Dracula, The Hunters' Journals: 15 October; Jonathan Harker’s Journal

 Our hunters arrive in Varna. 

Jonathan Harker’s Journal.

15 October, Varna.—We left Charing Cross on the morning of the 12th, got to Paris the same night, and took the places secured for us in the Orient Express. We travelled night and day, arriving here at about five o’clock. Lord Godalming went to the Consulate to see if any telegram had arrived for him, whilst the rest of us came on to this hotel—“the Odessus.” The journey may have had incidents; I was, however, too eager to get on, to care for them. Until the Czarina Catherine comes into port there will be no interest for me in anything in the wide world. Thank God! Mina is well, and looks to be getting stronger; her colour is coming back. She sleeps a great deal; throughout the journey she slept nearly all the time. Before sunrise and sunset, however, she is very wakeful and alert; and it has become a habit for Van Helsing to hypnotise her at such times. At first, some effort was needed, and he had to make many passes; but now, she seems to yield at once, as if by habit, and scarcely any action is needed. He seems to have power at these particular moments to simply will, and her thoughts obey him. He always asks her what she can see and hear. She answers to the first:—

“Nothing; all is dark.” And to the second:—

“I can hear the waves lapping against the ship, and the water rushing by. Canvas and cordage strain and masts and yards creak. The wind is high—I can hear it in the shrouds, and the bow throws back the foam.” It is evident that the Czarina Catherine is still at sea, hastening on her way to Varna. Lord Godalming has just returned. He had four telegrams, one each day since we started, and all to the same effect: that the Czarina Catherine had not been reported to Lloyd’s from anywhere. He had arranged before leaving London that his agent should send him every day a telegram saying if the ship had been reported. He was to have a message even if she were not reported, so that he might be sure that there was a watch being kept at the other end of the wire.

We had dinner and went to bed early. To-morrow we are to see the Vice-Consul, and to arrange, if we can, about getting on board the ship as soon as she arrives. Van Helsing says that our chance will be to get on the boat between sunrise and sunset. The Count, even if he takes the form of a bat, cannot cross the running water of his own volition, and so cannot leave the ship. As he dare not change to man’s form without suspicion—which he evidently wishes to avoid—he must remain in the box. If, then, we can come on board after sunrise, he is at our mercy; for we can open the box and make sure of him, as we did of poor Lucy, before he wakes. What mercy he shall get from us will not count for much. We think that we shall not have much trouble with officials or the seamen. Thank God! this is the country where bribery can do anything, and we are well supplied with money. We have only to make sure that the ship cannot come into port between sunset and sunrise without our being warned, and we shall be safe. Judge Moneybag will settle this case, I think!

Notes: Moon Phase: Waning Crescent

We are getting nearer to Dracula's home. This is also where we picked up the story, more or less, with Jonathan at the start of our tale.

So we know that our heroes traveled on the Orient Express. We also know that from Thomas Cook European Timetables, that the Orient Express ran from Paris to Varna ONLY till 1894. After 1894 it went from Paris to the Black Sea coast via the Fetești Bridge. But never on to Varna after that. I will add this to the pile of evidence that the events of this novel are to have taken place in 1892, or at least prior to 1894 and not 1897 as so many adaptations claim.

Harker says they left London and arrived in Paris the night of October 12. There they secured their passage on the Orient Express to arrive in Varna on the 15th. According to the same time tables The Orient Express left Paris at approximately 7:08 PM on Tuesdays and Fridays. In 1892, October 12 was a Wednesday. Could they have left at 7:00pm on Friday, October 14, and made it to Varna in 24 hours? Not likely. Even the modern Orient Express takes about 60 hours to make the same trip. So this is evidence against my 1892 date.

1888 could work. October 12 is a Friday, and then they leave on that night's train and arrive late on Monday the 15th. Cutting it close. For similar reasons 1886 also works.

Stoker obviously didn't have access to the same tools that I have at my disposal, but he was a lot closer to the times, and by all accounts, his research notes for Dracula were quite exhaustive and very comprehensive. 

One other thing in 1886's and 1888's favors over that of 1892. There is the epilogue at the end that takes place seven years later. If we are to assume the fan theory that Harker told all of this to Stoker and Stoker wrote it all up then he would need time after 1893 and 1895 (respectively) to get the book together for an 1897 date.

I should go back and look at all my data again. There are personal reasons I like 1886 as well.