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After a comfortable breakfast, served in the car, Mr.
Fogg and his partners had just resumed whist, when a
violent whistling was heard, and the train stopped.
Passepartout put his head out of the door, but saw nothing
to cause the delay; no station was in view.
Aouda and Fix feared that Mr. Fogg might take it into
his head to get out; but that gentleman contented himself
with saying to his servant, 'See what is the matter.'
Passepartout rushed out of the car. Thirty or forty
passengers had already descended, amongst them Colonel
Stamp Proctor.
The train had stopped before a red signal which
blocked the way. The engineer and conductor were
talking excitedly with a signal-man, whom the station-
master at Medicine Bow, the next stopping place, had sent
on before. The passengers drew around and took part in
the discussion, in which Colonel Proctor, with his insolent
manner, was conspicuous.
Passepartout, joining the group, heard the signal-man
say, 'No! you can't pass. The bridge at Medicine Bow is
shaky, and would not bear the weight of the train.'
This was a suspension-bridge thrown over some rapids,
about a mile from the place where they now were.
According to the signal-man, it was in a ruinous
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condition, several of the iron wires being broken; and it
was impossible to risk the passage. He did not in any way
exaggerate the condition of the bridge. It may be taken for
granted that, rash as the Americans usually are, when they
are prudent there is good reason for it.
Passepartout, not daring to apprise his master of what
he heard, listened with set teeth, immovable as a statue.
'Hum!' cried Colonel Proctor; 'but we are not going to
stay here, I imagine, and take root in the snow?'
'Colonel,' replied the conductor, 'we have telegraphed
to Omaha for a train, but it is not likely that it will reach
Medicine Bow is less than six hours.'
'Six hours!' cried Passepartout.
'Certainly,' returned the conductor, 'besides, it will
take us as long as that to reach Medicine Bow on foot.'
'But it is only a mile from here,' said one of the
passengers.
'Yes, but it's on the other side of the river.'
'And can't we cross that in a boat?' asked the colonel.
'That's impossible. The creek is swelled by the rains. It
is a rapid, and we shall have to make a circuit of ten miles
to the north to find a ford.'
The colonel launched a volley of oaths, denouncing the
railway company and the conductor; and Passepartout,
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who was furious, was not disinclined to make common
cause with him. Here was an obstacle, indeed, which all
his master's banknotes could not remove.
There was a general disappointment among the
passengers, who, without reckoning the delay, saw
themselves compelled to trudge fifteen miles over a plain
covered with snow. They grumbled and protested, and
would certainly have thus attracted Phileas Fogg's
attention if he had not been completely absorbed in his
game.
Passepartout found that he could not avoid telling his
master what had occurred, and, with hanging head, he was
turning towards the car, when the engineer, a true
Yankee, named Forster called out, 'Gentlemen, perhaps
there is a way, after all, to get over.'
'On the bridge?' asked a passenger.
'On the bridge.'
'With our train?'
'With our train.'
Passepartout stopped short, and eagerly listened to the
engineer.
'But the bridge is unsafe,' urged the conductor.
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'No matter,' replied Forster; 'I think that by putting on
the very highest speed we might have a chance of getting
over.'
'The devil!' muttered Passepartout.
But a number of the passengers were at once attracted
by the engineer's proposal, and Colonel Proctor was
especially delighted, and found the plan a very feasible
one. He told stories about engineers leaping their trains
over rivers without bridges, by putting on full steam; and
many of those present avowed themselves of the
engineer's mind.
'We have fifty chances out of a hundred of getting
over,' said one.
'Eighty! ninety!'
Passepartout was astounded, and, though ready to
attempt anything to get over Medicine Creek, thought the
experiment proposed a little too American. 'Besides,'
thought he, 'there's a still more simple way, and it does
not even occur to any of these people! Sir,' said he aloud
to one of the passengers, 'the engineer's plan seems to me
a little dangerous, but—'
'Eighty chances!' replied the passenger, turning his back
on him.
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'I know it,' said Passepartout, turning to another
passenger, 'but a simple idea—'
'Ideas are no use,' returned the American, shrugging his
shoulders, 'as the engineer assures us that we can pass.'
'Doubtless,' urged Passepartout, 'we can pass, but
perhaps it would be more prudent—'
'What! Prudent!' cried Colonel Proctor, whom this
word seemed to excite prodigiously. 'At full speed, don't
you see, at full speed!'
'I know—I see,' repeated Passepartout; 'but it would
be, if not more prudent, since that word displeases you, at
least more natural—'
'Who! What! What's the matter with this fellow?' cried
several.
The poor fellow did not know to whom to address
himself.
'Are you afraid?' asked Colonel Proctor.
'I afraid? Very well; I will show these people that a
Frenchman can be as American as they!'
'All aboard!' cried the conductor.
'Yes, all aboard!' repeated Passepartout, and
immediately. 'But they can't prevent me from thinking
that it would be more natural for us to cross the bridge on
foot, and let the train come after!'
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But no one heard this sage reflection, nor would
anyone have acknowledged its justice. The passengers
resumed their places in the cars. Passepartout took his seat
without telling what had passed. The whist-players were
quite absorbed in their game.
The locomotive whistled vigorously; the engineer,
reversing the steam, backed the train for nearly a mile—
retiring, like a jumper, in order to take a longer leap.
Then, with another whistle, he began to move forward;
the train increased its speed, and soon its rapidity became
frightful; a prolonged screech issued from the locomotive;
the piston worked up and down twenty strokes to the
second. They perceived that the whole train, rushing on at
the rate of a hundred miles an hour, hardly bore upon the
rails at all.
And they passed over! It was like a flash. No one saw
the bridge. The train leaped, so to speak, from one bank
to the other, and the engineer could not stop it until it had
gone five miles beyond the station. But scarcely had the
train passed the river, when the bridge, completely ruined,
fell with a crash into the rapids of Medicine Bow.
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Chapter XXIX
IN WHICH CERTAIN
INCIDENTS ARE NARRATED
WHICH ARE ONLY TO BE
MET WITH ON 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, eight thousand and
ninety-two feet above the level of the sea. The travellers
had now only to descend to the Atlantic by limitless
plains, levelled by nature. A branch of the 'grand trunk'
led off southward to Denver, the capital of Colorado. The
country round about is rich in gold and silver, and more
than fifty thousand inhabitants are already settled there.
Thirteen hundred and eighty-two miles had been
passed over from San Francisco, in three days and three
nights; four days and nights more would probably bring
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them to New York. Phileas Fogg was not as yet behind-
hand.
During the night Camp Walbach was passed on the
left; Lodge Pole Creek ran parallel with the road, marking
the boundary between the territories of Wyoming and
Colorado. They entered Nebraska at eleven, passed near
Sedgwick, and touched at Julesburg, on the southern
branch of the Platte River.
It was here that the Union Pacific Railroad was
inaugurated on the 23rd of October, 1867, by the chief
engineer, General Dodge. Two powerful locomotives,
carrying nine cars of invited guests, amongst whom was
Thomas C. Durant, vice-president of the road, stopped at
this point; cheers were given, the Sioux and Pawnees
performed an imitation Indian battle, fireworks were let
off, and the first number of the Railway Pioneer was
printed by a press brought on the train. Thus was
celebrated the inauguration of this great railroad, a mighty
instrument of progress and civilisation, thrown across the
desert, and destined to link together cities and towns
which do not yet exist. The whistle of the locomotive,
more powerful than Amphion's lyre, was about to bid
them rise from American soil.
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Fort McPherson was left behind at eight in the
morning, and three hundred and fifty-seven miles had yet
to be traversed before reaching Omaha. The road followed
the capricious windings of the southern branch of the
Platte River, on its left bank. At nine the train stopped at
the important town of North Platte, built between the
two arms of the river, which rejoin each other around it
and form a single artery, a large tributary, whose waters
empty into the Missouri a little above Omaha.
The one hundred and first meridian was passed.
Mr. Fogg and his partners had resumed their game; no
one—not even the dummy— complained of the length of
the trip. Fix had begun by winning several guineas, which
he seemed likely to lose; but he showed himself a not less
eager whist-player than Mr. Fogg. During the morning,
chance distinctly favoured that gentleman. Trumps and
honours were showered upon his hands.
Once, having resolved on a bold stroke, he was on the
point of playing a 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.
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'Ah! it's you, is it, Englishman?' cried the colonel; 'it's
you who are going to play a spade!'
'And who plays it,' replied Phileas Fogg coolly,
throwing down the ten of spades.
'Well, it pleases me to have it diamonds,' replied
Colonel Proctor, in an 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 arm and gently pulled him back. Passepartout
was ready to pounce upon the American, who was staring
insolently at his opponent. But Fix got up, and, going to
Colonel Proctor said, 'You forget that it is I with whom
you have to deal, sir; for it was I whom you not only
insulted, but struck!'
'Mr. Fix,' said Mr. Fogg, 'pardon me, but this affair is
mine, and mine only. The colonel has again insulted me,
by insisting that I should not play a spade, and he shall give
me satisfaction for it.'
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'When and where you will,' replied the American, 'and
with whatever weapon you choose.'
Aouda in vain attempted to retain Mr. Fogg; as vainly
did the detective endeavour to make the quarrel his.
Passepartout wished to throw the colonel out of the
window, but a sign from his master checked him. Phileas
Fogg left the car, and the American followed him upon
the platform. 'Sir,' said Mr. Fogg to his adversary, 'I am in
a great hurry to get back to Europe, and any delay
whatever will be greatly to my disadvantage.'
'Well, what's that to me?' replied Colonel Proctor.
'Sir,' said Mr. Fogg, very politely, 'after our meeting at
San Francisco, I determined to return to America and find
you as soon as I had 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 place of meeting promptly.'
'All this is an evasion,' cried Stamp Proctor. 'Now or
never!'
'Very good. You are going to New York?'
'No.'
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'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 will stop there ten minutes. In ten minutes several
revolver-shots could be exchanged.'
'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 to be feared, and begged Fix to
be his second at the approaching duel, a request which the
detective could not refuse. Mr. Fogg resumed the
interrupted game with perfect calmness.
At eleven o'clock the locomotive's whistle announced
that they were approaching Plum Creek station. Mr. Fogg
rose, and, followed by Fix, went out upon the platform.
Passepartout accompanied him, carrying a pair of
revolvers. Aouda remained in the car, as pale as death.
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The door of the next car opened, and Colonel Proctor
appeared on the platform, attended by a Yankee of his
own stamp as his second. But just as the combatants were
about to step from the train, the conductor hurried 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 any other circumstances I should have been happy
to oblige you. But, after all, as you have not had time to
fight here, why not fight as we go along?
'That wouldn't be convenient, perhaps, for this
gentleman,' said the colonel, in a jeering tone.
'It would be perfectly so,' replied Phileas Fogg.
'Well, we are really in America,' thought Passepartout,
'and the conductor is a gentleman of the first order!'
So muttering, he followed his master.
The two combatants, their seconds, and the conductor
passed through the cars to the rear of the train. The last car
was only occupied by a dozen passengers, whom the
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conductor politely asked if they would not be so kind as to
leave it vacant for a few moments, as two gentlemen had
an affair of honour to settle. The passengers granted the
request with alacrity, and straightway disappeared on the
platform.
The car, which was some fifty feet long, was very
convenient for their purpose. The adversaries might march
on each other in the aisle, and fire at their ease. Never was
duel more easily arranged. Mr. Fogg and Colonel Proctor,
each provided with two six-barrelled revolvers, entered
the car. The seconds, remaining outside, shut them in.
They were to begin firing at the first whistle of the
locomotive. After an interval of two minutes, what
remained of the two gentlemen would be taken from the
car.
Nothing could be more simple. Indeed, it was all so
simple that Fix and Passepartout felt their hearts beating as
if they would crack. They were listening for the whistle
agreed upon, when suddenly savage cries resounded in the
air, accompanied by reports which certainly did not issue
from the car where the duellists were. The reports
continued in front and the whole length of the train. Cries
of terror proceeded from the interior of the cars.
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Colonel Proctor and Mr. Fogg, revolvers in hand,
hastily quitted their prison, and rushed forward where the
noise was most clamorous. They then perceived that the
train was attacked by a band of Sioux.
This was not the first attempt of these daring Indians,
for more than once they had waylaid trains on the road. A
hundred of them had, according to their habit, jumped
upon the steps without stopping the train, with the ease of
a clown mounting a horse at full gallop.
The Sioux were armed with guns, from which came
the reports, to which the passengers, who were almost all
armed, responded by revolver-shots.
The Indians had first mounted the engine, and half
stunned the engineer and stoker with blows from their
muskets. A Sioux chief, wishing to stop the train, but not
knowing how to work the regulator, had opened wide
instead of closing the steam-valve, and the locomotive was
plunging forward with terrific velocity.
The Sioux had at the same time invaded the cars,
skipping like enraged monkeys over the roofs, thrusting
open the doors, and fighting hand to hand with the
passengers. Penetrating the baggage-car, they pillaged it,
throwing the trunks out of the train. The cries and shots
were constant. The travellers defended themselves bravely;
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some of the cars were barricaded, and sustained a siege,
like moving forts, carried along at a speed of a hundred
miles an hour.
Aouda behaved courageously from the first. She
defended herself like a true heroine with a revolver, which
she shot through the broken windows whenever a savage
made his appearance. Twenty Sioux had fallen mortally
wounded to the ground, and the wheels crushed those
who fell upon the rails as if they had been worms. Several
passengers, shot or stunned, lay on the seats.
It was necessary to put an end to the struggle, which
had lasted for ten minutes, and which would result in the
triumph of the Sioux if the train was not stopped. Fort
Kearney station, where there was a garrison, was only two
miles distant; but, that once passed, the Sioux would be
masters of the train between Fort Kearney and the station
beyond.
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 five minutes, we are lost!'
'It shall be stopped,' said Phileas Fogg, preparing to
rush from the car.
'Stay, monsieur,' cried Passepartout; 'I will go.'
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Mr. Fogg had not time to stop the brave fellow, who,
opening a door unperceived by the Indians, succeeded in
slipping under the car; and while the struggle continued
and the balls whizzed across each other over his head, he
made use of his old acrobatic experience, and with
amazing agility worked his way under the cars, holding on
to the chains, aiding himself by the brakes and edges of the
sashes, creeping from one car to another with marvellous
skill, and thus gaining the forward 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 the traction, he would never have
succeeded in unscrewing the yoking-bar, had not a violent
concussion jolted this bar out. The train, now detached
from the engine, remained a little behind, whilst the
locomotive rushed forward with increased speed.
Carried on by the force already acquired, the train still
moved for several 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 Sioux had not expected them, and decamped in a
body before the train entirely stopped.
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But when the passengers counted each other on the
station platform several were found missing; among others
the courageous Frenchman, whose devotion had just saved
them.
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Chapter XXX
IN WHICH PHILEAS FOGG
SIMPLY DOES HIS DUTY
Three passengers including Passepartout had
disappeared. Had they been killed in the struggle? Were
they taken prisoners by the Sioux? It was impossible to
tell.
There were many wounded, but none mortally.
Colonel Proctor was one of the most seriously hurt; he
had fought bravely, and a ball had entered his groin. He
was carried into the station with the other wounded
passengers, to receive such attention as could be of avail.
Aouda was safe; and Phileas Fogg, who had been in the
thickest of the fight, had not received a scratch. Fix was
slightly wounded in the arm. But Passepartout was not to
be found, and tears coursed down Aouda's cheeks.
All the passengers had got out of the train, the wheels
of which were stained with blood. From the tyres and
spokes hung ragged pieces of flesh. As far as the eye could
reach on the white plain behind, red trails were visible.
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The last Sioux were disappearing in the south, along the
banks of Republican River.
Mr. Fogg, with folded arms, remained motionless. He
had a serious decision to make. Aouda, standing near him,
looked at him without speaking, and he understood her
look. If his servant was a prisoner, ought he not to risk
everything to rescue him from the Indians? 'I will find
him, living or dead,' said he quietly to Aouda.
'Ah, Mr.—Mr. Fogg!' cried she, clasping his hands and
covering them with tears.
'Living,' added Mr. Fogg, 'if we do not lose a
moment.'
Phileas Fogg, by this resolution, inevitably sacrificed
himself; he pronounced his own doom. The delay of a
single day would make him lose the steamer at New York,
and his bet would be certainly lost. But as he thought, 'It
is my duty,' he did not hesitate.
The commanding officer of Fort Kearney was there. A
hundred of his soldiers had placed themselves in a position
to defend the station, should the Sioux attack it.
'Sir,' said Mr. Fogg to the captain, 'three passengers
have disappeared.'
'Dead?' asked the captain.
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'Dead or prisoners; that is the uncertainty which must
be solved. Do you propose to pursue the Sioux?'
'That's a serious thing to do, sir,' returned the captain.
'These Indians may retreat beyond the Arkansas, and I
cannot leave the fort unprotected.'
'The lives of three men are in question, sir,' said Phileas
Fogg.
'Doubtless; but can I risk the lives of fifty men to save
three?'
'I don't know whether you can, sir; but you ought to
do so.'
'Nobody here,' returned the other, 'has a right to teach
me my duty.'
'Very well,' said Mr. Fogg, coldly. 'I will go alone.'
'You, sir!' cried Fix, coming up; 'you go alone in
pursuit of the Indians?'
'Would you have me leave this poor fellow to perish—
him to whom every one present owes his life? I shall go.'
'No, sir, you shall not go alone,' cried the captain,
touched in spite of himself. 'No! you are a brave man.
Thirty volunteers!' he added, turning to the soldiers.
The whole company started forward at once. The
captain had only to pick his men. Thirty were chosen, and
an old sergeant placed at their head.
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'Thanks, captain,' said Mr. Fogg.
'Will you let me go with you?' asked Fix.
'Do as you please, sir. But if you wish to do me a
favour, you will remain with Aouda. In case anything
should happen to me—'
A sudden pallor overspread the detective's face.
Separate himself from the man whom he had so
persistently followed step by step! Leave him to wander
about in this desert! Fix gazed attentively at Mr. Fogg,
and, despite his suspicions and of the struggle which was
going on within him, he lowered his eyes before that calm
and frank look.
'I will stay,' said he.
A few moments after, Mr. Fogg pressed the young
woman's hand, and, having confided to her his precious
carpet-bag, went off with the sergeant and his little squad.
But, before going, he had said to the soldiers, 'My friends,
I will divide five thousand dollars among you, if we save
the prisoners.'
It was then a little past noon.
Aouda retired to a waiting-room, and there she waited
alone, thinking of the simple and noble generosity, the
tranquil courage of Phileas Fogg. He had sacrificed his
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fortune, and was now risking his life, all without
hesitation, from duty, in silence.
Fix did not have the same thoughts, and could scarcely
conceal his agitation. He walked feverishly up and down
the platform, but soon resumed his outward composure.
He now saw the folly of which he had been guilty in
letting Fogg go alone. What! This man, whom he had just
followed around the world, was permitted now to separate
himself from him! He began to accuse and abuse himself,
and, as if he were director of police, administered to
himself a sound lecture for his greenness.
'I have been an idiot!' he thought, 'and this man will
see it. He has gone, and won't come back! But how is it
that I, Fix, who have in my pocket a warrant for his arrest,
have been so fascinated by him? Decidedly, I am nothing
but an ass!'
So reasoned the detective, while the hours crept by all
too slowly. He did not know what to do. Sometimes he
was tempted to tell Aouda all; but he could not doubt
how the young woman would receive his confidences.
What course should he take? He thought of pursuing Fogg
across the vast white plains; it did not seem impossible that
he might overtake him. Footsteps were easily printed on
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Around the World in 80 Days
the snow! But soon, under a new sheet, every imprint
would be effaced.
Fix became discouraged. He felt a sort of
insurmountable longing to abandon the game altogether.
He could now leave Fort Kearney station, and pursue his
journey homeward in peace.
Towards two o'clock in the afternoon, while it was
snowing hard, long whistles were heard approaching from
the east. A great shadow, preceded by a wild light, slowly
advanced, appearing still larger through the mist, which
gave it a fantastic aspect. No train was expected from the
east, neither had there been time for the succour asked for
by telegraph to arrive; the train from Omaha to San
Francisco was not due till the next day. The mystery was
soon explained.
The locomotive, which was slowly approaching with
deafening whistles, was that which, having been detached
from the train, had continued its route with such terrific
rapidity, carrying off the unconscious engineer and stoker.
It had run several miles, when, the fire becoming low for
want of fuel, the steam had slackened; and it had finally
stopped an hour after, some twenty miles beyond Fort
Kearney. Neither the engineer nor the stoker was dead,
and, after remaining for some time in their swoon, had
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come to themselves. The train had then stopped. The
engineer, when he found himself in the desert, and the
locomotive without cars, understood what had happened.
He could not imagine how the locomotive had become
separated from the train; but he did not doubt that the
train left behind was in distress.
He did not hesitate what to do. It would be prudent to
continue on to Omaha, for it would be dangerous to
return to the train, which the Indians might still be
engaged in pillaging. Nevertheless, he began to rebuild the
fire in the furnace; the pressure again mounted, and the
locomotive returned, running backwards to Fort Kearney.
This it was which was whistling in the mist.
The travellers were glad to see the locomotive resume
its place at the head of the train. They could now
continue the journey so terribly interrupted.
Aouda, on seeing the locomotive come up, hurried out
of the station, and asked the conductor, 'Are you going to
start?'
'At once, madam.'
'But the prisoners, our unfortunate fellow-travellers—'
'I cannot interrupt the trip,' replied the conductor. 'We
are already three hours behind time.'
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After a comfortable breakfast, served in the car, Mr.
Fogg and his partners had just resumed whist, when a
violent whistling was heard, and the train stopped.
Passepartout put his head out of the door, but saw nothing
to cause the delay; no station was in view.
Aouda and Fix feared that Mr. Fogg might take it into
his head to get out; but that gentleman contented himself
with saying to his servant, 'See what is the matter.'
Passepartout rushed out of the car. Thirty or forty
passengers had already descended, amongst them Colonel
Stamp Proctor.
The train had stopped before a red signal which
blocked the way. The engineer and conductor were
talking excitedly with a signal-man, whom the station-
master at Medicine Bow, the next stopping place, had sent
on before. The passengers drew around and took part in
the discussion, in which Colonel Proctor, with his insolent
manner, was conspicuous.
Passepartout, joining the group, heard the signal-man
say, 'No! you can't pass. The bridge at Medicine Bow is
shaky, and would not bear the weight of the train.'
This was a suspension-bridge thrown over some rapids,
about a mile from the place where they now were.
According to the signal-man, it was in a ruinous
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condition, several of the iron wires being broken; and it
was impossible to risk the passage. He did not in any way
exaggerate the condition of the bridge. It may be taken for
granted that, rash as the Americans usually are, when they
are prudent there is good reason for it.
Passepartout, not daring to apprise his master of what
he heard, listened with set teeth, immovable as a statue.
'Hum!' cried Colonel Proctor; 'but we are not going to
stay here, I imagine, and take root in the snow?'
'Colonel,' replied the conductor, 'we have telegraphed
to Omaha for a train, but it is not likely that it will reach
Medicine Bow is less than six hours.'
'Six hours!' cried Passepartout.
'Certainly,' returned the conductor, 'besides, it will
take us as long as that to reach Medicine Bow on foot.'
'But it is only a mile from here,' said one of the
passengers.
'Yes, but it's on the other side of the river.'
'And can't we cross that in a boat?' asked the colonel.
'That's impossible. The creek is swelled by the rains. It
is a rapid, and we shall have to make a circuit of ten miles
to the north to find a ford.'
The colonel launched a volley of oaths, denouncing the
railway company and the conductor; and Passepartout,
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who was furious, was not disinclined to make common
cause with him. Here was an obstacle, indeed, which all
his master's banknotes could not remove.
There was a general disappointment among the
passengers, who, without reckoning the delay, saw
themselves compelled to trudge fifteen miles over a plain
covered with snow. They grumbled and protested, and
would certainly have thus attracted Phileas Fogg's
attention if he had not been completely absorbed in his
game.
Passepartout found that he could not avoid telling his
master what had occurred, and, with hanging head, he was
turning towards the car, when the engineer, a true
Yankee, named Forster called out, 'Gentlemen, perhaps
there is a way, after all, to get over.'
'On the bridge?' asked a passenger.
'On the bridge.'
'With our train?'
'With our train.'
Passepartout stopped short, and eagerly listened to the
engineer.
'But the bridge is unsafe,' urged the conductor.
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'No matter,' replied Forster; 'I think that by putting on
the very highest speed we might have a chance of getting
over.'
'The devil!' muttered Passepartout.
But a number of the passengers were at once attracted
by the engineer's proposal, and Colonel Proctor was
especially delighted, and found the plan a very feasible
one. He told stories about engineers leaping their trains
over rivers without bridges, by putting on full steam; and
many of those present avowed themselves of the
engineer's mind.
'We have fifty chances out of a hundred of getting
over,' said one.
'Eighty! ninety!'
Passepartout was astounded, and, though ready to
attempt anything to get over Medicine Creek, thought the
experiment proposed a little too American. 'Besides,'
thought he, 'there's a still more simple way, and it does
not even occur to any of these people! Sir,' said he aloud
to one of the passengers, 'the engineer's plan seems to me
a little dangerous, but—'
'Eighty chances!' replied the passenger, turning his back
on him.
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'I know it,' said Passepartout, turning to another
passenger, 'but a simple idea—'
'Ideas are no use,' returned the American, shrugging his
shoulders, 'as the engineer assures us that we can pass.'
'Doubtless,' urged Passepartout, 'we can pass, but
perhaps it would be more prudent—'
'What! Prudent!' cried Colonel Proctor, whom this
word seemed to excite prodigiously. 'At full speed, don't
you see, at full speed!'
'I know—I see,' repeated Passepartout; 'but it would
be, if not more prudent, since that word displeases you, at
least more natural—'
'Who! What! What's the matter with this fellow?' cried
several.
The poor fellow did not know to whom to address
himself.
'Are you afraid?' asked Colonel Proctor.
'I afraid? Very well; I will show these people that a
Frenchman can be as American as they!'
'All aboard!' cried the conductor.
'Yes, all aboard!' repeated Passepartout, and
immediately. 'But they can't prevent me from thinking
that it would be more natural for us to cross the bridge on
foot, and let the train come after!'
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But no one heard this sage reflection, nor would
anyone have acknowledged its justice. The passengers
resumed their places in the cars. Passepartout took his seat
without telling what had passed. The whist-players were
quite absorbed in their game.
The locomotive whistled vigorously; the engineer,
reversing the steam, backed the train for nearly a mile—
retiring, like a jumper, in order to take a longer leap.
Then, with another whistle, he began to move forward;
the train increased its speed, and soon its rapidity became
frightful; a prolonged screech issued from the locomotive;
the piston worked up and down twenty strokes to the
second. They perceived that the whole train, rushing on at
the rate of a hundred miles an hour, hardly bore upon the
rails at all.
And they passed over! It was like a flash. No one saw
the bridge. The train leaped, so to speak, from one bank
to the other, and the engineer could not stop it until it had
gone five miles beyond the station. But scarcely had the
train passed the river, when the bridge, completely ruined,
fell with a crash into the rapids of Medicine Bow.
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Chapter XXIX
IN WHICH CERTAIN
INCIDENTS ARE NARRATED
WHICH ARE ONLY TO BE
MET WITH ON 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, eight thousand and
ninety-two feet above the level of the sea. The travellers
had now only to descend to the Atlantic by limitless
plains, levelled by nature. A branch of the 'grand trunk'
led off southward to Denver, the capital of Colorado. The
country round about is rich in gold and silver, and more
than fifty thousand inhabitants are already settled there.
Thirteen hundred and eighty-two miles had been
passed over from San Francisco, in three days and three
nights; four days and nights more would probably bring
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them to New York. Phileas Fogg was not as yet behind-
hand.
During the night Camp Walbach was passed on the
left; Lodge Pole Creek ran parallel with the road, marking
the boundary between the territories of Wyoming and
Colorado. They entered Nebraska at eleven, passed near
Sedgwick, and touched at Julesburg, on the southern
branch of the Platte River.
It was here that the Union Pacific Railroad was
inaugurated on the 23rd of October, 1867, by the chief
engineer, General Dodge. Two powerful locomotives,
carrying nine cars of invited guests, amongst whom was
Thomas C. Durant, vice-president of the road, stopped at
this point; cheers were given, the Sioux and Pawnees
performed an imitation Indian battle, fireworks were let
off, and the first number of the Railway Pioneer was
printed by a press brought on the train. Thus was
celebrated the inauguration of this great railroad, a mighty
instrument of progress and civilisation, thrown across the
desert, and destined to link together cities and towns
which do not yet exist. The whistle of the locomotive,
more powerful than Amphion's lyre, was about to bid
them rise from American soil.
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Fort McPherson was left behind at eight in the
morning, and three hundred and fifty-seven miles had yet
to be traversed before reaching Omaha. The road followed
the capricious windings of the southern branch of the
Platte River, on its left bank. At nine the train stopped at
the important town of North Platte, built between the
two arms of the river, which rejoin each other around it
and form a single artery, a large tributary, whose waters
empty into the Missouri a little above Omaha.
The one hundred and first meridian was passed.
Mr. Fogg and his partners had resumed their game; no
one—not even the dummy— complained of the length of
the trip. Fix had begun by winning several guineas, which
he seemed likely to lose; but he showed himself a not less
eager whist-player than Mr. Fogg. During the morning,
chance distinctly favoured that gentleman. Trumps and
honours were showered upon his hands.
Once, having resolved on a bold stroke, he was on the
point of playing a 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.
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'Ah! it's you, is it, Englishman?' cried the colonel; 'it's
you who are going to play a spade!'
'And who plays it,' replied Phileas Fogg coolly,
throwing down the ten of spades.
'Well, it pleases me to have it diamonds,' replied
Colonel Proctor, in an 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 arm and gently pulled him back. Passepartout
was ready to pounce upon the American, who was staring
insolently at his opponent. But Fix got up, and, going to
Colonel Proctor said, 'You forget that it is I with whom
you have to deal, sir; for it was I whom you not only
insulted, but struck!'
'Mr. Fix,' said Mr. Fogg, 'pardon me, but this affair is
mine, and mine only. The colonel has again insulted me,
by insisting that I should not play a spade, and he shall give
me satisfaction for it.'
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'When and where you will,' replied the American, 'and
with whatever weapon you choose.'
Aouda in vain attempted to retain Mr. Fogg; as vainly
did the detective endeavour to make the quarrel his.
Passepartout wished to throw the colonel out of the
window, but a sign from his master checked him. Phileas
Fogg left the car, and the American followed him upon
the platform. 'Sir,' said Mr. Fogg to his adversary, 'I am in
a great hurry to get back to Europe, and any delay
whatever will be greatly to my disadvantage.'
'Well, what's that to me?' replied Colonel Proctor.
'Sir,' said Mr. Fogg, very politely, 'after our meeting at
San Francisco, I determined to return to America and find
you as soon as I had 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 place of meeting promptly.'
'All this is an evasion,' cried Stamp Proctor. 'Now or
never!'
'Very good. You are going to New York?'
'No.'
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'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 will stop there ten minutes. In ten minutes several
revolver-shots could be exchanged.'
'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 to be feared, and begged Fix to
be his second at the approaching duel, a request which the
detective could not refuse. Mr. Fogg resumed the
interrupted game with perfect calmness.
At eleven o'clock the locomotive's whistle announced
that they were approaching Plum Creek station. Mr. Fogg
rose, and, followed by Fix, went out upon the platform.
Passepartout accompanied him, carrying a pair of
revolvers. Aouda remained in the car, as pale as death.
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The door of the next car opened, and Colonel Proctor
appeared on the platform, attended by a Yankee of his
own stamp as his second. But just as the combatants were
about to step from the train, the conductor hurried 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 any other circumstances I should have been happy
to oblige you. But, after all, as you have not had time to
fight here, why not fight as we go along?
'That wouldn't be convenient, perhaps, for this
gentleman,' said the colonel, in a jeering tone.
'It would be perfectly so,' replied Phileas Fogg.
'Well, we are really in America,' thought Passepartout,
'and the conductor is a gentleman of the first order!'
So muttering, he followed his master.
The two combatants, their seconds, and the conductor
passed through the cars to the rear of the train. The last car
was only occupied by a dozen passengers, whom the
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conductor politely asked if they would not be so kind as to
leave it vacant for a few moments, as two gentlemen had
an affair of honour to settle. The passengers granted the
request with alacrity, and straightway disappeared on the
platform.
The car, which was some fifty feet long, was very
convenient for their purpose. The adversaries might march
on each other in the aisle, and fire at their ease. Never was
duel more easily arranged. Mr. Fogg and Colonel Proctor,
each provided with two six-barrelled revolvers, entered
the car. The seconds, remaining outside, shut them in.
They were to begin firing at the first whistle of the
locomotive. After an interval of two minutes, what
remained of the two gentlemen would be taken from the
car.
Nothing could be more simple. Indeed, it was all so
simple that Fix and Passepartout felt their hearts beating as
if they would crack. They were listening for the whistle
agreed upon, when suddenly savage cries resounded in the
air, accompanied by reports which certainly did not issue
from the car where the duellists were. The reports
continued in front and the whole length of the train. Cries
of terror proceeded from the interior of the cars.
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Colonel Proctor and Mr. Fogg, revolvers in hand,
hastily quitted their prison, and rushed forward where the
noise was most clamorous. They then perceived that the
train was attacked by a band of Sioux.
This was not the first attempt of these daring Indians,
for more than once they had waylaid trains on the road. A
hundred of them had, according to their habit, jumped
upon the steps without stopping the train, with the ease of
a clown mounting a horse at full gallop.
The Sioux were armed with guns, from which came
the reports, to which the passengers, who were almost all
armed, responded by revolver-shots.
The Indians had first mounted the engine, and half
stunned the engineer and stoker with blows from their
muskets. A Sioux chief, wishing to stop the train, but not
knowing how to work the regulator, had opened wide
instead of closing the steam-valve, and the locomotive was
plunging forward with terrific velocity.
The Sioux had at the same time invaded the cars,
skipping like enraged monkeys over the roofs, thrusting
open the doors, and fighting hand to hand with the
passengers. Penetrating the baggage-car, they pillaged it,
throwing the trunks out of the train. The cries and shots
were constant. The travellers defended themselves bravely;
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some of the cars were barricaded, and sustained a siege,
like moving forts, carried along at a speed of a hundred
miles an hour.
Aouda behaved courageously from the first. She
defended herself like a true heroine with a revolver, which
she shot through the broken windows whenever a savage
made his appearance. Twenty Sioux had fallen mortally
wounded to the ground, and the wheels crushed those
who fell upon the rails as if they had been worms. Several
passengers, shot or stunned, lay on the seats.
It was necessary to put an end to the struggle, which
had lasted for ten minutes, and which would result in the
triumph of the Sioux if the train was not stopped. Fort
Kearney station, where there was a garrison, was only two
miles distant; but, that once passed, the Sioux would be
masters of the train between Fort Kearney and the station
beyond.
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 five minutes, we are lost!'
'It shall be stopped,' said Phileas Fogg, preparing to
rush from the car.
'Stay, monsieur,' cried Passepartout; 'I will go.'
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Around the World in 80 Days
Mr. Fogg had not time to stop the brave fellow, who,
opening a door unperceived by the Indians, succeeded in
slipping under the car; and while the struggle continued
and the balls whizzed across each other over his head, he
made use of his old acrobatic experience, and with
amazing agility worked his way under the cars, holding on
to the chains, aiding himself by the brakes and edges of the
sashes, creeping from one car to another with marvellous
skill, and thus gaining the forward 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 the traction, he would never have
succeeded in unscrewing the yoking-bar, had not a violent
concussion jolted this bar out. The train, now detached
from the engine, remained a little behind, whilst the
locomotive rushed forward with increased speed.
Carried on by the force already acquired, the train still
moved for several 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 Sioux had not expected them, and decamped in a
body before the train entirely stopped.
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But when the passengers counted each other on the
station platform several were found missing; among others
the courageous Frenchman, whose devotion had just saved
them.
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Chapter XXX
IN WHICH PHILEAS FOGG
SIMPLY DOES HIS DUTY
Three passengers including Passepartout had
disappeared. Had they been killed in the struggle? Were
they taken prisoners by the Sioux? It was impossible to
tell.
There were many wounded, but none mortally.
Colonel Proctor was one of the most seriously hurt; he
had fought bravely, and a ball had entered his groin. He
was carried into the station with the other wounded
passengers, to receive such attention as could be of avail.
Aouda was safe; and Phileas Fogg, who had been in the
thickest of the fight, had not received a scratch. Fix was
slightly wounded in the arm. But Passepartout was not to
be found, and tears coursed down Aouda's cheeks.
All the passengers had got out of the train, the wheels
of which were stained with blood. From the tyres and
spokes hung ragged pieces of flesh. As far as the eye could
reach on the white plain behind, red trails were visible.
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The last Sioux were disappearing in the south, along the
banks of Republican River.
Mr. Fogg, with folded arms, remained motionless. He
had a serious decision to make. Aouda, standing near him,
looked at him without speaking, and he understood her
look. If his servant was a prisoner, ought he not to risk
everything to rescue him from the Indians? 'I will find
him, living or dead,' said he quietly to Aouda.
'Ah, Mr.—Mr. Fogg!' cried she, clasping his hands and
covering them with tears.
'Living,' added Mr. Fogg, 'if we do not lose a
moment.'
Phileas Fogg, by this resolution, inevitably sacrificed
himself; he pronounced his own doom. The delay of a
single day would make him lose the steamer at New York,
and his bet would be certainly lost. But as he thought, 'It
is my duty,' he did not hesitate.
The commanding officer of Fort Kearney was there. A
hundred of his soldiers had placed themselves in a position
to defend the station, should the Sioux attack it.
'Sir,' said Mr. Fogg to the captain, 'three passengers
have disappeared.'
'Dead?' asked the captain.
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'Dead or prisoners; that is the uncertainty which must
be solved. Do you propose to pursue the Sioux?'
'That's a serious thing to do, sir,' returned the captain.
'These Indians may retreat beyond the Arkansas, and I
cannot leave the fort unprotected.'
'The lives of three men are in question, sir,' said Phileas
Fogg.
'Doubtless; but can I risk the lives of fifty men to save
three?'
'I don't know whether you can, sir; but you ought to
do so.'
'Nobody here,' returned the other, 'has a right to teach
me my duty.'
'Very well,' said Mr. Fogg, coldly. 'I will go alone.'
'You, sir!' cried Fix, coming up; 'you go alone in
pursuit of the Indians?'
'Would you have me leave this poor fellow to perish—
him to whom every one present owes his life? I shall go.'
'No, sir, you shall not go alone,' cried the captain,
touched in spite of himself. 'No! you are a brave man.
Thirty volunteers!' he added, turning to the soldiers.
The whole company started forward at once. The
captain had only to pick his men. Thirty were chosen, and
an old sergeant placed at their head.
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'Thanks, captain,' said Mr. Fogg.
'Will you let me go with you?' asked Fix.
'Do as you please, sir. But if you wish to do me a
favour, you will remain with Aouda. In case anything
should happen to me—'
A sudden pallor overspread the detective's face.
Separate himself from the man whom he had so
persistently followed step by step! Leave him to wander
about in this desert! Fix gazed attentively at Mr. Fogg,
and, despite his suspicions and of the struggle which was
going on within him, he lowered his eyes before that calm
and frank look.
'I will stay,' said he.
A few moments after, Mr. Fogg pressed the young
woman's hand, and, having confided to her his precious
carpet-bag, went off with the sergeant and his little squad.
But, before going, he had said to the soldiers, 'My friends,
I will divide five thousand dollars among you, if we save
the prisoners.'
It was then a little past noon.
Aouda retired to a waiting-room, and there she waited
alone, thinking of the simple and noble generosity, the
tranquil courage of Phileas Fogg. He had sacrificed his
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fortune, and was now risking his life, all without
hesitation, from duty, in silence.
Fix did not have the same thoughts, and could scarcely
conceal his agitation. He walked feverishly up and down
the platform, but soon resumed his outward composure.
He now saw the folly of which he had been guilty in
letting Fogg go alone. What! This man, whom he had just
followed around the world, was permitted now to separate
himself from him! He began to accuse and abuse himself,
and, as if he were director of police, administered to
himself a sound lecture for his greenness.
'I have been an idiot!' he thought, 'and this man will
see it. He has gone, and won't come back! But how is it
that I, Fix, who have in my pocket a warrant for his arrest,
have been so fascinated by him? Decidedly, I am nothing
but an ass!'
So reasoned the detective, while the hours crept by all
too slowly. He did not know what to do. Sometimes he
was tempted to tell Aouda all; but he could not doubt
how the young woman would receive his confidences.
What course should he take? He thought of pursuing Fogg
across the vast white plains; it did not seem impossible that
he might overtake him. Footsteps were easily printed on
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the snow! But soon, under a new sheet, every imprint
would be effaced.
Fix became discouraged. He felt a sort of
insurmountable longing to abandon the game altogether.
He could now leave Fort Kearney station, and pursue his
journey homeward in peace.
Towards two o'clock in the afternoon, while it was
snowing hard, long whistles were heard approaching from
the east. A great shadow, preceded by a wild light, slowly
advanced, appearing still larger through the mist, which
gave it a fantastic aspect. No train was expected from the
east, neither had there been time for the succour asked for
by telegraph to arrive; the train from Omaha to San
Francisco was not due till the next day. The mystery was
soon explained.
The locomotive, which was slowly approaching with
deafening whistles, was that which, having been detached
from the train, had continued its route with such terrific
rapidity, carrying off the unconscious engineer and stoker.
It had run several miles, when, the fire becoming low for
want of fuel, the steam had slackened; and it had finally
stopped an hour after, some twenty miles beyond Fort
Kearney. Neither the engineer nor the stoker was dead,
and, after remaining for some time in their swoon, had
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come to themselves. The train had then stopped. The
engineer, when he found himself in the desert, and the
locomotive without cars, understood what had happened.
He could not imagine how the locomotive had become
separated from the train; but he did not doubt that the
train left behind was in distress.
He did not hesitate what to do. It would be prudent to
continue on to Omaha, for it would be dangerous to
return to the train, which the Indians might still be
engaged in pillaging. Nevertheless, he began to rebuild the
fire in the furnace; the pressure again mounted, and the
locomotive returned, running backwards to Fort Kearney.
This it was which was whistling in the mist.
The travellers were glad to see the locomotive resume
its place at the head of the train. They could now
continue the journey so terribly interrupted.
Aouda, on seeing the locomotive come up, hurried out
of the station, and asked the conductor, 'Are you going to
start?'
'At once, madam.'
'But the prisoners, our unfortunate fellow-travellers—'
'I cannot interrupt the trip,' replied the conductor. 'We
are already three hours behind time.'
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