The Dracula Papers, Book I: The Scholar's Tale

by Reggie Oliver

  As Borboros sailed up the Black Sea coast, careful to put into insignificant anchorages and plunder small vessels, all appeared to be going well for him. He even began to style himself The Eagle of the Black Sea, branding many of his victims with a black eagle on their arms before drowning them or setting them adrift on planks. This bravado began to disturb many of the more cautious spirits in the crew and it was felt that in such a mood he might overreach himself. In another direction too his actions were frowned upon by most of the crew and that was in his rivalry with Achmet for the attentions of Inanna.

  The crew almost to a man sided with Achmet, though none of them had the courage to air these views publicly. They disliked the increasing influence that Inanna was having on Borboros, an influence which, however, she used most circumspectly, mainly to obtain some relief for the sufferings of the rowers. One day we were even allowed to walk for half an hour on the main deck in the open air. The brilliance of the daylight half blinded us.

  I must rely partly upon Razendoringer’s account to relate the final catastrophe of this wretched period of my existence, for I was sealed below decks during most of what occurred. This is how it happened.

  One bright morning we were travelling briskly along the coast some ten miles South East of the port of Varna when a lookout spied a ship to starboard. The vessel seemed to be larger than the ones we were normally accustomed to attack, but Borboros was in a sanguine mood. He decided to take the ship and in this was encouraged by Inanna who had been studiously feeding his self-esteem for the last few weeks. Achmet advised caution, but Borboros in this mood was disposed to go against anything his second-in command recommended, and for once the men seemed disposed to side with their captain. The brilliance of the day and their uninterrupted record of success instilled courage.

  The helmsman swung the ship round on a course to intercept the vessel. Achmet came down to the lower deck to urge us to greater speed while young Kostas danced up and down the gangway with his wet rope’s end stinging us into furious activity.

  The ship, a large merchant vessel, was clearly not going to give in without a chase; but, though she had a good spread of sail, she was low in the water from her cargo and moreover a heavy, round-bellied kind of ship. I felt the shudder of our galley as we plunged across their bows. The crew of the Emerald cast out grappling hooks to buckle the ship to us while we drew our oars inboard to prevent them fouling against their bulwarks. Then Borboros at the head of his crew leapt onto the ship waving his great black cutlass. The crew of the merchant ship was outnumbered by some five to one, but a few — perhaps no more than a dozen — were well-armed, and by their bearing and the gleam of their equipment appeared to be noblemen. These took their stand on the high poop of the vessel and for a while they beat back all comers, but then Borboros, withdrawing his men, trained the ship’s culverin on them. One blast of grapeshot accounted for nearly all their number. Three were taken alive but wounded; the rest were dead.

  But from the point of view of the pirates it had been a bloody and expensive fight. It was time to examine the spoils.

  There was a large quantity of the best Cyprus wine and some grain, but what the corsairs discovered below decks filled them with wonder. As they peered into the hatches they were met with a pungent unfamiliar odour, then a whole symphony of outlandish noises, groans and roars, shrieks and bellows. At first the pirates shrank back, thinking they had come across a shipload of madmen, but then the truth was revealed by one of the surviving nobles who knew a little Turkish.

  The ship, the St. Kyril, was Russian and was bound for Muscovy carrying in it a menagerie of African beasts for their king Ivan IV who styled himself Tsar of All the Russias. This monarch, who was known by his subject as “The Terrible”, was a capricious man, given to immense cruelties, and had expressed a desire to have a house full of wild beasts in his fortified palace at Alexandrov. Whether he wanted them for his own recreation and instruction or some darker purpose I could not say.

  The pirates were amazed by these creatures and Borboros had three of them — two lions and a rhinoceros — shipped aboard the galley in their wooden cages. That evening they held a great banquet on board in the presence of the beasts as they rode at anchor. Many casks of Cyprus wine were broached and Razendoringer made sure that the pirates’ cups were always full.

  Meanwhile, on the rowing deck we could hear above us the celebrations becoming more and more abandoned. Borboros could now boast that he had robbed the great Russian Caesar and did so in the face of the captured Muscovites who looked on with stony faces.

  It was at the height of this riotous evening that Borboros began to mock Achmet for his caution. Hugging Inanna close to him the great corsair told his subordinate that, unlike the Eagle of the Black Sea, he lacked the courage to be a true leader. Achmet, who thought himself second to none in any manly exploit, resented these remarks and began to shout and boast as loudly as his master. While this exchange was taking place Inanna was able to slip away without being noticed.

  Achmet, who in his drunken state now felt it incumbent upon himself to prove his courage before the entire assembly, demanded that Borboros should set him a test of valour. Borboros at once decided that Achmet should fight one of the lions which he had been admiring all evening. Achmet astonishingly agreed to do so, armed with only a scimitar and a boar spear. Accordingly a space was cleared for this contest on the main deck which was directly above where we, the captive oarsmen, sat.

  While all this was taking place Inanna had gone to Borboros’ cabin and found the keys that would unlock our shackles. Cautiously she made her way down to where we were, listening to the tumult above but understanding very little of it.

  The first thing we knew of her plan was her soft whisper and the clink of keys, but as soon as I heard it I understood that this was our day of deliverance. The hideous privations of the last months slid away from me. Quickly, and in breathless silence, the bolts and shackles were eased from our feet and hands. We began to take possession again of our own bodies.

  Up above confusion reigned. It appeared that not one lion, but both lions and the rhinoceros had been released from their cages onto the main deck. This was no accident, as was supposed at the time, for the dwarf had a hand in it. As a result Achmet was now refusing to enter the arena, saying that Borboros was making a fool of him. The three beasts, somewhat bemused, it must be said, by the torchlight and their unfamiliar surroundings, now held undisputed sway over the main deck while the raised bow and stern decks were crowded with apprehensive spectators. Borboros, stung by accusations of treachery, was offering to enter the arena with Achmet when a cry was heard from below decks.

  What had happened was this. Kostas had slipped away from the drunken revelry, perhaps out of boredom, or from a desire to engage in his favourite pastime of tormenting the oarsmen, and had arrived below decks to find them being released. Unwisely, instead of slipping away to warn his father, he let out a howl of terror and anguish, was seen by our men and instantly captured. Then Vlad, who had been assisting Inanna with the release of prisoners, approached the boy. By the flickering light of a candle which Inanna had brought with her he looked for a moment at the boy whose face had by now become almost shapeless with blubbering terror, then he looked away ordering the men to secure the entrances fore and aft so that the only way to approach the rowing deck was through the hatches on the main deck where the three beasts prowled at liberty.

  The Prince looked upwards through the gratings in the main deck. As he did so, one of the lions padded across casting a fleeting shadow on his intense features. A look of wonder softened Vlad’s face and a passing smile touched his lips.

  “Borboros,” he shouted, “we have your son.” A great murmur went up, and then there was a silence. If there was a tender spot still left in Borboros’s heart it was for this wretched boy who was now squealing with fear like a stuck pig.

  “Deliver him to me and I will not punish you. I promise,” said Borboros in a tr
embling voice. “You have my word.”

  “Not good enough,” said Vlad. “We want freedom.”

  “Fools!” said the corsair. “Do you think you can bargain with me? That stinking whore of mine may have unlocked your fetters, but you are still trapped. Now let the boy go and we will talk.”

  “Very well,” said Vlad, “He comes out through the grating.”

  “No!” shrieked Borboros. “He will be eaten alive by lions! Let him through the aft cabin.”

  “That doorway is barred,” said Vlad. “We demand that you lay down your arms. We must have freedom.”

  Razendoringer saw Achmet muttering something to the old pirate at which he was very angry: the words “my only son” were heard. The pirates were undecided. Drunkenness added to their confusion. But Vlad cut short the debate by thrusting one of Kostas’ arms through one of the holes in the grating.

  Both Borboros and his son screamed together. There was a stunned silence punctuated only by the subdued roar of one of the lions. Razendoringer remembers the shock he felt when he saw the plump white arm emerge flickering and clutching from the floor of the wild beast pen.

  “This arm remains above ground until you take steps to surrender,” said Vlad. “When that arm is gone it will be the other arm, then a foot. There was a thud on the grating and a terrible cry from Kostas. The rhinoceros had trodden on the boy’s hand, crushing its delicate bones to a pulp. The arm was withdrawn. I saw Kostas collapsing into the arms of Inanna, his whole body convulsed with sobs. As he did so she took his poor mangled hand in hers and the sleeping pity awoke in her again.

  Above deck Borboros let out a great roar and, drawing his sword, plunged onto the main deck. He wished to attack the rhinoceros, but was intercepted by one of the lions which sprang at him tearing open the throat with one snap of its tremendous jaws. Other pirates were now leaping onto the deck and attacking the wild beasts which responded with ferocity as all trapped and cornered creatures do.

  Vlad now ordered every man to take hold of a piece of chain and a length of wood for a club and to follow him. Passing through the aft entrance of the rowing deck and into the pirates’ quarters we were able to pick up a few weapons left carelessly about. We met two pirates lying drunk and senseless in one of the cabins and these were dispatched immediately. By now our progress had become a triumphant rush.

  When we arrived on the poop deck we were met by an extraordinary scene. On the main deck some twenty men were fighting the three enraged animals. One of the lions — he who had dispatched Borboros — was nearly dead. The creature that was doing the most damage was the rhinoceros whose armoured body seemed impervious to blows and whose charges were not only crushing pirates but destroying the ship. Other pirates were lying or lolling on the upper decks watching the bloody spectacle. Aloof in one corner, stood the Russian noblemen - Tsar Ivan’s envoys - looking on in amazement while Razendoringer surreptitiously unbound them.

  Our arrival on the poop was a signal for renewed confusion. We charged at the pirates there and managed to throw a few overboard before they fully realized we were upon them. Once they knew what was happening I must say they fought like devils, knowing that no quarter would be given. I had picked up a short Barbary cutlass with a notched blade and found myself facing a huge mulatto with a mooring spike. I swung at him quickly with the cutlass but he rocked back on his heels avoiding the blow altogether, then he advanced on me. I remember the remorseless, dead expression in his eyes as I found myself being forced back towards the stern of the ship. He shifted the spike from his right to his left hand and back again. I began to think of death and hoped it would be quick.

  I made a sudden sideways slash at his right arm, a feeble attempt but enough to take him a little off guard. He stepped back a little incautiously and his bare foot slipped in a pool of wine. As he stumbled, my thoughts raced ahead of my actions and time slowed almost to a halt, then I plunged forward and dealt him a blow on the side of his shaven head. He doubled up in pain and began to roll down the poop deck away from the stern. He tried to pick himself up, but tripped again this time down the steps leading to the main deck just as the rhinoceros was charging towards him in pursuit of a pirate.

  The mulatto fell onto the head of the beast impaling himself on its fearsome horn. His last moments were terrible since the rhinoceros was making furious efforts to relieve himself of his burden. At last it seemed as if the corpse almost broke in two so fiercely was it shaken by the horn. Mangled fragments of the Mulatto were hurled onto the deck by the creature, now blinded with its victim’s blood.

  Vlad’s victory was almost complete. Several pirates jumped overboard rather than face the young prince’s terrible revenge, and they were wise to do so. Both lions were dead and the rhinoceros was staggering about the deck, exhausted by the conflict. I felt great pity for this creature which had played such a significant part in our victory. Inanna ran to Vlad who, dressed as he was still in nothing but linen breeches, yet wore an air of authority. She clung to him, but he seemed not to notice her. Disentangling himself from her embrace, he approached the Russian boyars, bowed to them, and engaged them in conversation.

  The outcome of this was that, leaving those pirates who had surrendered on board the galley, tied to the mainmast, all those who had formerly been captives were transferred to the Russian merchantman. Then, before we cast off from the galley it was set on fire.

  As we drifted away from the blazing hulk the morning sun was emerging from a misty horizon. In silence we listened to the screams of those left alive still on board. Few of us had pity to spare for these victims; and if you had suffered as we did from them I doubt if you would.

  I looked for the rhinoceros, whose strangeness, I must admit, had captivated me. The fire, when it began to blaze in earnest, aroused the creature. It began to bellow and thunder wildly about the deck, crashing into whatever obstructed its path. In one of its mad rushes some blazing pitch, which had oozed from the boards of the poop deck, fell onto its hide. At first the creature did not notice, its skin being so thick, then it seemed to become even madder than before.

  Few people, I think, have seen a rhinoceros on fire. If a devil from hell had been conjured up from a flaming Gehenna it would not have seemed more hideously fascinating. For a few moments it rushed about the deck screaming hoarsely, then lurched towards the side and plunged through the blazing bulwarks into the sea. It began to sink at once. The last I saw of it was its great snout surmounted by a bloodstained horn still holding for a brief moment above the black waves. A final harsh but pitiable cry which turned into a gurgle, and the last of that curiously noble beast was gone. No sound now but the crackle of flames and the slap of a calm sea.

  Vlad watched the galley burn into the water. Inanna clung to him for a while, but, though he did not cast her off, he made no acknowledgment of her presence.

  Vlad, Razendoringer and I were to be put ashore at Constantia, together with whichever of the former galley slaves wished to go with us. The rest would act as crew and sail the merchantman to Muscovy.

  The night before we landed at Constantia the Muscovite boyars held a banquet for us in the great poop cabin of the Saint Kyril. These Muscovites are great drinkers and the party went on into the early hours, but I was in no mood for drinking bouts; I needed to be above decks in the clean air. It was a moonlit night as I walked towards the bows where I thought I would find most peace.

  Evidently another had had the same idea, for I saw a figure there leaning over the side, very still, looking down into the sea. It was Inanna. We stood side by side watching the waves for a long time while we listened to the distant sound of song and revelry.

  “He refuses even to notice me,” she said.

  “Why?”

  “Because I saved his life.”

  “Absurd! You must be—”

  “Because to save his life I allowed my body to be used first by Achmet, then by Borboros. Even the thought of me disgusts him.”

  I knew it w
as true. Vlad made no compromises, even when it involved committing an injustice. “You are worth ten of him,” I said. She looked at me angrily.

  “That’s a lie!” she said. I bowed my head. There was another long silence while I summoned up the courage to say what I had longed to say and at last I did.

  “I wish you could love me,” I said. She stared.

  “You!”

  “Is that so strange?” She began to laugh. It was not cruel laughter; it was sadder than that, it was despairing laughter in the face of all that was wasteful and futile about life. I turned away from her and presently heard the laughter die down to be replaced by a few half repressed sobs.

  Then there was silence, but I still could not look at her. Suddenly I felt her arm around my shoulder and for a moment her warm lips on my cheek. I turned to embrace her, but now she was running away from me up to the bows of the ship, then out onto the bowsprit and with the sure-footedness of a dancer she tripped along its narrow length. At the end of it she jumped into the sea.

  At once I shouted out for help, then went to save her. I jumped in, clothed as I was, quite ignorant of the art of swimming. Water rushed about my ears. Three times I sank and then came up again. I swallowed sea. I wailed at my futility; then ropes and strong hands were lifting me on board.

  As for Inanna, she was never found; but Vlad, when we landed at Constantia, had a wreath of laurel thrown into the sea to honour her.

  XXVIII

  It may be that these closing chapters of my book of memorials will be the strangest of all, but I will relate it all as briefly as I can.

  When we landed at Constantia the people did not recognize us. This did not trouble the prince. We used some of the gold salvaged from the pirate vessel to buy us new clothes and horses for the journey into Transylvania. Nine months had passed since we had seen the prince’s native land and we noticed that it was still not fully recovered from the war. Twice we had to out-ride lawless bands of brigands, which was easy enough because they were no more than starving peasants on half dead nags.