river Danube. They had, mind ye, taken the box on the deck ready to
fling in, and as it was marked Galatz _via_ Varna, I thocht I d let it
lie till we discharged in the port an get rid o t althegither. We
didn t do much clearin that day, an had to remain the nicht at anchor;
but in the mornin , braw an airly, an hour before sun-up, a man came
aboard wi an order, written to him from England, to receive a box
marked for one Count Dracula. Sure eneuch the matter was one ready to
his hand. He had his papers a reet, an glad I was to be rid o the
dam thing, for I was beginnin masel to feel uneasy at it. If the Deil
did have any luggage aboord the ship, I m thinkin it was nane ither
than that same!
What was the name of the man who took it? asked Dr. Van Helsing with
restrained eagerness.
I ll be tellin ye quick! he answered, and, stepping down to his
cabin, produced a receipt signed Immanuel Hildesheim. Burgen-strasse
16 was the address. We found out that this was all the Captain knew; so
with thanks we came away.
We found Hildesheim in his office, a Hebrew of rather the Adelphi
Theatre type, with a nose like a sheep, and a fez. His arguments were
pointed with specie--we doing the punctuation--and with a little
bargaining he told us what he knew. This turned out to be simple but
important. He had received a letter from Mr. de Ville of London, telling
him to receive, if possible before sunrise so as to avoid customs, a box
which would arrive at Galatz in the _Czarina Catherine_. This he was to
give in charge to a certain Petrof Skinsky, who dealt with the Slovaks
who traded down the river to the port. He had been paid for his work by
an English bank note, which had been duly cashed for gold at the Danube
International Bank. When Skinsky had come to him, he had taken him to
the ship and handed over the box, so as to save porterage. That was all
he knew.
We then sought for Skinsky, but were unable to find him. One of his
neighbours, who did not seem to bear him any affection, said that he had
gone away two days before, no one knew whither. This was corroborated by
his landlord, who had received by messenger the key of the house
together with the rent due, in English money. This had been between ten
and eleven o clock last night. We were at a standstill again.
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