D R A C U L A
CHAPTER I
JONATHAN HARKER KA JOURNAL
(Shorthand mein likha gaya.)
3 May. Bistritz.—Munich se 1st May ko raat 8:35 par nikla, aur agli subah jaldi Vienna pahunch gaya; waise mujhe 6:46 par pahunchna chahiye tha, lekin train ek ghanta late thi. Train se jo jhalak dikhi aur jitna main sadkon par chala, usse Buda-Pesth ek wonderful jagah lagti hai. Mujhe station se zyada door jaane mein darr lag raha tha, kyunki hum late pahunche the aur hum jitna ho sake correct time par start karna chahte the. Mera impression ye tha ki hum West ko leave kar rahe hain aur East mein enter kar rahe hain; Danube nadi ke upar bane sabse western splendid bridges, jo yahan kaafi wide aur deep hain, humein Turkish rule ke traditions ke beech le gaye.
Hum kaafi sahi time par nikle, aur raat hone ke baad Klausenburgh pahunche. Yahan main raat ke liye Hotel Royale mein ruka. Maine dinner, ya rather supper mein, chicken khaya jo red pepper ke saath kisi tarah banaya gaya tha, jo kaafi tasty tha lekin usse pyaas bohot lagti thi. (Note: Mina ke liye recipe leni hai.) Maine waiter se poocha, aur usne kaha ki isse “paprika hendl” kehte hain, aur kyunki ye ek national dish hai, mujhe ye Carpathians mein kahin bhi mil jayegi. Yahan meri thodi-bahut German kaafi kaam aayi; sach kahun toh, mujhe nahi pata uske bina main kaise manage karta.
London mein jab mere paas thoda time tha, toh maine British Museum visit kiya tha, aur library mein Transylvania se related books aur maps mein search kiya tha; mujhe laga ki jis country ke nobleman (rahees aadmi) se main deal karne ja raha hoon, wahan ke baare mein pehle se thodi knowledge hona important hoga. Mujhe pata chala ki jis district ka naam usne bataya, wo country ke extreme east mein hai, bilkul teen states—Transylvania, Moldavia aur Bukovina—ke borders par, Carpathian mountains ke beech mein; jo Europe ke sabse wild aur least known hisson mein se ek hai. Mujhe Castle Dracula ki exact location batane wala koi map ya book nahi mili, kyunki is country ke maps abhi hamare Ordnance Survey maps jaise compare karne layak nahi hain; lekin mujhe pata chala ki Bistritz, jo post town Count Dracula ne bataya tha, wo ek kaafi jaani-maani jagah hai. Main yahan apne kuch notes likh leta hoon, taaki jab main Mina se apni travels ke baare mein baat karun toh meri memory fresh rahe.
Transylvania ki population mein chaar alag nationalities hain: South mein Saxons, aur unke saath mixed Wallachs, jo Dacians ke descendants (vanshaj) hain; West mein Magyars, aur East aur North mein Szekelys. Main Szekelys ke beech ja raha hoon, jo claim karte hain ki wo Attila aur Huns ke descendants hain. Shayad ye sach ho, kyunki jab Magyars ne gyarvi sadi (11th century) mein country ko conquer kiya tha toh unhe wahan Huns base hue mile the. Maine padha hai ki duniya ka har superstition (andh-vishwas) Carpathians ke is horseshoe shape mein ikhatta ho gaya hai, jaise ki ye kisi tarah ke imaginative whirlpool ka centre ho; agar aisa hai toh mera stay kaafi interesting ho sakta hai. (Note: Mujhe Count se in sabke baare mein poochna hai.)
Mujhe achi neend nahi aayi, halanki mera bed kaafi comfortable tha, kyunki mujhe har tarah ke ajeeb sapne aa rahe the. Meri khidki ke neeche raat bhar ek kutta howl kar raha tha (ro raha tha), shayad uska isse kuch lena-dena ho; ya shayad wo paprika ki wajah se tha, kyunki mujhe apne jug ka saara paani peena pada, aur fir bhi main pyaasa tha. Subah ki taraf main so gaya aur mere darwaaze par lagataar knocking se meri neend khuli, toh I guess main tab gehri neend mein tha. Breakfast mein maine aur paprika khaya, aur maize flour (makke ka aata) ka ek porridge jise wo “mamaliga” kehte hain, aur forcemeat se bhara hua egg-plant (baingan), jo ek bohot excellent dish hai, jise wo “impletata” kehte hain. (Note: Iski bhi recipe leni hai.) Mujhe breakfast jaldi karna pada, kyunki train 8 baje se thoda pehle start hoti thi, ya rather use start hona chahiye tha, kyunki 7:30 par station bhaagne ke baad mujhe carriage mein ek ghante se zyada baithna pada usse pehle ki hum move karna shuru karein. Mujhe lagta hai aap jitna East ki taraf jaoge trains utni hi unpunctual hoti jayengi. China mein toh pata nahi kya haal hota hoga?
Din bhar hum ek aisi country mein dheere-dheere aage badhe jo har tarah ki beauty se bhari thi. Kabhi humein steep hills ke top par chote towns ya castles dikhte jaise hum purani missals (dharmik kitaabon) mein dekhte hain; kabhi hum rivers aur streams ke paas se guzre jo apne wide stony kinaron se aise lag rahe the jaise wahan bhaari floods aate honge. Nadi ke bahar ke kinare ko saaf karne ke liye bohot saara paani aur strong current chahiye hota hai. Har station par logon ke groups the, kabhi-kabhi bheed bhi, aur har tarah ke kapdon mein. Unmein se kuch toh bilkul ghar ke peasants jaise the ya waise jo maine France aur Germany se aate waqt dekhe the, short jackets aur round hats aur ghar ke bane trousers ke saath; lekin baaki bohot picturesque (sundar) the. Auratein pretty lag rahi thi, siwaye jab aap unke paas jao, lekin wo waist (kamar) ke paas kaafi clumsy thi. Un sabke sleeves kisi na kisi tarah ke full white the, aur zyadatar ke paas bade belts the jinmein se kuch strips latak rahi thi, bilkul ballet dress ki tarah, lekin of course unke neeche petticoats the. Sabse ajeeb figures jo humne dekhe wo Slovaks the, jo baakiyon se zyada barbarian (junglee) lag rahe the, apne bade cowboy hats, bade baggy gande-safed trousers, white linen shirts, aur enormous bhaari leather belts ke saath, jo lagbhag ek foot chaude the aur un par brass nails lage hue the. Wo high boots pehente the, jinke andar unke trousers tucked the, aur unke lambe kaale baal aur bhaari kaali moonchein thi. Wo kaafi picturesque hain, lekin dekhne mein ache nahi lagte. Stage par unhe turant kisi purane Oriental daakuon ke gang ki tarah dikhaya ja sakta hai. Halanki, mujhe bataya gaya hai ki wo kaafi harmless hain aur unmein natural self-assertion ki kami hai.
Jab hum Bistritz pahunche toh twilight ka dark side shuru ho chuka tha, ye ek kaafi interesting purani jagah hai. Practically frontier par hone ki wajah se—kyunki Borgo Pass yahan se Bukovina jaata hai—iska existence kaafi stormy raha hai, aur is par uske nishaan saaf dikhte hain. Pachaas saal pehle yahan bade fires ki series hui thi, jisne paanch alag maukon par terrible tabahi machayi thi. 17th century ki shuruwat mein yahan teen hafte ka siege (gheraav) hua tha aur 13,000 log maare gaye the, war ki casualties ke saath bhukhmari aur beemari bhi thi.