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09 - Around The World in Eighty Days - Jules Verne · Science Fiction Books - Daily

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  Speaker 1: Chapter nine, in which the Red Sea and the Indian
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  Speaker 1: Ocean prove propitious to the designs of Phileas Fogg. The
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  Speaker 1: distance between Suez and Aden is precisely thirteen hundred and
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  Speaker 1: ten miles, and the regulations of the company allow the
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  Speaker 1: steamers one hundred and thirty eight hours in which to
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  Speaker 1: traverse it. The Mongolia, thanks to the vigorous exertions of
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  Speaker 1: the engineer, seemed likely, so rapid was her speed to
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  Speaker 1: reach her destination considerably within that time. The greater part
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  Speaker 1: of the passengers from Brindisi were bound for India, some
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  Speaker 1: for Bombay, others for Calcutta by way of Bombay, the
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  Speaker 1: nearest route thither now that a railway crosses the Indian peninsula.
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  Speaker 1: Among the passengers was a number of officials and military
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  Speaker 1: officers of various grades, the latter being either attached to
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  Speaker 1: the regular British forces or commanding the sea troops and
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  Speaker 1: receiving high salaries ever since the Central government had assumed
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  Speaker 1: the powers of the East India Company. For the sub
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  Speaker 1: lieutenants get two hundred and eighty pounds, brigadiers twenty four
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  Speaker 1: hundred pounds, and generals of divisions four thousand pounds. What
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  Speaker 1: with the military men, a number of rich young Englishmen
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  Speaker 1: on their travels, and the hospitable efforts of the purser,
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  Speaker 1: the time passed quickly on the Mongolia. The best of
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  Speaker 1: fare was spread upon the cabin tables at breakfast, launch, dinner,
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  Speaker 1: and the eight o'clock supper, and the ladies scrupulously changed
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  Speaker 1: their toilets twice a day, and the hours were whirled
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  Speaker 1: away when the sea was tranquil with music, dancing and games.
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  Speaker 1: But the Red Sea is full of caprice and often boisterous,
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  Speaker 1: like most long and narrow gulfs. When the wind came
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  Speaker 1: from the African or Asian coast, the Mongolia, with her
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  Speaker 1: long hull, rolled fearfully. Then the ladies speedily disappeared. Below,
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  Speaker 1: the pianos were silent, singing and dancing suddenly ceased. Yet
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  Speaker 1: the good ship plowed straight on, unretarded by wind or wave,
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  Speaker 1: towards the straits of bab El Mandeb. What was Phileas
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  Speaker 1: Fogg doing all this time? It might be thought that,
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  Speaker 1: in his anxiety, he would be constantly watching the changes
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  Speaker 1: of the wind, the disorderly raging of the billows, every
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  Speaker 1: chance in short which might force the Mongolia to slacken
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  Speaker 1: her speed and thus interrupt his journey. But if he
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  Speaker 1: thought of these possibilities, he did not betray the fact
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  Speaker 1: by any outward sign. Always the same impassable member of
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  Speaker 1: the reform Club, whom no incident could surprise, as unvarying
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  Speaker 1: as the ship's chronometers, and seldom having the curiosity even
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  Speaker 1: to go upon the deck, He passed through the memorable
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  Speaker 1: scenes of the Red Sea with cold indiation difference, did
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  Speaker 1: not care to recognize the historic towns and villages which
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  Speaker 1: along its borders raised their picturesque guidelines against the sky,
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  Speaker 1: and betrayed no fear of the dangers of the Arabic Gulf,
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  Speaker 1: which the old historians always spoke of with horror, and
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  Speaker 1: upon which the ancient navigators never ventured without propitiating the
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  Speaker 1: gods by ample sacrifices. How did this eccentric personage pass
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  Speaker 1: his time on the Mongolia. He made his four hearty
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  Speaker 1: meals every day, regardless of the most persistent rolling and
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  Speaker 1: pitching on the part of the steamer, and he played
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  Speaker 1: whist indefatigably, for he had found partners as enthusiastic in
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  Speaker 1: the game as himself. A tax collector on the way
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  Speaker 1: to his post at Goa. The Reverend Decimus Smith returning
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  Speaker 1: to his paraship Bombay, and a brigadier general of the
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  Speaker 1: English Army who was about to rejoin his brigade at Benaris,
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  Speaker 1: made up the party, and with mister Fogg, played whist
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  Speaker 1: by the hour together in absorbing silence. As for passepartout,
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  Speaker 1: he too had escaped sea sickness, and took his meals
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  Speaker 1: conscientiously in the forward cabin. He rather enjoyed the voyage,
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  Speaker 1: for he was well fed and well lodged, took great
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  Speaker 1: interest in the scenes through which they were passing, and
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  Speaker 1: consoled himself with the delusion that his master's whim would
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  Speaker 1: end at Bombay. He was pleased on the day after
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  Speaker 1: leaving Suez to find on deck the obliging person with
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  Speaker 1: whom he had walked and chatted on the keys. If
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  Speaker 1: I am not mistaken, said he, approaching this person with
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  Speaker 1: his most amiable smile. You are the gentleman who so
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  Speaker 1: kindly volunteered to guide me at Suez. Ah, I quite
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  Speaker 1: recognize you. You are the servant of the strange Englishman.
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  Speaker 1: Just so, Monsieur Fix. Monsieur Fix resumed passepartout, I'm charmed
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  Speaker 1: to find you on board. Where are you bound? Like
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  Speaker 1: you to Bombay, that's capital. Have you made this trip
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  Speaker 1: before several times? I am one of the agents of
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  Speaker 1: the Peninsular Company. Then you know India, Why yes, replied Fix,
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  Speaker 1: who spoke cautiously. A curious place this India, Oh, very
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  Speaker 1: curious mosques, minarets, temples, fakirs, pagodas, tigers, snakes, elephants. I
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  Speaker 1: hope you have ample time to see the sights. I
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  Speaker 1: hope so, monsieur Fix, You see a man of sound
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  Speaker 1: sense ought not to spend his life jumping from a
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  Speaker 1: steamer upon a railway train, and from a railway train
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  Speaker 1: upon a steamer again, pretending to make the tour of
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  Speaker 1: the world in eighty days. No, all these gymnastics, you
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  Speaker 1: may be sure, will see at Bombay. And mister Fogg
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  Speaker 1: is getting on well, asked Fix, in the most natural
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  Speaker 1: tone in the world. Quite well, And I too, I
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  Speaker 1: eat like a famished ogre. It is the sea air.
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  Speaker 1: But I never see your master on deck. Never. He
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  Speaker 1: hasn't the least curiosity. Do you know, mister Passepartout, that
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  Speaker 1: this pretended tour in eighty days may conceal some secret
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  Speaker 1: errand perhaps a diplomatic mission. Faith, Monsieur Fix, I assure
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  Speaker 1: you I know nothing about it, nor would I give
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  Speaker 1: half a crown to find out. After this meeting, Passepartout
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  Speaker 1: and Fix got into the habit of chatting together, the
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  Speaker 1: latter making it a point to gain the worthy man's confidence.
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  Speaker 1: He frequently offered him a glass of whiskey or pale
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  Speaker 1: ale in the steamer bar room, which Passepartout never failed
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  Speaker 1: to accept with graceful alacrity, mentally pronouncing Fixed the best
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  Speaker 1: of good fellows. Meanwhile, the Mongolia was pushing forward rapidly.
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  Speaker 1: On the thirteenth Mocha, surrounded by its ruined walls, whereon
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  Speaker 1: date trees were growing, was sighted, and on the mountains
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  Speaker 1: beyond were spied vast coffee fields. Passepartout was ravished to
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  Speaker 1: behold the celebrated place, and thought that, with its circular
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  Speaker 1: walls and dismantled fort, it looked like an immense coffee
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  Speaker 1: cup and saucer. The following night they passed through the
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  Speaker 1: strait of bab El Mandeb, which means in Arabic the
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  Speaker 1: bridge of tears, and the next day they put in
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  Speaker 1: its steamer Point northwest of Aden Harbor to take in coal.
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  Speaker 1: This matter of fueling steamers is a serious one. At
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  Speaker 1: such distances from the coal mines. It cost the Peninsular
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  Speaker 1: Company some eight hundred thousand pounds a year. In these
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  Speaker 1: distant seas, coal is worth three or four pound sterling
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  Speaker 1: a ton. The Mongolia had still sixteen hundred and fifty
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  Speaker 1: miles to traverse before reaching Bombay, and was obliged to
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  Speaker 1: remain four hours at steamer Point to coal up. But
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  Speaker 1: this delay, as it was foreseen, did not affect Phileas
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  Speaker 1: Fogg's program. Besides, the Mongolia, instead of reaching Aiden on
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  Speaker 1: the morning of the fifteenth when she was due, arrived
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  Speaker 1: there on the evening of the fourteenth, a gain of
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  Speaker 1: fifteen hours. Mister Fogg and his servant went ashore at
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  Speaker 1: Aiden to have the passport again visaed. Fix Unobserved followed them.
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  Speaker 1: The visa procured, mister Fogg returned on board to resume
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  Speaker 1: his former habits, while passepartout according to custom sauntered about
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  Speaker 1: among the mixed population of Somalis, Banyans, Parsis, Jews, Arabs
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  Speaker 1: and Europeans who comprised the twenty five thousand inhabitants of Aiden.
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  Speaker 1: He gave raised with wonder upon the fortifications which make
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  Speaker 1: this place the Gibraltar of the Indian Ocean, and the
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  Speaker 1: vast cisterns, where the English engineers were still at work
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  Speaker 1: two thousand years after the engineers of Solomon. Very curious,
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  Speaker 1: Very curious, said Passepartout to himself, on returning to the steamer.
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  Speaker 1: I see that it is by no means useless to
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  Speaker 1: travel if a man wants to see something new. At
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  Speaker 1: six p m. The Mongolia slowly moved out of the
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  Speaker 1: roadstead and was soon once more on the Indian Ocean.
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  Speaker 1: She had one hundred and sixty eight hours in which
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  Speaker 1: to reach Bombay, and the sea was favorable, the wind
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  Speaker 1: being to the northwest, and all sails aiding the engine.
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  Speaker 1: The steamer rolled but little. The ladies in fresh toilets
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  Speaker 1: reappeared on deck, and the singing and dancing were resumed.
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  Speaker 1: The trip was being accomplished most successfully, and Passepartout was
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  Speaker 1: enchanted with the congenial companion which chance had secured him,
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  Speaker 1: in the person of the delightful fix. On Sunday, October twentieth,
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  Speaker 1: towards noon, they came in sight of the Indian coast.
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  Speaker 1: Two hours later the pilot came on board. A range
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  Speaker 1: of hills lay against the sky in the horizon, and
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  Speaker 1: soon the rows of palms which adorned Bombay came distinctly
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  Speaker 1: into view. The steamer entered the road formed by the
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  Speaker 1: islands in the bay, and at half past four she
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  Speaker 1: hauled up at the keys of Bombay. Phileas Fogg was
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  Speaker 1: in the act of finishing the thirty third rubber of
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  Speaker 1: the voyage, and his partner and himself, having by a
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  Speaker 1: bold stroke captured all thirteen of the tricks, concluded this
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  Speaker 1: fine campaign with a brilliant victory. The Mongolia was due
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  Speaker 1: at Bombay on the twenty second. She arrived on the twentieth.
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  Speaker 1: This was again to Phileas Fogg, of two days since
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  Speaker 1: his departure from London. Calmly entered the fact in the
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  Speaker 1: itinerary in the column of Gains, end of Chapter