Dracula Island

Apr 19, 2007 11:12

PROFESSOR VAN HELSING, Mrs. Harker, and the rest of these adventurers having asked me to write down the whole particulars about Count Dracula, from the beginning to the end, keeping nothing back but the location of the remains, and that only because there is still ash not yet scattered, I take up my pen in the year of grace 18__ and go back to the time when I left Munich and the train to Buda-Pesth was an hour late.

I remember it as if it were yesterday, as we were leaving the West and entering the East, across the most western of bridges over the Danube--a splendid, noble, wide, deep bridge, taking us among the traditions of Turkish rule, leaving in pretty good time, coming after nightfall to Klausenburgh, and stopping for the night at the Hotel Royale. I remember myself going to dinner and calling it supper as I did so, then having that chicken that I thought about so often afterwards:

"Done up some way with red pepper--
Very good but thirsty!"

Treasure Island
SQUIRE TRELAWNEY, Dr. Livesey, and the rest of these gentlemen having asked me to write down the whole particulars about Treasure Island, from the beginning to the end, keeping nothing back but the bearings of the island, and that only because there is still treasure not yet lifted, I take up my pen in the year of grace 17__ and go back to the time when my father kept the Admiral Benbow inn and the brown old seaman with the sabre cut first took up his lodging under our roof.

I remember him as if it were yesterday, as he came plodding to the inn door, his sea-chest following behind him in a hand-barrow--a tall, strong, heavy, nut-brown man, his tarry pigtail falling over the shoulder of his soiled blue coat, his hands ragged and scarred, with black, broken nails, and the sabre cut across one cheek, a dirty, livid white. I remember him looking round the cover and whistling to himself as he did so, and then breaking out in that old sea-song that he sang so often afterwards:

"Fifteen men on the dead man's chest--
Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!"

Dracula

Jonathan Harker's Journal

3 May. Bistritz.--Left Munich at 8:35 P.M., on 1st May, arriving at Vienna early next morning; should have arrived at 6:46, but train was an hour late. Buda-Pesth seems a wonderful place, from the glimpse which I got of it from the train and the little I could walk through the streets. I feared to go very far from the station, as we had arrived late and would start as near the correct time as possible.

The impression I had was that we were leaving the West and entering the East; the most western of splendid bridges over the Danube, which is here of noble width and depth, took us among the traditions of Turkish rule.

We left in pretty good time, and came after nightfall to Klausenburgh. Here I stopped for the night at the Hotel Royale. I had for dinner, or rather supper, a chicken done up some way with red pepper, which was very good but thirsty.

bookmashes

Previous post Next post
Up