil in the world!"

"Have we any choice, my friend?" asked Van Helsing. "Not one of us must be alone until the vampire is destroyed. We must now separate in order to make sure the Count cannot get away again. The strongest men should go after him directly. Mina and I are probably going to the safest place, compared with you men."

In the end, Jonathan accepted the professor's advice, but with a very sad heart. Therefore, tomorrow, the professor and I will take a train to Veresti. And there we will purchase a carriage of our own and then drive ourselves to the castle.

Oh, how frightened I am! This may be my last moment with Jonathan forever. I must be strong.

Jonathan Harker's Journal

2 November (morning)—After three days of speeding up river, we have stopped many boats, but found no boxes on board. One boat of people told us they had seen a larger boat moving faster than others a day or two before.

The cold is starting to make me tired. Godalming is doing most of the driving since he has plenty of experience with his own boat in England.

I wish that we could somehow move faster. I worry that the Count might reach his home before we do. That would be quite bad for my Mina. I'm guessing that she and the professor are near the Borgo Pass about now. God protect them!

Dr Seward's Diary

4 November—We've been riding hard these days, but Quincey and I are still full of energy and strength. Today we heard from some of the local people that Godalming's boat was damaged when he tried to take it up a narrow part of the river. It's, apparently, still running, but less quickly. That means Quincey and I must race even faster toward our destination. Mina and the professor cannot fight the vampire on their own!

(end of section)