17 June.--This morning, as I was sitting on the edge of my bed cudgelling my brains, I heard without a crackling of whips and pounding and scraping of horses' feet up the rocky path beyond the courtyard. With joy I hurried to the window, and saw drive into the yard two great leiter-wagons, each drawn by eight sturdy horses, and at the head of each pair a Slovak, with his wide hat, great nail-studded belt, dirty sheepskin, and high boots. They had also their long staves in hand. I ran to the door, intending to descend and try and join them through the main hall, as I thought that way might be opened for them. Again a shock, my door was fastened on the outside.
Then I ran to the window and cried to them. They looked up at me stupidly and pointed, but just then the "hetman" of the Szgany came out, and seeing them pointing to my window, said something, at which they laughed.
Henceforth no effort of mine, no piteous cry or agonized entreaty, would make them even look at me. They resolutely turned away. The leiter-wagons contained great, square boxes, with handles of thick rope. These were evidently empty by the ease with which the Slovaks handled them, and by their resonance as they were roughly moved.
When they were all unloaded and packed in a great heap in one corner of the yard, the Slovaks were given some money by the Szgany, and spitting on it for luck, lazily went each to his horse's head. Shortly afterwards, I heard the crackling of their whips die away in the distance.
The last we heard from Jonathan was May 31st - you have to wonder what he's been doing for the last 16 days?!? Seriously, if you can't figure a way out of a huge castle in over two weeks..... Remove bolts from the door, use lantern oil to burn the door down, tie every scrap of cloth in the place together to make a rope to go out a window, pitch every cushion and bed out the lowest window to make a landing pad...ANYTHING?!? Oh well...if he weren't trapped here, it wouldn't be a story I guess.
And, thinking about it, what of food? Is the Count still leaving him breakfast and chicken dinners every night? The Count is going to leave him locked there when he jets for England so why bother feeding him? And why doesn't he drain Jonathan day of departure to fortify for the long journey ahead?
So many things to wonder about...
Posted by: Andrew Connell | June 17, 2011 at 08:20 AM
^
one thing he didnt drain john because he promised his brides they could have him
Being trapped in a house waiting to die
must have been nightmarish
Posted by: abe | June 17, 2011 at 09:59 AM