I am going stay among the Szekelys, who claim to be descended from Attila and the Huns. This may be true, for when the Magyars conquered the country in the eleventh century they found the Huns settled in it. I read that every known superstition in the world can be found in the Carpathian mountains. It is as if this area is the centre of some sort of whirlpool of the imagination. If this is true, my stay may be very interesting. (Mem., I must ask the Count all about these superstitions.)

I did not sleep well, though my bed was comfortable enough, because I had all sorts of strange dreams. There was a dog howling all night under my window, which may have had something to do with it. Or it may have been the paprika, for I had to drink all the water in my carafe, and was still thirsty. Towards morning I slept and was wakened by the continuous knocking at my door, so I guess I must have been sleeping soundly at that time.

I had more paprika for breakfast, and a sort of porridge which they said was "mamaliga", and egg-plant stuffed with meat, 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. Rather it ought to have done so, in fact after I rushed to the station at 7:30, I had to sit in the carriage for more than an hour before we began to move. It seems to me that the further east you go the more unpunctual the trains are. I wonder what they are like in China?

Vocabulary:

Claim: Say that something is true
Descended: The children of the children's children
Whirlpool: Water that goes around sucking things into its centre
Howl: A mixture of a shout and a scream
Carafe: A water container the size of a bottle
Eggplant: A latge purple vegetable