At the very beginning of the seventeenth century it underwent a siege of three weeks and lost 13,000 people, the casualties of war proper being assisted by famine and disease. At every station there were groups of people, sometimes crowds, and in all sorts of attire. It was on the dark side of twilight when we got to Bistritz, which is a very interesting old place. Towards morning I slept and was wakened by the continuous knocking at my door, so I guess I must have been sleeping soundly then. Count Dracula had directed me to go to the Golden Krone Hotel, which I found, to my great delight, to be thoroughly old-fashioned, for of course I wanted to see all I could of the ways of the country. I am going among the latter, who claim to be descended from Attila and the Huns. I am going among the latter, who claim to be descended from Attila and the Huns. They had all full white sleeves of some kind or other, and most of them had big belts with a lot of strips of something fluttering from them like the dresses in a ballet, but of course there were petticoats under them.

At the very beginning of the seventeenth century it underwent a siege of three weeks and lost 13,000 people, the casualties of war proper being assisted by famine and disease. I read that every known superstition in the world is gathered into the horseshoe of the Carpathians, as if it were the centre of some sort of imaginative whirlpool; if so my stay may be very interesting.

This may be so, for when the Magyars conquered the country in the eleventh century they found the Huns settled in it. Sometimes we saw little towns or castles on the top of steep hills such as we see in old missals; sometimes we ran by rivers and streams which seemed from the wide stony margin on each side of them to be subject to great floods.

The women looked pretty, except when you got near them, but they were very clumsy about the waist. They are very picturesque, but do not look prepossessing. They are very picturesque, but do not look prepossessing. I shall enter here some of my notes, as they may refresh my memory when I talk over my travels with Mina. All day long we seemed to dawdle through a country which was full of beauty of every kind. Fifty years ago a series of great fires took place, which made terrible havoc on five separate occasions. I was evidently expected, for when I got near the door I faced a cheery-looking elderly woman in the usual peasant dress—white undergarment with long double apron, front, and back, of coloured stuff fitting almost too tight for modesty. Sometimes we saw little towns or castles on the top of steep hills such as we see in old missals; sometimes we ran by rivers and streams which seemed from the wide stony margin on each side of them to be subject to great floods.

At the very beginning of the seventeenth century it underwent a siege of three weeks and lost 13,000 people, the casualties of war proper being assisted by famine and disease. It seems to me that the further east you go the more unpunctual are the trains.

At the very beginning of the seventeenth century it underwent a siege of three weeks and lost 13,000 people, the casualties of war proper being assisted by famine and disease. Count Dracula had directed me to go to the Golden Krone Hotel, which I found, to my great delight, to be thoroughly old-fashioned, for of course I wanted to see all I could of the ways of the country. I find that the district he named is in the extreme east of the country, just on the borders of three states, Transylvania, Moldavia and Bukovina, in the midst of the Carpathian mountains; one of the wildest and least known portions of Europe. They wore high boots, with their trousers tucked into them, and had long black hair and heavy black moustaches. All day long we seemed to dawdle through a country which was full of beauty of every kind. I was evidently expected, for when I got near the door I faced a cheery-looking elderly woman in the usual peasant dress—white undergarment with long double apron, front, and back, of coloured stuff fitting almost too tight for modesty. It was on the dark side of twilight when we got to Bistritz, which is a very interesting old place.

I read that every known superstition in the world is gathered into the horseshoe of the Carpathians, as if it were the centre of some sort of imaginative whirlpool; if so my stay may be very interesting.

Towards morning I slept and was wakened by the continuous knocking at my door, so I guess I must have been sleeping soundly then. It was on the dark side of twilight when we got to Bistritz, which is a very interesting old place. He went, but immediately returned with a letter. He went, but immediately returned with a letter. I had for breakfast more paprika, and a sort of porridge of maize flour which they said was “mamaliga,” and egg-plant stuffed with forcemeat, a very excellent dish, which they call “impletata.” (Mem., get recipe for this also.) I had to hurry breakfast, for the train started a little before eight, or rather it ought to have done so, for after rushing to the station at 7:30 I had to sit in the carriage for more than an hour before we began to move. I was evidently expected, for when I got near the door I faced a cheery-looking elderly woman in the usual peasant dress—white undergarment with long double apron, front, and back, of coloured stuff fitting almost too tight for modesty.

He went, but immediately returned with a letter. Count Dracula had directed me to go to the Golden Krone Hotel, which I found, to my great delight, to be thoroughly old-fashioned, for of course I wanted to see all I could of the ways of the country. Being practically on the frontier—for the Borgo Pass leads from it into Bukovina—it has had a very stormy existence, and it certainly shows marks of it. At the very beginning of the seventeenth century it underwent a siege of three weeks and lost 13,000 people, the casualties of war proper being assisted by famine and disease.

Towards morning I slept and was wakened by the continuous knocking at my door, so I guess I must have been sleeping soundly then. On the stage they would be set down at once as some old Oriental band of brigands. Towards morning I slept and was wakened by the continuous knocking at my door, so I guess I must have been sleeping soundly then. He went, but immediately returned with a letter. I was evidently expected, for when I got near the door I faced a cheery-looking elderly woman in the usual peasant dress—white undergarment with long double apron, front, and back, of coloured stuff fitting almost too tight for modesty. (Mem., I must ask the Count all about them.) I did not sleep well, though my bed was comfortable enough, for I had all sorts of queer dreams.