Around the World in Eighty Days

by Jules Verne

  Chapter XXIX

  IN WHICH CERTAIN INCIDENTS ARE NARRATED WHICH ARE ONLY TO BE MET WITHON AMERICAN RAILROADS

  The train pursued its course, that evening, without interruption,passing Fort Saunders, crossing Cheyne Pass, and reaching Evans Pass.The road here attained the highest elevation of the journey, eightthousand and ninety-two feet above the level of the sea. Thetravellers had now only to descend to the Atlantic by limitless plains,levelled by nature. A branch of the "grand trunk" led off southward toDenver, the capital of Colorado. The country round about is rich ingold and silver, and more than fifty thousand inhabitants are alreadysettled there.

  Thirteen hundred and eighty-two miles had been passed over from SanFrancisco, in three days and three nights; four days and nights morewould probably bring them to New York. Phileas Fogg was not as yetbehind-hand.

  During the night Camp Walbach was passed on the left; Lodge Pole Creekran parallel with the road, marking the boundary between theterritories of Wyoming and Colorado. They entered Nebraska at eleven,passed near Sedgwick, and touched at Julesburg, on the southern branchof the Platte River.

  It was here that the Union Pacific Railroad was inaugurated on the 23rdof October, 1867, by the chief engineer, General Dodge. Two powerfullocomotives, carrying nine cars of invited guests, amongst whom wasThomas C. Durant, vice-president of the road, stopped at this point;cheers were given, the Sioux and Pawnees performed an imitation Indianbattle, fireworks were let off, and the first number of the RailwayPioneer was printed by a press brought on the train. Thus wascelebrated the inauguration of this great railroad, a mighty instrumentof progress and civilisation, thrown across the desert, and destined tolink together cities and towns which do not yet exist. The whistle ofthe locomotive, more powerful than Amphion's lyre, was about to bidthem rise from American soil.

  Fort McPherson was left behind at eight in the morning, and threehundred and fifty-seven miles had yet to be traversed before reachingOmaha. The road followed the capricious windings of the southernbranch of the Platte River, on its left bank. At nine the trainstopped at the important town of North Platte, built between the twoarms of the river, which rejoin each other around it and form a singleartery, a large tributary, whose waters empty into the Missouri alittle above Omaha.

  The one hundred and first meridian was passed.

  Mr. Fogg and his partners had resumed their game; no one--not even thedummy--complained of the length of the trip. Fix had begun by winningseveral guineas, which he seemed likely to lose; but he showed himselfa not less eager whist-player than Mr. Fogg. During the morning,chance distinctly favoured that gentleman. Trumps and honours wereshowered upon his hands.

  Once, having resolved on a bold stroke, he was on the point of playinga spade, when a voice behind him said, "I should play a diamond."

  Mr. Fogg, Aouda, and Fix raised their heads, and beheld Colonel Proctor.

  Stamp Proctor and Phileas Fogg recognised each other at once.

  "Ah! it's you, is it, Englishman?" cried the colonel; "it's you who aregoing to play a spade!"

  "And who plays it," replied Phileas Fogg coolly, throwing down the tenof spades.

  "Well, it pleases me to have it diamonds," replied Colonel Proctor, inan insolent tone.

  He made a movement as if to seize the card which had just been played,adding, "You don't understand anything about whist."

  "Perhaps I do, as well as another," said Phileas Fogg, rising.

  "You have only to try, son of John Bull," replied the colonel.

  Aouda turned pale, and her blood ran cold. She seized Mr. Fogg's armand gently pulled him back. Passepartout was ready to pounce upon theAmerican, who was staring insolently at his opponent. But Fix got up,and, going to Colonel Proctor said, "You forget that it is I with whomyou have to deal, sir; for it was I whom you not only insulted, butstruck!"

  "Mr. Fix," said Mr. Fogg, "pardon me, but this affair is mine, and mineonly. The colonel has again insulted me, by insisting that I shouldnot play a spade, and he shall give me satisfaction for it."

  "When and where you will," replied the American, "and with whateverweapon you choose."

  Aouda in vain attempted to retain Mr. Fogg; as vainly did the detectiveendeavour to make the quarrel his. Passepartout wished to throw thecolonel out of the window, but a sign from his master checked him.Phileas Fogg left the car, and the American followed him upon theplatform. "Sir," said Mr. Fogg to his adversary, "I am in a greathurry to get back to Europe, and any delay whatever will be greatly tomy disadvantage."

  "Well, what's that to me?" replied Colonel Proctor.

  "Sir," said Mr. Fogg, very politely, "after our meeting at SanFrancisco, I determined to return to America and find you as soon as Ihad completed the business which called me to England."

  "Really!"

  "Will you appoint a meeting for six months hence?"

  "Why not ten years hence?"

  "I say six months," returned Phileas Fogg; "and I shall be at the placeof meeting promptly."

  "All this is an evasion," cried Stamp Proctor. "Now or never!"

  "Very good. You are going to New York?"

  "No."

  "To Chicago?"

  "No."

  "To Omaha?"

  "What difference is it to you? Do you know Plum Creek?"

  "No," replied Mr. Fogg.

  "It's the next station. The train will be there in an hour, and willstop there ten minutes. In ten minutes several revolver-shots could beexchanged."

  "Very well," said Mr. Fogg. "I will stop at Plum Creek."

  "And I guess you'll stay there too," added the American insolently.

  "Who knows?" replied Mr. Fogg, returning to the car as coolly as usual.He began to reassure Aouda, telling her that blusterers were never tobe feared, and begged Fix to be his second at the approaching duel, arequest which the detective could not refuse. Mr. Fogg resumed theinterrupted game with perfect calmness.

  At eleven o'clock the locomotive's whistle announced that they wereapproaching Plum Creek station. Mr. Fogg rose, and, followed by Fix,went out upon the platform. Passepartout accompanied him, carrying apair of revolvers. Aouda remained in the car, as pale as death.

  The door of the next car opened, and Colonel Proctor appeared on theplatform, attended by a Yankee of his own stamp as his second. Butjust as the combatants were about to step from the train, the conductorhurried up, and shouted, "You can't get off, gentlemen!"

  "Why not?" asked the colonel.

  "We are twenty minutes late, and we shall not stop."

  "But I am going to fight a duel with this gentleman."

  "I am sorry," said the conductor; "but we shall be off at once.There's the bell ringing now."

  The train started.

  "I'm really very sorry, gentlemen," said the conductor. "Under anyother circumstances I should have been happy to oblige you. But, afterall, as you have not had time to fight here, why not fight as we goalong?"

  "That wouldn't be convenient, perhaps, for this gentleman," said thecolonel, in a jeering tone.

  "It would be perfectly so," replied Phileas Fogg.

  "Well, we are really in America," thought Passepartout, "and theconductor is a gentleman of the first order!"

  So muttering, he followed his master.

  The two combatants, their seconds, and the conductor passed through thecars to the rear of the train. The last car was only occupied by adozen passengers, whom the conductor politely asked if they would notbe so kind as to leave it vacant for a few moments, as two gentlemenhad an affair of honour to settle. The passengers granted the requestwith alacrity, and straightway disappeared on the platform.

  The car, which was some fifty feet long, was very convenient for theirpurpose. The adversaries might march on each other in the aisle, andfire at their ease. Never was duel more easily arranged. Mr. Fogg andColonel Proctor, each provided with two six-barrelled revolvers,entered the car. The seconds, remaining outside, shut them in. Th
eywere to begin firing at the first whistle of the locomotive. After aninterval of two minutes, what remained of the two gentlemen would betaken from the car.

  Nothing could be more simple. Indeed, it was all so simple that Fixand Passepartout felt their hearts beating as if they would crack.They were listening for the whistle agreed upon, when suddenly savagecries resounded in the air, accompanied by reports which certainly didnot issue from the car where the duellists were. The reports continuedin front and the whole length of the train. Cries of terror proceededfrom the interior of the cars.

  Colonel Proctor and Mr. Fogg, revolvers in hand, hastily quitted theirprison, and rushed forward where the noise was most clamorous. Theythen perceived that the train was attacked by a band of Sioux.

  This was not the first attempt of these daring Indians, for more thanonce they had waylaid trains on the road. A hundred of them had,according to their habit, jumped upon the steps without stopping thetrain, with the ease of a clown mounting a horse at full gallop.

  The Sioux were armed with guns, from which came the reports, to whichthe passengers, who were almost all armed, responded by revolver-shots.

  The Indians had first mounted the engine, and half stunned the engineerand stoker with blows from their muskets. A Sioux chief, wishing tostop the train, but not knowing how to work the regulator, had openedwide instead of closing the steam-valve, and the locomotive wasplunging forward with terrific velocity.

  The Sioux had at the same time invaded the cars, skipping like enragedmonkeys over the roofs, thrusting open the doors, and fighting hand tohand with the passengers. Penetrating the baggage-car, they pillagedit, throwing the trunks out of the train. The cries and shots wereconstant. The travellers defended themselves bravely; some of the carswere barricaded, and sustained a siege, like moving forts, carriedalong at a speed of a hundred miles an hour.

  Aouda behaved courageously from the first. She defended herself like atrue heroine with a revolver, which she shot through the broken windowswhenever a savage made his appearance. Twenty Sioux had fallenmortally wounded to the ground, and the wheels crushed those who fellupon the rails as if they had been worms. Several passengers, shot orstunned, lay on the seats.

  It was necessary to put an end to the struggle, which had lasted forten minutes, and which would result in the triumph of the Sioux if thetrain was not stopped. Fort Kearney station, where there was agarrison, was only two miles distant; but, that once passed, the Siouxwould be masters of the train between Fort Kearney and the stationbeyond.

  The conductor was fighting beside Mr. Fogg, when he was shot and fell.At the same moment he cried, "Unless the train is stopped in fiveminutes, we are lost!"

  "It shall be stopped," said Phileas Fogg, preparing to rush from thecar.

  "Stay, monsieur," cried Passepartout; "I will go."

  Mr. Fogg had not time to stop the brave fellow, who, opening a doorunperceived by the Indians, succeeded in slipping under the car; andwhile the struggle continued and the balls whizzed across each otherover his head, he made use of his old acrobatic experience, and withamazing agility worked his way under the cars, holding on to thechains, aiding himself by the brakes and edges of the sashes, creepingfrom one car to another with marvellous skill, and thus gaining theforward end of the train.

  There, suspended by one hand between the baggage-car and the tender,with the other he loosened the safety chains; but, owing to thetraction, he would never have succeeded in unscrewing the yoking-bar,had not a violent concussion jolted this bar out. The train, nowdetached from the engine, remained a little behind, whilst thelocomotive rushed forward with increased speed.

  Carried on by the force already acquired, the train still moved forseveral minutes; but the brakes were worked and at last they stopped,less than a hundred feet from Kearney station.

  The soldiers of the fort, attracted by the shots, hurried up; the Siouxhad not expected them, and decamped in a body before the train entirelystopped.

  But when the passengers counted each other on the station platformseveral were found missing; among others the courageous Frenchman,whose devotion had just saved them.