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29 - Around The World in Eighty Days - Jules Verne · Classic Adventure Books Collection

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  Chapter twenty nine, in which certain incidents are narrated which are only to be
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  met with on American railroads. The train pursued its course that evening without interruption,
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  passing Fort Saunders, crossing Cheyenne Pass, and reaching Evans Pass. The
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  road here attained the highest elevation of the journey, eight thousand and ninety two
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  feet above the level of the sea. The travelers had now only to descend
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  to the Atlantic by limitless plains leveled by nature. A branch of the Grand
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  Trunk led off southward to Denver, the capital of Colorado. The country round
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  about is rich in gold and silver, and more than fifty thousand inhabitants are
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  already settled there. Thirteen hundred and eighty two miles had been passed over from
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  San Francisco in three days and three nights. Four days and four nights more
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  would probably bring them to New York phileas Fogg was not as yet behind in
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  hand. During the night camp Wallbach was passed on the left. Lodge Pole
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  Creek ran parallel with the road, marking the boundary between the territories of Wyoming
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  and Colorado. They entered Nebraska at eleven passed near Sedgwick and touched at Jewlesburg
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  on the southern branch of the Platte River. It was here that the Union
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  Pacific Railroad was inaugurated on the twenty third of October eighteen sixty seven by the
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  Chief Engineer, General Dodge. Two powerful locomotives carrying nine cars of invited guests,
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  among whom were Thomas C. Durant, vice President of the Road,
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  stopped at this point. Cheers were given, the Sioux and Pawnees performed an
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  imitation Indian battle. Fireworks were let off, and the first number of the
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  railway Pioneer was printed by a press brought on the train. Thus was celebrated
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  the inauguration of this great railroad, a mighty instruct men of progress and civilization,
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  thrown across the desert and destined to link together cities and towns which do
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  not yet exist. The whistle of the locomotive, more powerful than Amphion's lyre,
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  was about to bid them rise from American soil. Fort mc pherson was
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  left behind at eight in the morning, and three hundred and fifty seven miles
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  had yet to be traversed before reaching Omaha. The road followed the capricious windings
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  of the southern branch of the Platte River on its left bank. At nine,
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  the train stopped at the important town of North Platte, built between the
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  two arms of the river, which rejoin each other around it and form a
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  single artery, a large tributary whose waters empty into the Missouri. A little
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  above Omaha, the one hundred and first meridian was passed. Mister Fogg and
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  his partners had resumed their game. No one, not even the dummy,
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  complained of the length of the trip. Vix had begun by winning several guineas,
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  which he seemed likely to lose, but he showed himself a not less
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  eager whist player than mister Fogg. During the morning, chance distinctly favored that
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  gentleman trumps and honors were showered upon his hands. Once having resolved on a
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  bold stroke, he was on the point of playing a spade when a voice
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  behind him said, I should play a diamond. Mister Fogg aouda and fixed
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  raised their heads and beheld Colonel Proctor, Stamp Proctor and Phileas Fogg recognized each
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  other at once. Ah it's you, is it? Englishman, cried the
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  colonel. It's you who are going to play a spade? And who plays
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  it? Replied Phileas Fogg, coolly, throwing down the ten of spades.
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  Well it pleases me to have it diamonds, replied Colonel Proctor in an insolent
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  tone. He made a movement as if to seize the card which had just
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  been played, adding you don't understand anything about whist Perhaps I do as well
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  as another, said Phileas Fogg, rising, you have only to try.
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  Son of John Bull, replied the colonel. I would have turned pale and
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  her blood ran cold. She seized mister Fogg's arm and gently pulled him back.
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  Passepartout was ready to pounce upon the American, who was staring insolently at
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  his opponent, but Fix got up and, going to Colonel Proctor, said
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  you forget that it is I with whom you have to deal, sir,
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  For it was I whom you not only insulted but struck mister Fix said,
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  mister Fogg, pardon me, but this affair is mine and mine only.
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  The Colonel has again insulted me by insisting that I should not play a spade,
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  and he shall give me satisfaction for it. When and where you will,
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  replied the American, and with whatever weapon you choose outa in vain attempted
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  to retain mister Fogg. As vainly did the detective endeavor to make the quarrel
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  his past par two wished to throw the colonel out of the window, but
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  a sign from his master checked him. Phileas Fogg left the car and the
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  American followed him upon the platform. Sir, said mister Fogg to his adversary,
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  I am in a great hurry to get back to Europe, and any
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  delay whatever will be greatly to my disadvantage. Well what's that to me,
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  replied Colonel Proctor, Sir, said mister Fogg very politely. After our meeting
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  at San Francisco, I determined to return to America and find you as soon
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  as I had completed the business which called me to England. Really, will
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  you appoint a meeting for six months? Hence? Why not ten years?
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  Hence? I say six months, returned Phileas Fogg, and I shall be
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  at the place of beating promptly. All this as an evasion, cried Stamp
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  Proctor. Now or never, very good. You are going to New York,
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  No to Chicago, No to Omaha, what difference is it to you?
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  Do you know plum Creek, No, replied mister Fogg. It's the
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  next station. The train will be there in an hour and will stop there
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  ten minutes. In ten minutes, several revolver shots could be exchanged very well,
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  said mister Fogg. I will stop at plum Creek, and I guess
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  you'll stay there too, added the American insolently. Who knows, replied mister
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  Fogg. Returning to the car as coolly as usual, he began to reassure
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  Aouda, telling her that blusterers were never to be feared, and begged Fix
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  to be his second at the approaching duel, a request which the detective could
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  not refuse. Mister Fogg resumed the interrupted game with perfect calmness. At eleven
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  o'clock, the locomotive's whistle announced that they were approaching plum Creek station. Mister
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  Fogg rose, and, followed by Fix, went out upon the platform.
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  Passepartout accompanied him, carrying a pair of revolvers. Aouda remained in the car
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  as pale as death. The door of the next car opened and Colonel Proctor
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  appeared on the platform, attended by a Yankee of his own stamp as his
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  second. But just as the combatants were about to step from the train,
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  the conductor hurried up and shouted. You can't get off, gentlemen. Why
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  not, asked the colonel. We are twenty minutes late and we shall not
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  stop. But I am going to fight a duel with this gentleman. I'm
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  sorry, said the conductor, but we shall be off at once. There's
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  the bell ringing now the train started. I'm really very sorry, gentlemen,
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  said the conductor. Under any other circumstances, I should have been happy to
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  oblige you. But after all, as you have not had time to fight
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  here, why not fight as we go along? That wouldn't be convenient perhaps
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  for this gentleman, said the colonel in a jeering tone. It would be
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  perfectly so, replied Phileas Fogg. Well we are really in America, thought
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  passepartout, and the conductor is a gentleman of the first daughter. So muttering,
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  he followed his master. The two combatants their seconds, and the conductor
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  passed through the cars to the rear of the train. The last car was
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  only occupied by a dozen passengers, whom the conductor politely asked if they would
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  not be so kind as to leave it vacant for a few moments, as
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  two gentlemen had an affair of honor to settle. The passengers granted the request
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  with alacrity, and straightway disappeared on the platform. The car, which was
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  some fifty feet long, was very convenient for their purpose. The adversaries might
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  march on each other in the aisle and fire at their ease. Never was
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  dual more easily arranged. Mister Fogg and Colonel Proctor, each provided with two
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  six barreled revolvers, entered the car. The seconds remaining outside shut them in.
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  They were to begin firing at the first whistle of the locomotive. After
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  an interval of two minutes, what remained of the two gentlemen would be taken
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  from the car. Nothing could be more simple. Indeed, it was all
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  so simple that Fix and passepartout felt their hearts beating as if they would crack.
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  They were listening for the whistle agreed upon, and suddenly savage cries resounded
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  in the air, accompanied by reports which certainly did not issue from the car
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  where the duelists were. The reports continued in front, and the whole length
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  of the train. Cries of terror proceeded from the interior of the cars.
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  Colonel Proctor and mister Fogg, revolvers in hand, hastily quitted their prison and
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  rushed forward where the noise was most clamorous. They then perceived that the train
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  was attacked by a band of Sioux. This was not the first attempt of
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  these daring Indians, for more than once they had waylaid trains on the road.
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  A hundred of them had, according to their habit, jumped upon the
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  steps without stopping the train, with the ease of a clown mounting a horse
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  at full gallop. The Sioux were armed with guns, from which came the
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  reports, to which the passengers, who were almost all armed, responded by
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  revolver shots. The Indians had first mounted the engine and half stunned the engineer
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  and stoker with blows from their muskets. A Sioux chief, wishing to stop
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  the train, but not knowing how to work the regulator had opened wide instead
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  of closing the steam valve, and the locomotive was plunging forward with terrific velocity.
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  The Sioux had at the same time invaded the cars, skipping like enraged
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  monkeys over the roofs, thrusting open the doors and fighting hand to hand with
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  the passengers. Penetrating the baggage car, they pillaged it, throwing the trunks
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  out of the train. The cries and shots were constant. The travelers defended
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  themselves bravely. Some of the cars were barricaded and sustained a siege. Like
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  moving forts carried along at a speed of one hundred miles an hour. Aouda
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  behaved courageously from the first. She defended herself like a true heroine, with
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  a revolver, which she shot through the broken windows whenever a savage made his
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  appearance. Twenty Sioux had fallen mortally wounded to the ground, and the wheels
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  crushed them, who fell upon the rails as if they had been worms.
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  Several passengers shot or stunned, lay on the seats. It was necessary to
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  put an end to the struggle, which had lasted for ten minutes, and
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  which would result in the triumph of the Sioux if the train was not stopped.
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  Fort Kearney's station, where there was a garrison, was only two miles
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  distant, but that once passed, the Sioux would be masters of the train
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  between Fort Kearney and the station beyond. The conductor was fighting beside mister Fogg
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  when he was shot and fell. At the same moment. He cried,
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  unless the train is stopped in five minutes, we are lost. It shall
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  be stopped, said Phileas Fogg, preparing to rush from the car. Stay,
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  Monsieur cried, passepartout, I will go. Mister Fogg had not time
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  to stop. The brave fellow, who opening a door unperceived by the Indians,
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  succeeded in slipping under the car, and while the struggle continued in the
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  ball's whizz to cross each other over his head, he made use of his
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  old acrobatic experience, and with amazing agility, worked his way under the cars,
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  holding on to the chains, aiding himself by the brakes and the edges
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  of the sashes, creeping from one car to another with marvelous skill, and
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  thus gaining the forward end of the train. There suspended by one hand between
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  the baggage car and the tender. With the other he loosened the safety chains,
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  but owing to the traction, he would never have succeeded in unscrewing the
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  yoking bar. Had not a violent concussion jolded this bar out. The train,
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  now detached from the engine, remained a little behind, whilst the locomotive
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  rushed forward with increased speed, carried on by the force already acquired. The
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  trains still moved for several minutes, but the brakes were worked, and at
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  last they stopped less than an hundred feet from Kearney station. The soldiers of
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  the fort, attracted by the shots, hurried up. The Sioux had not
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  expected them, and decamped in a body before the train entirely stopped. But
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  when the passengers counted each other on the station platform, several were found missing,
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  among others the courageous Frenchman whose devotion had just saved them. End of chapter