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12 - Around The World in Eighty Days - Jules Verne · Classic Adventure Books - Daily

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  Speaker 1: Chapter twelve, in which Phileas Fogg and his companions venture
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  Speaker 1: across the Indian forests and what ensued. In order to
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  Speaker 1: shorten the journey, the guide passed to the left of
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  Speaker 1: the line where the railway was still in process of
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  Speaker 1: being built. This line, owing to the capricious turnings of
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  Speaker 1: the Vindhia mountains, did not pursue a straight course. The Parsi,
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  Speaker 1: who was quite familiar with the roads and paths in
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  Speaker 1: the district, declared that they would gain twenty miles by
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  Speaker 1: striking directly through the forest. Phileas Fogg and Sir Francis
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  Speaker 1: Cromarty plunged to the neck in the peculiar howdahs provided
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  Speaker 1: for them, were horribly jostled by the swift trotting of
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  Speaker 1: the elephant, spurred on as he was, by the skillful Parsi.
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  Speaker 1: But they endured the discomfort with true British phlegm, talking
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  Speaker 1: little and scarcely able to catch a glimpse of each other.
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  Speaker 1: As for Passepartout, who was mounted on the beast's back
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  Speaker 1: and received the direct force of each cushion as he
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  Speaker 1: trod along, he was very careful in accordance with his
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  Speaker 1: master's advice, to keep his tongue from between his teeth,
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  Speaker 1: as it would otherwise have been bitten off. Short the
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  Speaker 1: worthy fellow bounced from the elephant's neck to his rump,
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  Speaker 1: and vaulted like a clown on a springboard. Yet he
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  Speaker 1: laughed in the midst of his bouncing, and from time
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  Speaker 1: to time took a piece of sugar out of his
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  Speaker 1: pocket and inserted it in Keyunie's trunk, who received it
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  Speaker 1: without in the least slackening his regular trot. After two hours,
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  Speaker 1: the guide stopped the elephant and gave him an hour
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  Speaker 1: for rest, during which Keiyuni, after quenching his thirst at
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  Speaker 1: a neighboring spring, set to devouring the branches and shrubs
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  Speaker 1: round about him. Neither Sir Francis nor mister Fogg regretted
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  Speaker 1: the delay, and both descended with a feeling of relief.
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  Speaker 1: Why he is made of iron, exclaimed the general, gazing
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  Speaker 1: admiringly on Keiyuni. Of forged Aarren replied, passepartout as he
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  Speaker 1: set about preparing a hasty breakfast. At noon, the Parsi
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  Speaker 1: gave the signal of departure. The country soon presented a
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  Speaker 1: very savage aspect. Copses of dates and dwarf palms succeeded
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  Speaker 1: the dense forests, then vast dry plains, dotted with scanty
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  Speaker 1: shrubs and sown with great blocks of seaonite. All this
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  Speaker 1: portion of Bundelkund, which is little frequented by travelers, is
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  Speaker 1: inhabited by a fanatical population hardened in the most horrible
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  Speaker 1: practices of the Hindu faith. The English have not been
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  Speaker 1: able to secure complete dominion over this territory, which is
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  Speaker 1: subjected to the influence of Rajas, whom it is almost
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  Speaker 1: impossible to reach in their inaccessible mountain fastnesses. The travelers
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  Speaker 1: several times saw bands of ferocious Indians, who, when they
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  Speaker 1: perceived the elephants striding across country, made angry and threatening motions.
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  Speaker 1: The Parsi avoided them as much as possible. Few animals
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  Speaker 1: were observed on the route, Even the monkeys hurried from
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  Speaker 1: their path with contortions and grimaces which convulse passepartout with
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  Speaker 1: laughter in the midst of his gaiety. However, one thought
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  Speaker 1: troubled the worthy servant. What would mister Fogg do with
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  Speaker 1: the elephant when he got to Allahabad? Would he carry
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  Speaker 1: him on with him? Impossible? The cost of transporting him
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  Speaker 1: would make him ruinously expensive. Would he sell him or
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  Speaker 1: set him free? The estimable beast certainly deserves some consideration.
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  Speaker 1: Should mister Fogg choose to make him passepartout a present
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  Speaker 1: of Chiuni, he would be very much embarrassed. And these
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  Speaker 1: thoughts did not cease worrying him for a long time.
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  Speaker 1: The principal chain of the Vindhias was crossed by eight
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  Speaker 1: in the evening, and another halt was made on the
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  Speaker 1: northern slope in a ruined bungalow. They had gone nearly
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  Speaker 1: twenty five miles that day, and an equal distance still
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  Speaker 1: separated them from the station of Allahabad. The night was cold.
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  Speaker 1: The Parsi lit a fire in the bungalow with a
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  Speaker 1: few dry branches, and the warmth was very grateful. Provisions
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  Speaker 1: purchased at Colby sufficed for supper, and the travelers ate ravenously.
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  Speaker 1: The conversation, beginning with a few disconnected phrases, soon gave
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  Speaker 1: place to loud and steady snores. The guide watched Keyuni,
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  Speaker 1: who slept standing bolstering himself against the trunk of a
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  Speaker 1: large tree. Nothing occurred during the night to disturb the slumberers,
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  Speaker 1: although occasional growls from panthers and chatterings of monkeys broke
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  Speaker 1: the silence. The more formidable beasts made no cries or
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  Speaker 1: hostile demonstration against the occupants of the bungalow. Sir Francis
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  Speaker 1: slept heavily, like an honest soldier overcome with fatigue. Passepartout
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  Speaker 1: was rapt in uneasy dreams of the bouncing of the
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  Speaker 1: day before. As for mister Fogg, he slumbered as peacefully
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  Speaker 1: as if he had been in his serene mansion in
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  Speaker 1: Savile Road. The journey was resumed at six in the morning.
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  Speaker 1: The guide hoped to reach Allahabad by evening. In that case,
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  Speaker 1: mister Fogg would only lose a part of the forty
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  Speaker 1: eight hours save since the beginning of the tour. Kiyuni,
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  Speaker 1: resuming his rapid gait, soon descended the lower spurs of
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  Speaker 1: the Vindhias, and towards noon they passed by the village
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  Speaker 1: of Kallinger on the Khani, one of the branches of
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  Speaker 1: the Ganges. The guide avoided inhabited places, thinking it safer
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  Speaker 1: to keep the open country which lies along the first
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  Speaker 1: depressions of the basin of the great river. Allahabad was
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  Speaker 1: now only twelve miles to the northeast. They stopped under
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  Speaker 1: a clump of bananas, the fruit of which, as healthy
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  Speaker 1: as bread and as succulent as cream, was amply partaken
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  Speaker 1: of and appreciated. At two o'clock, the guide entered a
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  Speaker 1: thick forest which extended several miles. He preferred to travel
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  Speaker 1: under cover of the woods. They had not as yet
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  Speaker 1: had any unpleasant encounters, and the journey seemed on the
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  Speaker 1: point of being successfully accomplished when the elephant, becoming restless,
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  Speaker 1: suddenly stopped. It was then four o'clock. What's the matter,
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  Speaker 1: asked Sir Francis, putting out his head. I don't know,
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  Speaker 1: officer replied the parsis listening attentively to a confused murmur,
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  Speaker 1: which came through the thick branches. The murmur soon became
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  Speaker 1: more distinct. It now seemed like a distant concert of
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  Speaker 1: human voices accompanied by brass instruments. Passepartout was all eyes
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  Speaker 1: and ears. Mister Fogg patiently waited without a word. The
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  Speaker 1: Parsi jumped to the ground, fastened the elephant to a tree,
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  Speaker 1: and plunged into the thicket. He soon returned, saying, if
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  Speaker 1: procession of Brahmins is coming this way, we must prevent
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  Speaker 1: their seeing us, if possible. The guide unloosed the elephant
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  Speaker 1: and led him into a thicket, at the same time
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  Speaker 1: asking the travelers not to stir. He held himself ready
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  Speaker 1: to bestride the animal at a moment's notice, should flight
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  Speaker 1: become necessary. But he evidently thought that the procession of
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  Speaker 1: the faithful would pass without perceiving them. Amid the thick
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  Speaker 1: foliage in which they were wholly concealed, the discordant tones
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  Speaker 1: of the voices and instruments drew nearer, and now droning
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  Speaker 1: songs mingled with the sound of the tambourines and cymbals.
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  Speaker 1: The head of the procession soon appeared beneath the trees
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  Speaker 1: a hundred paces away, and the strange figures who performed
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  Speaker 1: the religious ceremony were easily distinguished through the branches. First
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  Speaker 1: came the priests, with miters on their heads and clothed
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  Speaker 1: in long lace robes. They were surrounded by men, women,
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  Speaker 1: and children, who sang a kind of lugubrious psalm, interrupted
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  Speaker 1: at regular intervals by the tambourines and cymbals, while behind
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  Speaker 1: them was drawn a car with large wheels, the spokes
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  Speaker 1: of which represented serpents. Entwined with each other. Upon the car,
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  Speaker 1: which was drawn by four richly caparaissan zebrus, stood a
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  Speaker 1: hideous statue with four arms. The body colored a dull
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  Speaker 1: red with haggard eyes, disheveled hair, protruding tongue, and lips
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  Speaker 1: tinted with betel. It stood upright upon the figure of
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  Speaker 1: a prostrate and headless giant. Sir Francis, recognizing the statue,
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  Speaker 1: whispered the goddess Collie, the goddess of love and death.
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  Speaker 1: Of death perhaps muttered back passepartout, but of love, that
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  Speaker 1: ugly old hag. Never the Parsi made a motion to
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  Speaker 1: keep silence. A group of old fakirs were capering and
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  Speaker 1: making a wild adiou around the statue. These were striped
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  Speaker 1: with ochre and covered with cuts, whence their blood issued
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  Speaker 1: drop by drop. Stupid fanatics who in the great Indian
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  Speaker 1: ceremonies still throw themselves under the wheels of juggernaut. Some Brahmins,
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  Speaker 1: clad in all the sumptuousness of oriental apparel and leading
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  Speaker 1: a woman who falded at every step followed. This woman
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  Speaker 1: was young and as fair as a European, her head
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  Speaker 1: and neck, shoulders, ears, arms, hands, and toes were loaded
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  Speaker 1: down with jewels and gems, with bracelets, earrings and rings,
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  Speaker 1: while a tunic bordered with gold and covered with a
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  Speaker 1: light muslin robe betrayed the outline of her form. The
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  Speaker 1: guards who followed the young woman presented a violent contrast
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  Speaker 1: to her, armed as they were, with naked sabers hung
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  Speaker 1: at their waists and long damascened pistol, and bearing a
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  Speaker 1: corpse on a palanquin. It was the body of an
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  Speaker 1: old man, gorgeously arrayed in the habiliments of a rajah,
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  Speaker 1: wearing as in life, a turban embroidered with pearls, a
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  Speaker 1: robe of tissue of silk and gold, a scarf of
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  Speaker 1: cashmere sewed with diamonds, and the magnificent weapons of a
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  Speaker 1: Hindoo prince. Next came the musicians and a rear guard
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  Speaker 1: of capering fakirs, whose cries sometimes drowned the noise of
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  Speaker 1: the instruments. These closed the procession. Sir Francis watched the
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  Speaker 1: procession with a sad countenance, and, turning to the guide,
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  Speaker 1: said a sattee. The pars nodded and put his finger
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  Speaker 1: to his lips. The procession slowly wound under the trees
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  Speaker 1: and soon its last ranks disappeared in the depths of
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  Speaker 1: the wood. The songs gradually died away. Occasionally cries were
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  Speaker 1: heard in the distance, until at last all was silence again.
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  Speaker 1: Phileas Fogg had heard what Sir Francis said, and as
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  Speaker 1: soon as the procession had disappeared, asked, what is a satie?
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  Speaker 1: A satie returned the general is a human sacrifice, but
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  Speaker 1: a voluntary one. The woman you have just seen will
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  Speaker 1: be burned tomorrow at the dawn of day. Oh the scoundrels,
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  Speaker 1: cried passepartout, who could not repress his indignation. And the corpse,
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  Speaker 1: asked mister Fogg, is that of the prince? Her husband?
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  Speaker 1: Said the guide, an independent rajah of Bundelcund. Is it possible?
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  Speaker 1: Resumed Phileas Fogg, his voice betraying not the least emotion,
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  Speaker 1: that these barbarous customs still exist in India, and that
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  Speaker 1: the English had been unable to put a stop to them.
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  Speaker 1: These sacrifices do not occur in the larger portion of India,
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  Speaker 1: replied Sir Francis. But we have no power over these
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  Speaker 1: savage territories, and especially here in Bundelcund. The whole district
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  Speaker 1: north of the Vindhiers is the theater of incessant murders
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  Speaker 1: and pillage. The poor wretch exclaimed, passepartout to be burned alive. Yes, returned,
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  Speaker 1: Sir Francis, burned alive. And if she were not, you
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  Speaker 1: cannot conceive what treatment she would be obliged to submit
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  Speaker 1: to from her relatives. They would shave off her hair,
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  Speaker 1: feed her on a scanty allowance of rice, treat her
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  Speaker 1: with contempt. She would be looked upon as an unclean
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  Speaker 1: creature and would die in some corner like a scurvy dog.
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  Speaker 1: The prospect of so frightful an existence drives these poor
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  Speaker 1: creatures to the sacrifice, much more than love or religious fanaticism. Sometimes, however,
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  Speaker 1: the sacrifice is really voluntary, and it requires the active
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  Speaker 1: interference of the government to prevent it. Several years ago,
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  Speaker 1: when I was living at Bombay, a young widow asked
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  Speaker 1: permission of the governor to be burned along with her
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  Speaker 1: husband's body, but as you may imagine, she refused. The
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  Speaker 1: woman left the town, took refuge with an independent rajah,
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  Speaker 1: and there carried out her self devoted purpose. While Sir
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  Speaker 1: Francis was speaking, the guide shook his head several times,
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  Speaker 1: and now said, this sacrifice, which would take place tomorrow
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  Speaker 1: at dawn, is not a voluntary one. How do you know?
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  Speaker 1: Everybody knows about this affair in Bunducun. But the wretched
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  Speaker 1: creature does not seem to be making any resistance, observed
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  Speaker 1: Sir Francis. That was because they had intoxicated her with
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  Speaker 1: fumes of hemp and opium. But where are they taking her?
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  Speaker 1: To the Pogorda Epilaji, two miles from here. She will
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  Speaker 1: pass the night there, and the sacrifice will take place
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  Speaker 1: tomorrow at the first light of dawn. The guide now
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  Speaker 1: led the elephant out of the thicket and leaped upon
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  Speaker 1: his neck. Just at the moment that he was about
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  Speaker 1: to urge Keune forward with a peculiar whistle, mister Fogg
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  Speaker 1: stopped him, and, turning to Sir Francis, Cromarty said, suppose
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  Speaker 1: we save this woman. Save the woman, mister Fogg, I
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  Speaker 1: have yet twelve hours to spare. I can devote them
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  Speaker 1: to that. Why you are a man of heart, sometimes
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  Speaker 1: replied Phileas Fogg quietly. When I have the time. End
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  Speaker 1: of chapter