Читать книгу Dracula - Брэм Стокер, Bram Stoker, John Edgar Browning - Страница 9

(Pasted in Mina Murray ’s Journal.)

From a Correspondent.

Whitby.

ONE of the greatest and suddenest storms on record has just been

experienced here, with results both strange and unique. The

weather had been somewhat sultry, but not to any degree un-

common in the month of August. Saturday evening was as fine as

was ever known, and the great body of holiday-makers laid out

yesterday for visits to Mulgrave Woods, Robin Hood’s Bay, Rig

Mill, Runswick, Staithes, and the various trips hi the neighbour-

hood of Whitby. The steamers Emma and Scarborough made

trips up and down the coast, and there was an unusual amount

of «tripping» both to and from Whitby. The day was unusually

fine till the afternoon, when some of the gossips who frequent the

East Cliff churchyard, and from that commanding eminence

watch the wide sweep of sea visible to the north and east, called

attention to a sudden show of" mares’-tails" high in the sky to

the north-west. The wind was then blowing from the south-west

in the mild degree which in barometrical language is ranked

«No. 2: light breeze.» The coastguard on duty at once made

report, and one old fisherman, who for more than half a century

has kept watch on weather* signs from the East Cliff, foretold in

an emphatic manner the coming of a sudden storm. The ap-

proach of sunset was so very beautiful, so grand in its masses of

splendidly-coloured clouds, that there was quite an assemblage

on the walk along the cliff in the old churchyard to enjoy the

beauty. Before the sun dipped below the black mass of Kettle-

ness, standing boldly athwart the western sky, its downward

way was marked by myriad clouds of every sunset-colour

flame, purple, pink, green, violet, and all the tints of gold; with

here and there masses not large, but of seemingly absolute black-

ness, in all sorts of shapes, as well outlined as colossal silhouettes.

The experience was not lost on the painters, and doubtless some

of the sketches of the «Prelude to the Great Storm» will grace

the R. A. and R. I. walls in May next. More than one captain

72 Dracula

made up his mind then and there that his «cobble» or his

«mule,» as they term the different classes of boats, would

remain in the harbour till the storm had passed. The wind fell

away entirely during the evening, and at midnight there was a

dead calm, a sultry heat, and that prevailing intensity which, on

the approach of thunder, affects persons of a sensitive nature.

There were but few lights in sight at sea, for even the coasting

steamers, which usually «hug» the shore so closely, kept well to

seaward, and but few fishing-boats were in sight. The only sail

noticeable was a foreign schooner with all sails set, which was

seemingly going westwards. The foolhardiness or ignorance of

her officers was a prolific theme for comment whilst she remained

in sight, and efforts were made to signal her to reduce sail in face

of her danger. Before the night shut down she was seen with sails

idly flapping as she gently rolled on the undulating swell of the

sea,

«As idle as a painted ship upon a painted ocean.»

Shortly before ten o’clock the stillness of the air grew quite

oppressive, and the silence was so marked that the bleating of a

sheep inland or the barking of a dog in the town was distinctly

heard, and the band on the pier, with its li vely French air, was like

a discord in the great harmony of nature’s silence. A little after

midnight came a strange sound from over the sea, and high

overhead the air began to carry a strange, faint, hollow booming.

Then without warning the tempest broke. With a rapidity

which, at the time, seemed incredible, and even afterwards is

impossible to realize, the whole aspect of na. ture at once became

convulsed. The waves rose in growing fury, each overtopping its

fellow, till in a very few minutes the lately glassy sea was like a

roaring and devouring monster. White-crested waves beat madly

on the level sands and rushed up the shelving cliffs; others broke

over the piers, and with their spume swept the lanthorns of the

lighthouses which rise from the end of either pier of Whitby

Harbour. The wind roared like thunder, and blew with such

force that it was with difficulty that even strong men kept their

feet, or clung with grim clasp to the iron stanchions. It was found

necessary to clear the entire piers from the mass of onlookers,

or else the fatalities of the night would have been increased

manifold. To add to the difficulties and dangers of the time,

masses of sea-fog came drifting inland white, wet clouds, which

swept by in ghostly fashion, so dank and damp and cold that it

needed but little effort of imagination to think that the spirits

Cutting from «The Dailygraph» 7,S

of those lost at sea were touching their living brethren with the

clammy hands of death, and many a one shuddered as the wreaths

of sea-mist swept by. At times the mist cleared, and the sea for

some distance could be seen in the glare of the lightning, which

now came thick and fast, followed by such sudden peals of thun-

der that the whole sky overhead seemed trembling under the

shock of the footsteps of the storm.

Some of the scenes thus revealed were of immeasurable

grandeur and of absorbing interest the sea, running mountains

high, threw skywards with each wave mighty masses of white

foam, which the tempest seemed to snatch at and whirl away

into space; here and there a fishing-boat, with a rag of sail, run-

ning madly for shelter before the blast; now and again the white

wings of a storm-tossed sea-bird. On the summit of the East

Cliff the new searchlight was ready for experiment, but had not

yet been tried. The officers in charge of it got it into working

order, and in the pauses of the inrushing mist swept with it the

surface of the sea. Once or twice its service was most effective, as

when a fishing-boat, with gunwale under water, rushed into the

harbour, able, by the guidance of the sheltering light, to avoid

the danger of dashing against the piers. As each boat achieved

the safety of the port there was a shout of joy from the mass of

people on shore, a shout which for a moment seemed to cleave

the gale and was then swept away in its rush.

Before long the searchlight discovered some distance away

a schooner with all sails set, apparently the same vessel which

had been noticed earlier in the evening. The wind had by this

time backed to the east, and there was a shudder amongst the

watchers on the cliff as they realized the terrible danger in which

she now was. Between her and the port lay the great flat reef on

which so many good ships have from time to time suffered, and,

with the wind blowing from its present quarter, it would be quite

impossible that she should fetch the entrance of the harbour. It

was now nearly the hour of high tide, but the waves were so great

that in their troughs the shallows of the shore were almost visible,

and the schooner, with all sails set, was rushing with such speed

that, in the words of one old salt, «she must fetch up somewhere,

if it was only in hell.» Then came another rush of sea-fog, greater

than any hitherto a mass of dank mist, which seemed to close

on all things like a grey pall, and left available to men only

the organ of hearing, for the roar of the tempest, and the crash of

the thunder, and the booming of the mighty billows came

through the damp oblivion even louder than before. The rays of

M -r Dracula

the searchlight were kept fixed on the harbour mouth across the

East Pier, where the shock was expected, and men waited

breathless. The wind suddenly shifted to the north-east, and the

remnant of the sea-fog melted in the blast; and then, mirabile

dictu, between the piers, leaping from wave to wave as it rushed

at headlong speed, swept the strange schooner before the blast,

with all sail set, and gained the safety of the harbour. The

searchlight followed her, and a shudder ran through all who saw

her, for lashed to the helm was a corpse, with drooping head,

which swung horribly to and fro at each motion of the ship. No

other form could be seen on deck at all. A great awe came on air

as they realised that the ship, as if by a miracle, had found the

harbour, unsteered save by the hand of a dead man! However,

all took place more quickly than it takes to write these words.

The schooner paused not, but rushing across the harbour, pitched

herself on that accumulation of sand and gravel washed by many

tides and many storms into the south-east corner of the pier

jutting under the East Cliff, known locally as Tate Hill Pier.

There was of course a considerable concussion as the vessel

drove up on the sand heap. Every spar, rope, and stay was

strained, and some of the" top-hammer» came crashing down.

But, strangest of all, the very instant the shore was touched, an

immense dog sprang up on deck from below, as if shot up by the

concussion, and running forward, jumped from the bow on the

sand. Making straight for the steep cliff, where the churchyard

hangs over the laneway to the East Pier so steeply that some of

the flat tombstones «thruff-steans» or «through-stones,» as

they call them in the Whitby vernacular actually project over

where the sustaining cliff has fallen away, it disappeared in the

darkness, which seemed intensified just beyond the focus of the

searchlight.

It so happened that there was no one at the moment on Tate

Hill Pier, as all those whose houses are in close proximity were

either in bed or were out on the heights above. Thus the coast-

guard on duty on the eastern side of the harbour, who at once

ran down to the little pier, was the first to climb on board. The

men working the searchlight, after scouring the entrance of the

harbour without seeing anything, then turned the light on

the derelict and kept it there. The coastguard ran aft, and when

he came beside the wheel, bent over to exarrTne it, and recoiled at,

once as though under some sudden emotion. This seemed to pique

general curiosity, and quite a number of people began to run. It is

a good way round from the West Cliff by the Drawbridge to

Cutting from «The Dailygraph» 75

Tate H21 Pier, but your correspondent is a fairly good

runner, and came well ahead of the crowd. When I arrived,

however, I found already assembled on the pier a crowd,

whom the coastguard and police refused to allow to come on

board. By the courtesy of the chief boatman, I was, as your

correspondent, permitted to climb on deck, and] was one of a

small group who saw the dead seaman whilst actually lashed to

the wheel.

It was no wonder that the coastguard was surprised, or even

awed, for not often can such a sight have been seen. The man

was simply fastened by his hands, tied one over the other, to a

spoke of the wheel. Between the inner hand and the wood was a

crucifix, the set of beads on which it was fastened being around

both wrists and wheel, and all kept fast by the binding cords. The

poor fellow may have been seated at one time, but the flapping

and buffeting of the sails had worked through the rudder of the

wheel and dragged him to and fro, so that the cords with which

he was tied had cut the flesh to the bone. Accurate note was

made of the state of things, and a doctor Surgeon J. M. Caffyn,

of 33, East Elliot Place who came immediately after me, de-

clared, after making examination, that the man must have been

dead for quite two days. In his pocket was a bottle, carefully

corked, empty save for a little roll of paper, which proved to be

the addendum to the log. The coastguard said the man must

have tied up his own hands, fastening the knots with his teeth.

The fact that a coastguard was the first on board may save some

complications, later on, in the Admiralty Court; for coastguards

cannot claim the salvage which is the right of the first civilian

entering on a derelict. Already, however, the legal tongues are

wagging, and one young law student is loudly asserting that the

rights of the owner are already completely sacrificed, his prop-

erty being held in contravention of the statutes of mortmain,

since the tiller, as emblemship, if not proof, of delegated posses-

sion, is held in a dead hand. It is needless to say that the dead

steersman has been reverently removed from the place where he

held his honourable watch and ward till death a steadfastness

as noble as that of the young Casabianca and placed in the

mortuary to await inquest.

Already the sudden storm is passing, and its fierceness is

abating; crowds are scattering homeward, and the sky is begin-

ning to redden over the Yorkshire wolds. I shall send, in time

for your next issue, further details of the derelict ship which

found her way so miraculously into harbour in the storm.

76 Dracula

Whitby

p August. The sequel to the strange arrival of the derelict in

the storm last night is almost more startling than the thing

itself. It turns out that the schooner is a Russian from Varna, and

is called the Demeter. She is almost entirely hi ballast of silver

sand, with only a small amount of cargo a number of great

wooden boxes filled with mould. This cargo was consigned to a

Whitby solicitor, Mr. S. F. Billington, of 7, The Crescent, who

this morning went aboard and formally took possession of the

goods consigned to him. The Russian consul, too, acting for the

charter-party, took formal possession of the ship, and paid all

harbour dues, etc. Nothing is talked about here to-day except the

strange coincidence; the officials of the Board of Trade have been

most exacting in seeing that every compliance has been made

with existing regulations. As the matter is to be a «nine days’

wonder/ 7 they are evidently determined that there shall be no

cause of after complaint. A good deal of interest was abroad

concerning the dog which landed when the ship struck, and more

than a few of the members of the S. P. C. A., which is very strong

in Whitby, have tried to befriend the animal. To the general

disappointment, however, it was not to be found; it seems to

have disappeared entirely from the town. It may be that it was

frightened and made its way on to the moors, where it is still

hiding in terror. There are some who look with dread on such a

possibility, lest later on it should in itself become a danger, for

it is evidently a fierce brute. Early this morning a large dog, a

half-bred mastiff belonging to a coal merchant close to Tate Hill

Pier, was found dead in the roadway opposite to its master’s yard.

It had been fighting, and manifestly had had a savage opponent,

for its throat was torn away, and its belly was slit open as if with

a savage claw.

Later. By the kindness of the Board of Trade inspector, I

have been permitted to look over the log-book of the Demeter,

which was hi order up to within three days, but contained

nothing of special interest except as to facts of missing men. The

greatest interest, however, is with regard to the paper found in

the bottle, which was to-day produced at the inquest; and a more

strange narrative than the two between them unfold it has not

been my lot to come across. As there is no motive for concealment,

I am permitted to use them, and accordingly send you a rescript,

simply omitting technical details of seamanship and supercargo.

It almost seems as though the captain had been seized with some

Cutting from «The Dailygraph» 77

kind of mania before he had got well into blue water, and that

this had developed persistently throughout the voyage. Of course

my statement must be taken cum grano, since I am writing from

the dictation of a clerk of the Russian consul, who kindly trans-

lated for me, tune being short.