"Mr. Fix," said the consul, "I like your way of talking, and hope you'll succeed; but I fear you will find it far from easy. Don't you see, the description which you have there has a singular resemblance to an honest man?" "Consul," remarked the detective, dogmatically, "great robbers always resemble honest folks. Fellows who have rascally faces have only one course to take, and that is to remain honest; otherwise they would be arrested off-hand. The artistic thing is, to unmask honest countenances; it's no light task, I admit, but a real art." Mr. Fix evidently was not wanting in a tinge of self-conceit. Little by little the scene on the quay became more animated; sailors of various nations, merchants, ship-brokers, porters, fellahs, bustled to and fro as if the steamer were immediately expected. The weather was clear, and slightly chilly. The minarets of the town loomed above the houses in the pale rays of the sun. A jetty pier, some two thousand yards along, extended into the roadstead. A number of fishing-smacks and coasting boats, some retaining the fantastic fashion of ancient galleys, were discernible on the Red Sea. As he passed among the busy crowd, Fix, according to habit, scrutinised the passers-by with a keen, rapid glance. It was now half-past ten. "The steamer doesn't come!" he exclaimed, as the port clock struck. "She can't be far off now," returned his companion. "How long will she stop at Suez?" "Four hours; long enough to get in her coal. It is thirteen hundred and ten miles from Suez to Aden, at the other end of the Red Sea, and she has to take in a fresh coal supply." "And does she go from Suez directly to Bombay?" "Without putting in anywhere." "Good!" said Fix. "If the robber is on board he will no doubt get off at Suez, so as to reach the Dutch or French colonies in Asia by some other route. He ought to know that he would not be safe an hour in India, which is English soil." "Unless," objected the consul, "he is exceptionally shrewd. An English criminal, you know, is always better concealed in London than anywhere else." This observation furnished the detective food for thought, and meanwhile the consul went away to his office. Fix, left alone, was more impatient than ever, having a presentiment that the robber was on board the Mongolia. If he had indeed left London intending to reach the New World, he would naturally take the route via India, which was less watched and more difficult to watch than that of the Atlantic. But Fix's reflections were soon interrupted by a succession of sharp whistles, which announced the arrival of the Mongolia. The porters and fellahs rushed down the quay, and a dozen boats pushed off from the shore to go and meet the steamer. Soon her gigantic hull appeared passing along between the banks, and eleven o'clock struck as she anchored in the road. She brought an unusual number of passengers, some of whom remained on deck to scan the picturesque panorama of the town, while the greater part disembarked in the boats, and landed on the quay. Fix took up a position, and carefully examined each face and figure which made its appearance. Presently one of the passengers, after vigorously pushing his way through the importunate crowd of porters, came up to him and politely asked if he could point out the English consulate, at the same time showing a passport which he wished to have visaed. Fix instinctively took the passport, and with a rapid glance read the description of its bearer. An involuntary motion of surprise nearly escaped him, for the description in the passport was identical with that of the bank robber which he had received from Scotland Yard. "Is this your passport?" asked he. "No, it's my master's." "And your master is--" "He stayed on board." "But he must go to the consul's in person, so as to establish his identity." "Oh, is that necessary?" "Quite indispensable." "And where is the consulate?" "There, on the corner of the square," said Fix, pointing to a house two hundred steps off. "I'll go and fetch my master, who won't be much pleased, however, to be disturbed." The passenger bowed to Fix, and returned to the steamer. Chapter VII WHICH ONCE MORE DEMONSTRATES THE USELESSNESS OF PASSPORTS AS AIDS TO DETECTIVES The detective passed down the quay, and rapidly made his way to the consul's office, where he was at once admitted to the presence of that official. "Consul," said he, without preamble, "I have strong reasons for believing that my man is a passenger on the Mongolia." And he narrated what had just passed concerning the passport. "Well, Mr. Fix," replied the consul, "I shall not be sorry to see the rascal's face; but perhaps he won't come here--that is, if he is the person you suppose him to be. A robber doesn't quite like to leave traces of his flight behind him; and, besides, he is not obliged to have his passport countersigned." "If he is as shrewd as I think he is, consul, he will come." "To have his passport visaed?" "Yes. Passports are only good for annoying honest folks, and aiding in the flight of rogues. I assure you it will be quite the thing for him to do; but I hope you will not visa the passport." "Why not? If the passport is genuine I have no right to refuse." "Still, I must keep this man here until I can get a warrant to arrest him from London." "Ah, that's your look-out. But I cannot--" The consul did not finish his sentence, for as he spoke a knock was heard at the door, and two strangers entered, one of whom was the servant whom Fix had met on the quay. The other, who was his master, held out his passport with the request that the consul would do him the favour to visa it. The consul took the document and carefully read it, whilst Fix observed, or rather devoured, the stranger with his eyes from a corner of the room. "You are Mr. Phileas Fogg?" said the consul, after reading the passport. "I am." "And this man is your servant?" "He is: a Frenchman, named Passepartout." "You are from London?" "Yes." "And you are going--" "To Bombay." "Very good, sir. You know that a visa is useless, and that no passport is required?" "I know it, sir," replied Phileas Fogg; "but I wish to prove, by your visa, that I came by Suez." "Very well, sir." The consul proceeded to sign and date the passport, after which he added his official seal. Mr. Fogg paid the customary fee, coldly bowed, and went out, followed by his servant. "Well?" queried the detective. "Well, he looks and acts like a perfectly honest man," replied the consul. "Possibly; but that is not the question. Do you think, consul, that this phlegmatic gentleman resembles, feature by feature, the robber whose description I have received?" "I concede that; but then, you know, all descriptions--" "I'll make certain of it," interrupted Fix. "The servant seems to me less mysterious than the master; besides, he's a Frenchman, and can't help talking. Excuse me for a little while, consul." Fix started off in search of Passepartout. Meanwhile Mr. Fogg, after leaving the consulate, repaired to the quay, gave some orders to Passepartout, went off to the Mongolia in a boat, and descended to his cabin. He took up his note-book, which contained the following memoranda: "Left London, Wednesday, October 2nd, at 8.45 p.m. "Reached Paris, Thursday, October 3rd, at 7.20 a.m. "Left Paris, Thursday, at 8.40 a.m. "Reached Turin by Mont Cenis, Friday, October 4th, at 6.35 a.m. "Left Turin, Friday, at 7.20 a.m. "Arrived at Brindisi, Saturday, October 5th, at 4 p.m. "Sailed on the Mongolia, Saturday, at 5 p.m. "Reached Suez, Wednesday, October 9th, at 11 a.m. "Total of hours spent, 158+; or, in days, six days and a half." These dates were inscribed in an itinerary divided into columns, indicating the month, the day of the month, and the day for the stipulated and actual arrivals at each principal point Paris, Brindisi, Suez, Bombay, Calcutta, Singapore, Hong Kong, Yokohama, San Francisco, New York, and London--from the 2nd of October to the 21st of December; and giving a space for setting down the gain made or the loss suffered on arrival at each locality. This methodical record thus contained an account of everything needed, and Mr. Fogg always knew whether he was behind-hand or in advance of his time. On this Friday, October 9th, he noted his arrival at Suez, and observed that he had as yet neither gained nor lost. He sat down quietly to breakfast in his cabin, never once thinking of inspecting the town, being one of those Englishmen who are wont to see foreign countries through the eyes of their domestics. Chapter VIII IN WHICH PASSEPARTOUT TALKS RATHER MORE, PERHAPS, THAN IS PRUDENT Fix soon rejoined Passepartout, who was lounging and looking about on the quay, as if he did not feel that he, at least, was obliged not to see anything. "Well, my friend," said the detective, coming up with him, "is your passport visaed?" "Ah, it's you, is it, monsieur?" responded Passepartout. "Thanks, yes, the passport is all right." "And you are looking about you?" "Yes; but we travel so fast that I seem to be journeying in a dream. So this is Suez?" "Yes." "In Egypt?" "Certainly, in Egypt." "And in Africa?" "In Africa." "In Africa!" repeated Passepartout. "Just think, monsieur, I had no idea that we should go farther than Paris; and all that I saw of Paris was between twenty minutes past seven and twenty minutes before nine in the morning, between the Northern and the Lyons stations, through the windows of a car, and in a driving rain! How I regret not having seen once more Pere la Chaise and the circus in the Champs Elysees!" "You are in a great hurry, then?" "I am not, but my master is. By the way, I must buy some shoes and shirts. We came away without trunks, only with a carpet-bag." "I will show you an excellent shop for getting what you want." "Really, monsieur, you are very kind." And they walked off together, Passepartout chatting volubly as they went along. "Above all," said he; "don't let me lose the steamer." "You have plenty of time; it's only twelve o'clock." Passepartout pulled out his big watch. "Twelve!" he exclaimed; "why, it's only eight minutes before ten." "Your watch is slow." "My watch? A family watch, monsieur, which has come down from my great-grandfather! It doesn't vary five minutes in the year. It's a perfect chronometer, look you." "I see how it is," said Fix. "You have kept London time, which is two hours behind that of Suez. You ought to regulate your watch at noon in each country." "I regulate my watch? Never!" "Well, then, it will not agree with the sun." "So much the worse for the sun, monsieur. The sun will be wrong, then!" And the worthy fellow returned the watch to its fob with a defiant gesture. After a few minutes silence, Fix resumed: "You left London hastily, then?" "I rather think so! Last Friday at eight o'clock in the evening, Monsieur Fogg came home from his club, and three-quarters of an hour afterwards we were off." "But where is your master going?" "Always straight ahead. He is going round the world." "Round the world?" cried Fix. "Yes, and in eighty days! He says it is on a wager; but, between us, I don't believe a word of it. That wouldn't be common sense. There's something else in the wind." "Ah! Mr. Fogg is a character, is he?" "I should say he was." "Is he rich?" "No doubt, for he is carrying an enormous sum in brand new banknotes with him. And he doesn't spare the money on the way, either: he has offered a large reward to the engineer of the Mongolia if he gets us to Bombay well in advance of time." "And you have known your master a long time?" "Why, no; I entered his service the very day we left London." The effect of these replies upon the already suspicious and excited detective may be imagined. The hasty departure from London soon after the robbery; the large sum carried by Mr. Fogg; his eagerness to reach distant countries; the pretext of an eccentric and foolhardy bet--all confirmed Fix in his theory. He continued to pump poor Passepartout, and learned that he really knew little or nothing of his master, who lived a solitary existence in London, was said to be rich, though no one knew whence came his riches, and was mysterious and impenetrable in his affairs and habits. Fix felt sure that Phileas Fogg would not land at Suez, but was really going on to Bombay. "Is Bombay far from here?" asked Passepartout. "Pretty far. It is a ten days' voyage by sea." "And in what country is Bombay?" "India." "In Asia?" "Certainly." "The deuce! I was going to tell you there's one thing that worries me--my burner!" "What burner?" "My gas-burner, which I forgot to turn off, and which is at this moment burning at my expense. I have calculated, monsieur, that I lose two shillings every four and twenty hours, exactly sixpence more than I earn; and you will understand that the longer our journey--" Did Fix pay any attention to Passepartout's trouble about the gas? It is not probable. He was not listening, but was cogitating a project. Passepartout and he had now reached the shop, where Fix left his companion to make his purchases, after recommending him not to miss the steamer, and hurried back to the consulate. Now that he was fully convinced, Fix had quite recovered his equanimity. "Consul," said he, "I have no longer any doubt. I have spotted my man. He passes himself off as an odd stick who is going round the world in eighty days." "Then he's a sharp fellow," returned the consul, "and counts on returning to London after putting the police of the two countries off his track." "We'll see about that," replied Fix. "But are you not mistaken?" "I am not mistaken." "Why was this robber so anxious to prove, by the visa, that he had passed through Suez?" "Why? I have no idea; but listen to me." He reported in a few words the most important parts of his conversation with Passepartout. "In short," said the consul, "appearances are wholly against this man. And what are you going to do?" "Send a dispatch to London for a warrant of arrest to be dispatched instantly to Bombay, take passage on board the Mongolia, follow my rogue to India, and there, on English ground, arrest him politely, with my warrant in my hand, and my hand on his shoulder." Having uttered these words with a cool, careless air, the detective took leave of the consul, and repaired to the telegraph office, whence he sent the dispatch which we have seen to the London police office. A quarter of an hour later found Fix, with a small bag in his hand, proceeding on board the Mongolia; and, ere many moments longer, the noble steamer rode out at full steam upon the waters of the Red Sea. Chapter IX IN WHICH THE RED SEA AND THE INDIAN OCEAN PROVE PROPITIOUS TO THE DESIGNS OF PHILEAS FOGG The distance between Suez and Aden is precisely thirteen hundred and ten miles, and the regulations of the company allow the steamers one hundred and thirty-eight hours in which to traverse it. The Mongolia, thanks to the vigorous exertions of the engineer, seemed likely, so rapid was her speed, to reach her destination considerably within that time. The greater part of the passengers from Brindisi were bound for India some for Bombay, others for Calcutta by way of Bombay, the nearest route thither, now that a railway crosses the Indian peninsula. Among the passengers was a number of officials and military officers of various grades, the latter being either attached to the regular British forces or commanding the Sepoy troops, and receiving high salaries ever since the central government has assumed the powers of the East India Company: for the sub-lieutenants get 280 pounds, brigadiers, 2,400 pounds, and generals of divisions, 4,000 pounds. What with the military men, a number of rich young Englishmen on their travels, and the hospitable efforts of the purser, the time passed quickly on the Mongolia. The best of fare was spread upon the cabin tables at breakfast, lunch, dinner, and the eight o'clock supper, and the ladies scrupulously changed their toilets twice a day; and the hours were whirled away, when the sea was tranquil, with music, dancing, and games. But the Red Sea is full of caprice, and often boisterous, like most long and narrow gulfs. When the wind came from the African or Asian coast the Mongolia, with her long hull, rolled fearfully. Then the ladies speedily disappeared below; the pianos were silent; singing and dancing suddenly ceased. Yet the good ship ploughed straight on, unretarded by wind or wave, towards the straits of Bab-el-Mandeb. What was Phileas Fogg doing all this time? It might be thought that, in his anxiety, he would be constantly watching the changes of the wind, the disorderly raging of the billows--every chance, in short, which might force the Mongolia to slacken her speed, and thus interrupt his journey. But, if he thought of these possibilities, he did not betray the fact by any outward sign. Always the same impassible member of the Reform Club, whom no incident could surprise, as unvarying as the ship's chronometers, and seldom having the curiosity even to go upon the deck, he passed through the memorable scenes of the Red Sea with cold indifference; did not care to recognise the historic towns and villages which, along its borders, raised their picturesque outlines against the sky; and betrayed no fear of the dangers of the Arabic Gulf, which the old historians always spoke of with horror, and upon which the ancient navigators never ventured without propitiating the gods by ample sacrifices. How did this eccentric personage pass his time on the Mongolia? He made his four hearty meals every day, regardless of the most persistent rolling and pitching on the part of the steamer; and he played whist indefatigably, for he had found partners as enthusiastic in the game as himself. A tax-collector, on the way to his post at Goa; the Rev. Decimus Smith, returning to his parish at Bombay; and a brigadier-general of the English army, who was about to rejoin his brigade at Benares, made up the party, and, with Mr. Fogg, played whist by the hour together in absorbing silence. As for Passepartout, he, too, had escaped sea-sickness, and took his meals conscientiously in the forward cabin. He rather enjoyed the voyage, for he was well fed and well lodged, took a great interest in the scenes through which they were passing, and consoled himself with the delusion that his master's whim would end at Bombay. He was pleased, on the day after leaving Suez, to find on deck the obliging person with whom he had walked and chatted on the quays. "If I am not mistaken," said he, approaching this person, with his most amiable smile, "you are the gentleman who so kindly volunteered to guide me at Suez?" "Ah! I quite recognise you. You are the servant of the strange Englishman--" "Just so, monsieur--" "Fix." "Monsieur Fix," resumed Passepartout, "I'm charmed to find you on board. Where are you bound?" "Like you, to Bombay." "That's capital! Have you made this trip before?" "Several times. I am one of the agents of the Peninsular Company." "Then you know India?" "Why yes," replied Fix, who spoke cautiously. "A curious place, this India?" "Oh, very curious. Mosques, minarets, temples, fakirs, pagodas, tigers, snakes, elephants! I hope you will have ample time to see the sights." "I hope so, Monsieur Fix. You see, a man of sound sense ought not to spend his life jumping from a steamer upon a railway train, and from a railway train upon a steamer again, pretending to make the tour of the world in eighty days! No; all these gymnastics, you may be sure, will cease at Bombay." "And Mr. Fogg is getting on well?" asked Fix, in the most natural tone in the world. "Quite well, and I too. I eat like a famished ogre; it's the sea air." "But I never see your master on deck." "Never; he hasn't the least curiosity." "Do you know, Mr. Passepartout, that this pretended tour in eighty days may conceal some secret errand--perhaps a diplomatic mission?" "Faith, Monsieur Fix, I assure you I know nothing about it, nor would I give half a crown to find out." After this meeting, Passepartout and Fix got into the habit of chatting together, the latter making it a point to gain the worthy man's confidence. He frequently offered him a glass of whiskey or pale ale in the steamer bar-room, which Passepartout never failed to accept with graceful alacrity, mentally pronouncing Fix the best of good fellows. Meanwhile the Mongolia was pushing forward rapidly; on the 13th, Mocha, surrounded by its ruined walls whereon date-trees were growing, was sighted, and on the mountains beyond were espied vast coffee-fields. Passepartout was ravished to behold this celebrated place, and thought that, with its circular walls and dismantled fort, it looked like an immense coffee-cup and saucer. The following night they passed through the Strait of Bab-el-Mandeb, which means in Arabic The Bridge of Tears, and the next day they put in at Steamer Point, north-west of Aden harbour, to take in coal. This matter of fuelling steamers is a serious one at such distances from the coal-mines; it costs the Peninsular Company some eight hundred thousand pounds a year. In these distant seas, coal is worth three or four pounds sterling a ton. The Mongolia had still sixteen hundred and fifty miles to traverse before reaching Bombay, and was obliged to remain four hours at Steamer Point to coal up. But this delay, as it was foreseen, did not affect Phileas Fogg's programme; besides, the Mongolia, instead of reaching Aden on the morning of the 15th, when she was due, arrived there on the evening of the 14th, a gain of fifteen hours. Mr. Fogg and his servant went ashore at Aden to have the passport again visaed; Fix, unobserved, followed them. The visa procured, Mr. Fogg returned on board to resume his former habits; while Passepartout, according to custom, sauntered about among the mixed population of Somalis, Banyans, Parsees, Jews, Arabs, and Europeans who comprise the twenty-five thousand inhabitants of Aden. He gazed with wonder upon the fortifications which make this place the Gibraltar of the Indian Ocean, and the vast cisterns where the English engineers were still at work, two thousand years after the engineers of Solomon. "Very curious, very curious," said Passepartout to himself, on returning to the steamer. "I see that it is by no means useless to travel, if a man wants to see something new." At six p.m. the Mongolia slowly moved out of the roadstead, and was soon once more on the Indian Ocean. She had a hundred and sixty-eight hours in which to reach Bombay, and the sea was favourable, the wind being in the north-west, and all sails aiding the engine. The steamer rolled but little, the ladies, in fresh toilets, reappeared on deck, and the singing and dancing were resumed. The trip was being accomplished most successfully, and Passepartout was enchanted with the congenial companion which chance had secured him in the person of the delightful Fix. On Sunday, October 20th, towards noon, they came in sight of the Indian coast: two hours later the pilot came on board. A range of hills lay against the sky in the horizon, and soon the rows of palms which adorn Bombay came distinctly into view. The steamer entered the road formed by the islands in the bay, and at half-past four she hauled up at the quays of Bombay. Phileas Fogg was in the act of finishing the thirty-third rubber of the voyage, and his partner and himself having, by a bold stroke, captured all thirteen of the tricks, concluded this fine campaign with a brilliant victory. The Mongolia was due at Bombay on the 22nd; she arrived on the 20th. This was a gain to Phileas Fogg of two days since his departure from London, and he calmly entered the fact in the itinerary, in the column of gains. Chapter X IN WHICH PASSEPARTOUT IS ONLY TOO GLAD TO GET OFF WITH THE LOSS OF HIS SHOES Everybody knows that the great reversed triangle of land, with its base in the north and its apex in the south, which is called India, embraces fourteen hundred thousand square miles, upon which is spread unequally a population of one hundred and eighty millions of souls. The British Crown exercises a real and despotic dominion over the larger portion of this vast country, and has a governor-general stationed at Calcutta, governors at Madras, Bombay, and in Bengal, and a lieutenant-governor at Agra. But British India, properly so called, only embraces seven hundred thousand square miles, and a population of from one hundred to one hundred and ten millions of inhabitants. A considerable portion of India is still free from British authority; and there are certain ferocious rajahs in the interior who are absolutely independent. The celebrated East India Company was all-powerful from 1756, when the English first gained a foothold on the spot where now stands the city of Madras, down to the time of the great Sepoy insurrection. It gradually annexed province after province, purchasing them of the native chiefs, whom it seldom paid, and appointed the governor-general and his subordinates, civil and military. But the East India Company has now passed away, leaving the British possessions in India directly under the control of the Crown. The aspect of the country, as well as the manners and distinctions of race, is daily changing. Formerly one was obliged to travel in India by the old cumbrous methods of going on foot or on horseback, in palanquins or unwieldy coaches; now fast steamboats ply on the Indus and the Ganges, and a great railway, with branch lines joining the main line at many points on its route, traverses the peninsula from Bombay to Calcutta in three days. This railway does not run in a direct line across India. The distance between Bombay and Calcutta, as the bird flies, is only from one thousand to eleven hundred miles; but the deflections of the road increase this distance by more than a third. The general route of the Great Indian Peninsula Railway is as follows: Leaving Bombay, it passes through Salcette, crossing to the continent opposite Tannah, goes over the chain of the Western Ghauts, runs thence north-east as far as Burhampoor, skirts the nearly independent territory of Bundelcund, ascends to Allahabad, turns thence eastwardly, meeting the Ganges at Benares, then departs from the river a little, and, descending south-eastward by Burdivan and the French town of Chandernagor, has its terminus at Calcutta. The passengers of the Mongolia went ashore at half-past four p.m.; at exactly eight the train would start for Calcutta. Mr. Fogg, after bidding good-bye to his whist partners, left the steamer, gave his servant several errands to do, urged it upon him to be at the station promptly at eight, and, with his regular step, which beat to the second, like an astronomical clock, directed his steps to the passport office. As for the wonders of Bombay--its famous city hall, its splendid library, its forts and docks, its bazaars, mosques, synagogues, its Armenian churches, and the noble pagoda on Malabar Hill, with its two polygonal towers--he cared not a straw to see them. He would not deign to examine even the masterpieces of Elephanta, or the mysterious hypogea, concealed south-east from the docks, or those fine remains of Buddhist architecture, the Kanherian grottoes of the island of Salcette. Having transacted his business at the passport office, Phileas Fogg repaired quietly to the railway station, where he ordered dinner. Among the dishes served up to him, the landlord especially recommended a certain giblet of "native rabbit," on which he prided himself. Mr. Fogg accordingly tasted the dish, but, despite its spiced sauce, found it far from palatable. He rang for the landlord, and, on his appearance, said, fixing his clear eyes upon him, "Is this rabbit, sir?" "Yes, my lord," the rogue boldly replied, "rabbit from the jungles." "And this rabbit did not mew when he was killed?" "Mew, my lord! What, a rabbit mew! I swear to you--" "Be so good, landlord, as not to swear, but remember this: cats were formerly considered, in India, as sacred animals. That was a good time." "For the cats, my lord?" "Perhaps for the travellers as well!" After which Mr. Fogg quietly continued his dinner. Fix had gone on shore shortly after Mr. Fogg, and his first destination was the headquarters of the Bombay police. He made himself known as a London detective, told his business at Bombay, and the position of affairs relative to the supposed robber, and nervously asked if a warrant had arrived from London. It had not reached the office; indeed, there had not yet been time for it to arrive. Fix was sorely disappointed, and tried to obtain an order of arrest from the director of the Bombay police. This the director refused, as the matter concerned the London office, which alone could legally deliver the warrant. Fix did not insist, and was fain to resign himself to await the arrival of the important document; but he was determined not to lose sight of the mysterious rogue as long as he stayed in Bombay. He did not doubt for a moment, any more than Passepartout, that Phileas Fogg would remain there, at least until it was time for the warrant to arrive. Passepartout, however, had no sooner heard his master's orders on leaving the Mongolia than he saw at once that they were to leave Bombay as they had done Suez and Paris, and that the journey would be extended at least as far as Calcutta, and perhaps beyond that place. He began to ask himself if this bet that Mr. Fogg talked about was not really in good earnest, and whether his fate was not in truth forcing him, despite his love of repose, around the world in eighty days! Having purchased the usual quota of shirts and shoes, he took a leisurely promenade about the streets, where crowds of people of many nationalities--Europeans, Persians with pointed caps, Banyas with round turbans, Sindes with square bonnets, Parsees with black mitres, and long-robed Armenians--were collected. It happened to be the day of a Parsee festival. These descendants of the sect of Zoroaster--the most thrifty, civilised, intelligent, and austere of the East Indians, among whom are counted the richest native merchants of Bombay--were celebrating a sort of religious carnival, with processions and shows, in the midst of which Indian dancing-girls, clothed in rose-coloured gauze, looped up with gold and silver, danced airily, but with perfect modesty, to the sound of viols and the clanging of tambourines. It is needless to say that Passepartout watched these curious ceremonies with staring eyes and gaping mouth, and that his countenance was that of the greenest booby imaginable. Unhappily for his master, as well as himself, his curiosity drew him unconsciously farther off than he intended to go. At last, having seen the Parsee carnival wind away in the distance, he was turning his steps towards the station, when he happened to espy the splendid pagoda on Malabar Hill, and was seized with an irresistible desire to see its interior. He was quite ignorant that it is forbidden to Christians to enter certain Indian temples, and that even the faithful must not go in without first leaving their shoes outside the door. It may be said here that the wise policy of the British Government severely punishes a disregard of the practices of the native religions. Passepartout, however, thinking no harm, went in like a simple tourist, and was soon lost in admiration of the splendid Brahmin ornamentation which everywhere met his eyes, when of a sudden he found himself sprawling on the sacred flagging. He looked up to behold three enraged priests, who forthwith fell upon him; tore off his shoes, and began to beat him with loud, savage exclamations. The agile Frenchman was soon upon his feet again, and lost no time in knocking down two of his long-gowned adversaries with his fists and a vigorous application of his toes; then, rushing out of the pagoda as fast as his legs could carry him, he soon escaped the third priest by mingling with the crowd in the streets. At five minutes before eight, Passepartout, hatless, shoeless, and having in the squabble lost his package of shirts and shoes, rushed breathlessly into the station. Fix, who had followed Mr. Fogg to the station, and saw that he was really going to leave Bombay, was there, upon the platform. He had resolved to follow the supposed robber to Calcutta, and farther, if necessary. Passepartout did not observe the detective, who stood in an obscure corner; but Fix heard him relate his adventures in a few words to Mr. Fogg. "I hope that this will not happen again," said Phileas Fogg coldly, as he got into the train. Poor Passepartout, quite crestfallen, followed his master without a word. Fix was on the point of entering another carriage, when an idea struck him which induced him to alter his plan. "No, I'll stay," muttered he. "An offence has been committed on Indian soil. I've got my man." Just then the locomotive gave a sharp screech, and the train passed out into the darkness of the night. Chapter XI IN WHICH PHILEAS FOGG SECURES A CURIOUS MEANS OF CONVEYANCE AT A FABULOUS PRICE The train had started punctually. Among the passengers were a number of officers, Government officials, and opium and indigo merchants, whose business called them to the eastern coast. Passepartout rode in the same carriage with his master, and a third passenger occupied a seat opposite to them. This was Sir Francis Cromarty, one of Mr. Fogg's whist partners on the Mongolia, now on his way to join his corps at Benares. Sir Francis was a tall, fair man of fifty, who had greatly distinguished himself in the last Sepoy revolt. He made India his home, only paying brief visits to England at rare intervals; and was almost as familiar as a native with the customs, history, and character of India and its people. But Phileas Fogg, who was not travelling, but only describing a circumference, took no pains to inquire into these subjects; he was a solid body, traversing an orbit around the terrestrial globe, according to the laws of rational mechanics. He was at this moment calculating in his mind the number of hours spent since his departure from London, and, had it been in his nature to make a useless demonstration, would have rubbed his hands for satisfaction. Sir Francis Cromarty had observed the oddity of his travelling companion--although the only opportunity he had for studying him had been while he was dealing the cards, and between two rubbers--and questioned himself whether a human heart really beat beneath this cold exterior, and whether Phileas Fogg had any sense of the beauties of nature. The brigadier-general was free to mentally confess that, of all the eccentric persons he had ever met, none was comparable to this product of the exact sciences. Phileas Fogg had not concealed from Sir Francis his design of going round the world, nor the circumstances under which he set out; and the general only saw in the wager a useless eccentricity and a lack of sound common sense. In the way this strange gentleman was going on, he would leave the world without having done any good to himself or anybody else. An hour after leaving Bombay the train had passed the viaducts and the Island of Salcette, and had got into the open country. At Callyan they reached the junction of the branch line which descends towards south-eastern India by Kandallah and Pounah; and, passing Pauwell, they entered the defiles of the mountains, with their basalt bases, and their summits crowned with thick and verdant forests. Phileas Fogg and Sir Francis Cromarty exchanged a few words from time to time, and now Sir Francis, reviving the conversation, observed, "Some years ago, Mr. Fogg, you would have met with a delay at this point which would probably have lost you your wager." "How so, Sir Francis?" "Because the railway stopped at the base of these mountains, which the passengers were obliged to cross in palanquins or on ponies to Kandallah, on the other side." "Such a delay would not have deranged my plans in the least," said Mr. Fogg. "I have constantly foreseen the likelihood of certain obstacles." "But, Mr. Fogg," pursued Sir Francis, "you run the risk of having some difficulty about this worthy fellow's adventure at the pagoda." Passepartout, his feet comfortably wrapped in his travelling-blanket, was sound asleep and did not dream that anybody was talking about him. "The Government is very severe upon that kind of offence. It takes particular care that the religious customs of the Indians should be respected, and if your servant were caught--" "Very well, Sir Francis," replied Mr. Fogg; "if he had been caught he would have been condemned and punished, and then would have quietly returned to Europe. I don't see how this affair could have delayed his master." The conversation fell again. During the night the train left the mountains behind, and passed Nassik, and the next day proceeded over the flat, well-cultivated country of the Khandeish, with its straggling villages, above which rose the minarets of the pagodas. This fertile territory is watered by numerous small rivers and limpid streams, mostly tributaries of the Godavery. Passepartout, on waking and looking out, could not realise that he was actually crossing India in a railway train. The locomotive, guided by an English engineer and fed with English coal, threw out its smoke upon cotton, coffee, nutmeg, clove, and pepper plantations, while the steam curled in spirals around groups of palm-trees, in the midst of which were seen picturesque bungalows, viharis (sort of abandoned monasteries), and marvellous temples enriched by the exhaustless ornamentation of Indian architecture. Then they came upon vast tracts extending to the horizon, with jungles inhabited by snakes and tigers, which fled at the noise of the train; succeeded by forests penetrated by the railway, and still haunted by elephants which, with pensive eyes, gazed at the train as it passed. The travellers crossed, beyond Milligaum, the fatal country so often stained with blood by the sectaries of the goddess Kali. Not far off rose Ellora, with its graceful pagodas, and the famous Aurungabad, capital of the ferocious Aureng-Zeb, now the chief town of one of the detached provinces of the kingdom of the Nizam. It was thereabouts that Feringhea, the Thuggee chief, king of the stranglers, held his sway. These ruffians, united by a secret bond, strangled victims of every age in honour of the goddess Death, without ever shedding blood; there was a period when this part of the country could scarcely be travelled over without corpses being found in every direction. The English Government has succeeded in greatly diminishing these murders, though the Thuggees still exist, and pursue the exercise of their horrible rites. At half-past twelve the train stopped at Burhampoor where Passepartout was able to purchase some Indian slippers, ornamented with false pearls, in which, with evident vanity, he proceeded to encase his feet. The travellers made a hasty breakfast and started off for Assurghur, after skirting for a little the banks of the small river Tapty, which empties into the Gulf of Cambray, near Surat. Passepartout was now plunged into absorbing reverie. Up to his arrival at Bombay, he had entertained hopes that their journey would end there; but, now that they were plainly whirling across India at full speed, a sudden change had come over the spirit of his dreams. His old vagabond nature returned to him; the fantastic ideas of his youth once more took possession of him. He came to regard his master's project as intended in good earnest, believed in the reality of the bet, and therefore in the tour of the world and the necessity of making it without fail within the designated period. Already he began to worry about possible delays, and accidents which might happen on the way. He recognised himself as being personally interested in the wager, and trembled at the thought that he might have been the means of losing it by his unpardonable folly of the night before. Being much less cool-headed than Mr. Fogg, he was much more restless, counting and recounting the days passed over, uttering maledictions when the train stopped, and accusing it of sluggishness, and mentally blaming Mr. Fogg for not having bribed the engineer. The worthy fellow was ignorant that, while it was possible by such means to hasten the rate of a steamer, it could not be done on the railway. The train entered the defiles of the Sutpour Mountains, which separate the Khandeish from Bundelcund, towards evening. The next day Sir Francis Cromarty asked Passepartout what time it was; to which, on consulting his watch, he replied that it was three in the morning. This famous timepiece, always regulated on the Greenwich meridian, which was now some seventy-seven degrees westward, was at least four hours slow. Sir Francis corrected Passepartout's time, whereupon the latter made the same remark that he had done to Fix; and upon the general insisting that the watch should be regulated in each new meridian, since he was constantly going eastward, that is in the face of the sun, and therefore the days were shorter by four minutes for each degree gone over, Passepartout obstinately refused to alter his watch, which he kept at London time. It was an innocent delusion which could harm no one. The train stopped, at eight o'clock, in the midst of a glade some fifteen miles beyond Rothal, where there were several bungalows, and workmen's cabins. The conductor, passing along the carriages, shouted, "Passengers will get out here!" Phileas Fogg looked at Sir Francis Cromarty for an explanation; but the general could not tell what meant a halt in the midst of this forest of dates and acacias. Passepartout, not less surprised, rushed out and speedily returned, crying: "Monsieur, no more railway!" "What do you mean?" asked Sir Francis. "I mean to say that the train isn't going on." The general at once stepped out, while Phileas Fogg calmly followed him, and they proceeded together to the conductor. "Where are we?" asked Sir Francis. "At the hamlet of Kholby." "Do we stop here?" "Certainly. The railway isn't finished." "What! not finished?" "No. There's still a matter of fifty miles to be laid from here to Allahabad, where the line begins again." "But the papers announced the opening of the railway throughout." "What would you have, officer? The papers were mistaken." "Yet you sell tickets from Bombay to Calcutta," retorted Sir Francis, who was growing warm. "No doubt," replied the conductor; "but the passengers know that they must provide means of transportation for themselves from Kholby to Allahabad." Sir Francis was furious. Passepartout would willingly have knocked the conductor down, and did not dare to look at his master. "Sir Francis," said Mr. Fogg quietly, "we will, if you please, look about for some means of conveyance to Allahabad." "Mr. Fogg, this is a delay greatly to your disadvantage." "No, Sir Francis; it was foreseen." "What! You knew that the way--" "Not at all; but I knew that some obstacle or other would sooner or later arise on my route. Nothing, therefore, is lost. I have two days, which I have already gained, to sacrifice. A steamer leaves Calcutta for Hong Kong at noon, on the 25th. This is the 22nd, and we shall reach Calcutta in time." There was nothing to say to so confident a response. It was but too true that the railway came to a termination at this point. The papers were like some watches, which have a way of getting too fast, and had been premature in their announcement of the completion of the line. The greater part of the travellers were aware of this interruption, and, leaving the train, they began to engage such vehicles as the village could provide four-wheeled palkigharis, waggons drawn by zebus, carriages that looked like perambulating pagodas, palanquins, ponies, and what not. Mr. Fogg and Sir Francis Cromarty, after searching the village from end to end, came back without having found anything. "I shall go afoot," said Phileas Fogg. Passepartout, who had now rejoined his master, made a wry grimace, as he thought of his magnificent, but too frail Indian shoes. Happily he too had been looking about him, and, after a moment's hesitation, said, "Monsieur, I think I have found a means of conveyance." "What?" "An elephant! An elephant that belongs to an Indian who lives but a 1 " . , " , " , 2 ' ; . ' 3 , 4 ? " 5 6 " , " , , " 7 . 8 , ; 9 - . , 10 ; ' , , . " 11 12 . - . 13 14 ; 15 , , - , , , 16 . 17 , . 18 . , 19 , . - 20 , 21 , . 22 23 , , , 24 - , . 25 26 - . 27 28 " ' ! " , . 29 30 " ' , " . 31 32 " ? " 33 34 " ; . 35 , , 36 . " 37 38 " ? " 39 40 " . " 41 42 " ! " . " 43 , 44 . 45 , . " 46 47 " , " , " . 48 , , 49 . " 50 51 , 52 . , , 53 , 54 . 55 , , 56 . 57 ' 58 , . 59 , 60 . 61 , ' 62 . , 63 64 , , 65 . 66 67 , 68 . , 69 , 70 71 , 72 . , 73 . 74 , 75 . 76 77 " ? " . 78 79 " , ' ' . " 80 81 " - - " 82 83 " . " 84 85 " ' , 86 . " 87 88 " , ? " 89 90 " . " 91 92 " ? " 93 94 " , , " , 95 . 96 97 " ' , ' , , 98 . " 99 100 , . 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 , 112 ' , 113 . 114 115 " , " , , " 116 . " 117 . 118 119 " , . , " , " 120 ' ; ' - - , 121 . ' 122 ; , , 123 . " 124 125 " , , . " 126 127 " ? " 128 129 " . , 130 . 131 ; . " 132 133 " ? . " 134 135 " , 136 . " 137 138 " , ' - . - - " 139 140 , 141 , , 142 . , , 143 144 . , 145 , , 146 . 147 148 " . ? " , . 149 150 " . " 151 152 " ? " 153 154 " : , . " 155 156 " ? " 157 158 " . " 159 160 " - - " 161 162 " . " 163 164 " , . , 165 ? " 166 167 " , , " ; " , 168 , . " 169 170 " , . " 171 172 , 173 . . , 174 , , . 175 176 " ? " . 177 178 " , , " 179 . 180 181 " ; . , , 182 , , 183 ? " 184 185 " ; , , - - " 186 187 " ' , " . " 188 ; , ' , ' 189 . , . " 190 191 . 192 193 . , , , 194 , 195 , . - , 196 : 197 198 " , , , . . . " , 199 , , . . . " , , . 200 . . " , , , . . . 201 " , , . . . " , , 202 , . . " , , . . 203 " , , , . . " 204 , + ; , , . " 205 206 , 207 , , 208 , , 209 , , , , , , , 210 , - - ; 211 212 . 213 , . 214 - . , , 215 , 216 . , 217 , 218 . 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 , , 226 227 228 , 229 , , , 230 . 231 232 " , , " , , " 233 ? " 234 235 " , ' , , ? " . " , , 236 . " 237 238 " ? " 239 240 " ; . 241 ? " 242 243 " . " 244 245 " ? " 246 247 " , . " 248 249 " ? " 250 251 " . " 252 253 " ! " . " , , 254 ; 255 256 , , 257 , ! 258 ! " 259 260 " , ? " 261 262 " , . , 263 . , - . " 264 265 " . " 266 267 " , , . " 268 269 , 270 . 271 272 " , " ; " ' . " 273 274 " ; ' ' . " 275 276 . " ! " ; " , 277 ' . " 278 279 " . " 280 281 " ? , , 282 - ! ' . ' 283 , . " 284 285 " , " . " , 286 . 287 . " 288 289 " ? ! " 290 291 " , , . " 292 293 " , . , ! " 294 295 296 . , : " 297 , ? " 298 299 " ! ' , 300 , - 301 . " 302 303 " ? " 304 305 " . . " 306 307 " ? " . 308 309 " , ! ; , , 310 ' . ' . ' 311 . " 312 313 " ! . , ? " 314 315 " . " 316 317 " ? " 318 319 " , 320 . ' , : 321 322 . " 323 324 " ? " 325 326 " , ; . " 327 328 329 . 330 ; . ; 331 ; - - 332 . , 333 , 334 , , 335 , 336 . 337 , . 338 339 " ? " . 340 341 " . ' . " 342 343 " ? " 344 345 " . " 346 347 " ? " 348 349 " . " 350 351 " ! ' 352 - - ! " 353 354 " ? " 355 356 " - , , 357 . , , 358 , 359 ; - - " 360 361 ' ? 362 . , . 363 , 364 , 365 , . 366 , . 367 368 " , " , " . . 369 370 . " 371 372 " ' , " , " 373 374 . " 375 376 " ' , " . 377 378 " ? " 379 380 " . " 381 382 " , , 383 ? " 384 385 " ? ; . " 386 387 388 . 389 390 " , " , " . 391 ? " 392 393 " 394 , , 395 , , , , 396 , . " 397 398 , , 399 , , 400 . 401 , , 402 ; , , 403 . 404 405 406 407 408 409 410 411 412 413 414 415 , 416 - . , 417 , , 418 , 419 . 420 , , 421 , . 422 423 , 424 , 425 426 : - , , , 427 , , , . 428 , , 429 , 430 . 431 , , , ' , 432 ; 433 , , , , . 434 435 , , 436 . 437 , , . 438 ; ; 439 . , 440 , - - . 441 ? , 442 , , 443 - - , , 444 , 445 . , , 446 . 447 448 , 449 , ' , 450 , 451 ; 452 , , 453 ; 454 , 455 , 456 . 457 ? 458 , 459 ; 460 , 461 . - , ; . 462 , ; 463 - , 464 , , , . , 465 . 466 467 , , , - , 468 . 469 , , 470 , 471 ' . 472 , , 473 . 474 475 " , " , , 476 , " 477 ? " 478 479 " ! . 480 - - " 481 482 " , - - " 483 484 " . " 485 486 " , " , " ' 487 . ? " 488 489 " , . " 490 491 " ' ! ? " 492 493 " . . " 494 495 " ? " 496 497 " , " , . 498 499 " , ? " 500 501 " , . , , , , , 502 , , ! 503 . " 504 505 " , . , 506 , 507 , 508 ! ; , , 509 . " 510 511 " . ? " , 512 . 513 514 " , . ; ' . " 515 516 " . " 517 518 " ; ' . " 519 520 " , . , 521 - - ? " 522 523 " , , , 524 . " 525 526 , 527 , ' 528 . 529 - , 530 , . 531 532 ; , , 533 - , 534 , - . 535 , 536 , , 537 - . 538 - - , , 539 , - 540 , . 541 - ; 542 . 543 , . 544 545 546 , 547 . , , 548 ' ; , , 549 , , 550 , . 551 552 . 553 ; , , . , . 554 ; , 555 , 556 , , , , , 557 - . 558 559 , 560 , . 561 562 " , , " , 563 . " 564 , . " . . 565 , 566 . - 567 , , 568 - , . 569 , , , , 570 . 571 , 572 573 . , , , 574 : . 575 , 576 . 577 , - 578 . 579 580 - 581 , , , 582 , 583 . 584 585 ; . 586 587 , , 588 . 589 590 591 592 593 594 595 596 597 598 599 , 600 , , 601 , 602 . 603 604 , - , 605 , , , - 606 . 607 608 , , 609 , 610 . 611 ; 612 . 613 - , 614 615 , . 616 , 617 , , - 618 , . 619 , 620 . , 621 , . 622 623 624 , ; 625 , 626 , 627 , . 628 . 629 , , 630 ; 631 . 632 633 : 634 , , 635 , , 636 - , 637 , , , 638 , , 639 , - 640 , . 641 642 - . . ; 643 . 644 645 . , - , 646 , , 647 , , , 648 , , 649 . - - 650 , , , , , 651 , , 652 , - - . 653 , 654 , - , 655 , 656 . 657 658 , 659 , . 660 , 661 " , " . 662 663 . , , , 664 . , , 665 , , , " , ? " 666 667 " , , " , " . " 668 669 " ? " 670 671 " , ! , ! - - " 672 673 " , , , : 674 , , . 675 . " 676 677 " , ? " 678 679 " ! " 680 681 . . 682 . , 683 . 684 , , 685 , 686 . ; , 687 . , 688 689 . , 690 , . 691 , 692 ; 693 . 694 , , 695 , . 696 697 , , ' 698 699 , 700 , . 701 . 702 , , 703 , ! 704 705 , 706 , 707 - - , , 708 , , , 709 - - - . 710 . - - 711 , , , , 712 - - 713 , , 714 - , - 715 , , , 716 , . 717 718 , 719 . 720 721 , , 722 . , 723 , 724 , 725 , 726 . 727 , 728 . 729 730 . 731 732 , , , , 733 734 , 735 . 736 , ; , 737 , . 738 , 739 - 740 ; , 741 , 742 . 743 744 , , , , 745 , 746 . 747 748 , . , 749 , , . 750 , , 751 . , 752 ; 753 . . 754 755 " , " , 756 . , , 757 . 758 , . 759 760 " , ' , " . " 761 . ' . " 762 763 , 764 . 765 766 767 768 769 770 771 772 773 774 775 . 776 , , , 777 . 778 , 779 . , . 780 ' , 781 . , , 782 . 783 , ; 784 , , 785 . , , 786 , 787 ; , 788 , . 789 790 , , 791 , . 792 793 - - 794 , - - 795 796 , 797 . - , 798 , 799 . 800 801 802 , ; 803 804 . , 805 806 . 807 808 809 , . 810 811 - ; , , 812 , , 813 . 814 , 815 , , , " , . 816 , 817 . " 818 819 " , ? " 820 821 " , 822 823 , . " 824 825 " , " . 826 . " . " 827 828 " , . , " , " 829 ' . " 830 , - , 831 . 832 " . 833 834 , - - " 835 836 " , , " . ; " 837 , 838 . ' 839 . " 840 841 . 842 , , 843 , - , 844 , . 845 , 846 . 847 848 , , 849 . , 850 , 851 , , , , , 852 - , 853 , ( 854 ) , 855 . 856 , , 857 ; 858 , , 859 , . , 860 , 861 . , 862 , , 863 - , 864 . , 865 , , . , 866 , 867 , ; 868 869 . 870 , 871 , . 872 873 - 874 , 875 , , , . 876 , 877 , 878 , . 879 880 . 881 , ; 882 , , 883 . 884 ; 885 . ' 886 , , 887 888 . 889 , . 890 , 891 892 . - 893 . , , 894 , , 895 , . 896 . , 897 , 898 . 899 900 , 901 , . 902 ; , 903 , . 904 , , 905 - , 906 . ' , 907 ; 908 909 , , 910 , 911 , 912 , . 913 . 914 915 , ' , 916 , , 917 ' . , , , 918 " ! " 919 920 ; 921 922 . 923 924 , , , 925 : " , ! " 926 927 " ? " . 928 929 " ' . " 930 931 , 932 , . 933 934 " ? " . 935 936 " . " 937 938 " ? " 939 940 " . ' . " 941 942 " ! ? " 943 944 " . ' 945 , . " 946 947 " . " 948 949 " , ? . " 950 951 " , " , 952 . 953 954 " , " ; " 955 956 . " 957 958 . 959 , . 960 961 " , " . , " , , 962 . " 963 964 " . , . " 965 966 " , ; . " 967 968 " ! - - " 969 970 " ; 971 . , , . , 972 , . 973 , . , 974 . " 975 976 . 977 978 979 . , 980 , 981 . 982 , , , 983 - , 984 , , 985 , , . 986 987 . , 988 , . 989 990 " , " . 991 992 , , , 993 , . 994 , , ' , , 995 " , . " 996 997 " ? " 998 999 " ! 1000