Dracula. Bram Stoker
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from that commanding eminence
watch the wide sweep of sea visible to the north and east, called
attention to a sudden show of" mares’-tails" high in the sky to
the north-west. The wind was then blowing from the south-west
in the mild degree which in barometrical language is ranked
«No. 2: light breeze.» The coastguard on duty at once made
report, and one old fisherman, who for more than half a century
has kept watch on weather* signs from the East Cliff, foretold in
an emphatic manner the coming of a sudden storm. The ap-
proach of sunset was so very beautiful, so grand in its masses of
splendidly-coloured clouds, that there was quite an assemblage
on the walk along the cliff in the old churchyard to enjoy the
beauty. Before the sun dipped below the black mass of Kettle-
ness, standing boldly athwart the western sky, its downward
way was marked by myriad clouds of every sunset-colour
flame, purple, pink, green, violet, and all the tints of gold; with
here and there masses not large, but of seemingly absolute black-
ness, in all sorts of shapes, as well outlined as colossal silhouettes.
The experience was not lost on the painters, and doubtless some
of the sketches of the «Prelude to the Great Storm» will grace
the R. A. and R. I. walls in May next. More than one captain
72 Dracula
made up his mind then and there that his «cobble» or his
«mule,» as they term the different classes of boats, would
remain in the harbour till the storm had passed. The wind fell
away entirely during the evening, and at midnight there was a
dead calm, a sultry heat, and that prevailing intensity which, on
the approach of thunder, affects persons of a sensitive nature.
There were but few lights in sight at sea, for even the coasting
steamers, which usually «hug» the shore so closely, kept well to
seaward, and but few fishing-boats were in sight. The only sail
noticeable was a foreign schooner with all sails set, which was
seemingly going westwards. The foolhardiness or ignorance of
her officers was a prolific theme for comment whilst she remained
in sight, and efforts were made to signal her to reduce sail in face
of her danger. Before the night shut down she was seen with sails
idly flapping as she gently rolled on the undulating swell of the
sea,
«As idle as a painted ship upon a painted ocean.»
Shortly before ten o’clock the stillness of the air grew quite
oppressive, and the silence was so marked that the bleating of a
sheep inland or the barking of a dog in the town was distinctly
heard, and the band on the pier, with its li vely French air, was like
a discord in the great harmony of nature’s silence. A little after
midnight came a strange sound from over the sea, and high
overhead the air began to carry a strange, faint, hollow booming.
Then without warning the tempest broke. With a rapidity
which, at the time, seemed incredible, and even afterwards is
impossible to realize, the whole aspect of na. ture at once became
convulsed. The waves rose in growing fury, each overtopping its
fellow, till in a very few minutes the lately glassy sea was like a
roaring and devouring monster. White-crested waves beat madly
on the level sands and rushed up the shelving cliffs; others broke
over the piers, and with their spume swept the lanthorns of the
lighthouses which rise from the end of either pier of Whitby
Harbour. The wind roared like thunder, and blew with such
force that it was with difficulty that even strong men kept their
feet, or clung with grim clasp to the iron stanchions. It was found
necessary to clear the entire piers from the mass of onlookers,
or else the fatalities of the night would have been increased
manifold. To add to the difficulties and dangers of the time,
masses of sea-fog came drifting inland white, wet clouds, which
swept by in ghostly fashion, so dank and damp and cold that it
needed but little effort of imagination to think that the spirits
Cutting from «The Dailygraph» 7,S
of those lost at sea were touching their living brethren with the
clammy hands of death, and many a one shuddered as the wreaths
of sea-mist swept by. At times the mist cleared, and the sea for
some distance could be seen in the glare of the lightning, which
now came thick and fast, followed by such sudden peals of thun-
der that the whole sky overhead seemed trembling under the
shock of the footsteps of the storm.
Some of the scenes thus revealed were of immeasurable
grandeur and of absorbing interest the sea, running mountains
high, threw skywards with each wave mighty masses of white
foam, which the tempest seemed to snatch at and whirl away
into space; here and there a fishing-boat, with a rag of sail, run-
ning madly for shelter before the blast; now and again the white
wings of a storm-tossed sea-bird. On the summit of the East
Cliff the new searchlight was ready for experiment, but had not
yet been tried. The officers in charge of it got it into working
order, and in the pauses of the inrushing mist swept with it the
surface of the sea. Once or twice its service was most effective, as
when a fishing-boat, with gunwale under water, rushed into the
harbour, able, by the guidance of the sheltering light, to avoid
the danger of dashing against the piers. As each boat achieved
the safety of the port there was a shout of joy from the mass of
people on shore, a shout which for a moment seemed to cleave
the gale and was then swept away in its rush.
Before long the searchlight discovered some distance away
a schooner with all sails set, apparently the same vessel which
had been noticed earlier in the evening. The wind had by this
time backed to the east, and there was a shudder amongst the
watchers