could do nothing. The water rose and rose,
and he began to fear that he would lose the tide altogether. He was
in no friendly mood, when just at full tide, the thin man came up the
gangplank again and asked to see where his box had been stowed. Then
the captain replied that he wished that he and his box, old and with
much bloom and blood, were in hell. But the thin man did not be
offend, and went down with the mate and saw where it was place, and
came up and stood awhile on deck in fog. He must have come off by
himself, for none notice him. Indeed they thought not of him, for
soon the fog begin to melt away, and all was clear again. My friends
of the thirst and the language that was of bloom and blood laughed, as
they told how the captain's swears exceeded even his usual polyglot,
and was more than ever full of picturesque, when on questioning other
mariners who were on movement up and down the river that hour, he
found that few of them had seen any of fog at all, except where it lay
round the wharf. However, the ship went out on the ebb tide, and was
doubtless by morning far down the river mouth. She was then, when
they told us, well out to sea.

"And so, my dear Madam Mina, it is that we have to rest for a time,
for our enemy is on the sea, with the fog at his command, on his way
to the Danube mouth. To sail a ship takes time, go she never so
quick. And when we start to go on land more quick, and we meet him
there. Our best hope is to come on him when in the box between
sunrise and sunset. For then he can make no struggle, and we may deal
with him as we should. There are days for us, in which we can make
ready our plan. We know all about where he go. For we have seen the
owner of the ship, who have shown us invoices and all papers that can
be. The box we seek is to be landed in Varna, and to be given to an
agent, one Ristics who will there present his credentials. And so our
merchant friend will have done his part. When he ask if there be any
wrong, for that so, he can telegraph and have inquiry made at Varna,
we say 'no,' for what is to be done is not for police or of the
customs. It must be done by us alone and in our own way."

When Dr. Van Helsing had done speaking, I asked him if he were certain
that the Count had remained on board the ship. He replied, "We have
the best proof of that, your own evidence, when in the hypnotic trance
this morning."

I asked him again if it were really neces