by Jules Verne
Chapter 29
In Which Certain Incidents Are Narrated WhichAre 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 EvansPass. The road here attained the highest elevation of thejourney, eight thousand and ninety-two feet above the level ofthe sea. The travelers had now only to descend to the Atlantic bylimitless plains, leveled by nature. A branch of the "grandtrunk" led off southward to Denver, the capital of Colorado. Thecountry round about is rich in gold and silver, and more thanfifty thousand inhabitants are already settled there.
Thirteen hundred and eighty-two miles had been passed over fromSan Francisco, in three days and three nights. Four days andnights more would probably bring them to New York. Phileas Foggwas not as yet behind time.
During the night Camp Walbach was passed on the left. Lodge PoleCreek ran parallel with the road, marking the boundary betweenthe territories of Wyoming and Colorado. They entered Nebraska ateleven, passed near Sedgwick, and touched at Julesburg, on thesouthern branch of the Platte River.
It was here that the Union Pacific Railroad was inaugurated onthe 23rd of October, 1867, by the chief engineer, General Dodge.Two powerful locomotives, carrying nine ears of invited guests,amongst whom was Thomas C. Durant, vice-president of the road,stopped at this point. Cheers were given, the Sioux and Pawneesperformed an imitation Indian battle, fireworks were let off, andthe first number of the Rail-way Pioneer was printed by a pressbrought on the train. Thus was celebrated the inauguration ofthis great railroad, a mighty instrument of progress andcivilization, thrown across the desert, and destined to linktogether cities and towns which do not yet exist. The whistle ofthe locomotive, more powerful than Amphion's lyre, was about tobid them rise from American soil.
Fort McPherson was left behind at eight in the morning, and threehundred and fifty-seven miles had yet to be covered beforereaching Omaha. The road followed the capricious windings of thesouthern branch of the Platte River, on its left bank. At ninethe train stopped at the important town of North Platte, builtbetween the two arms of the river, which rejoin each otheraround it and form a single artery--a large tributary whosewaters 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--noteven the dummy--complained of the length of the trip. Fix hadbegun 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 favored thatgentleman. Trumps and honors were showered upon his hands.
Once, having resolved on a bold stroke, he was on the point ofplaying a spade, when a voice behind him said, "I should play adiamond."
Mr. Fogg, Aouda and Fix raised their heads, and beheld ColonelProctor.
Stamp Proctor and Phileas Fogg recognized each other at once.
"Ah! It's you, is it, Englishman?" cried the colonel. "It's youwho are going to play a spade!"
"And who plays it," replied Phileas Fogg coolly, throwing downthe ten of spades.
"Well, it pleases me to have it diamonds," replied ColonelProctor, in an insolent tone.
He made a movement as if to seize the card which had just beenplayed, 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'sarm and gently pulled him back. Passepartout was ready to pounceupon the American, who was staring insolently at his opponent.But Fix got up, and, going to Colonel Proctor said, "You forgetthat it is I with whom you have to deal, sir; for it was I whomyou 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 insistingthat I should not play a spade, and he shall give me satisfactionfor it."
"When and where you will," replied the American, "and withwhatever weapon you choose."
Aouda in vain attempted to retain Mr. Fogg. As vainly did thedetective endeavor to make the quarrel his. Passepartout wishedto throw the colonel out of the window, but a sign from hismaster cheeked him. Phileas Fogg left the car, and the Americanfollowed him upon the platform. "Sir," said Mr. Fogg to hisadversary, "I am in a great hurry to get back to Europe, and anydelay 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 SanFrancisco, I determined to return to America and find you as soonas 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 theplace of meeting promptly."
"All this is an evasion," cried Stamp Proctor. "Now or never!"
"Very good. You are going to New York?"
"No."
"To Chicago?"
"No."
"To Omaha?"
"What difference is it to you? Do you know Plum Creek?"
"No," replied Mr. Fogg.
"It's the next station. The train will be there in an hour, andwill stop there ten minutes. In ten minutes several revolvershots could be exchanged."
"Very well," said Mr. Fogg. "I will stop at Plum Creek."
"And I guess you'll stay there too," added the Americaninsolently.
"Who knows?" replied Mr. Fogg, returning to the car as coolly asusual. He began to reassure Aouda, telling her that blustererswere never to be feared, and begged Fix to be his second at theapproaching 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 theywere approaching Plum Creek station. Mr. Fogg rose, and, followedby Fix, went out upon the platform. Passepartout accompanied him,carrying a pair of revolvers. Aouda remained in the car, as paleas death.
The door of the next car opened, and Colonel Proctor appeared onthe platform, attended by a Yankee of his own stamp as hissecond. But just as the combatants were about to step from thetrain, 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,--" said the conductor. "Under any othercircumstances I should have been happy to oblige you. But, afterall, as you have not had time to fight here, why not fight as wego along?"
"That wouldn't be convenient, perhaps, for this gentleman," saidthe colonel, in a jeering tone.
"It would be perfectly so," replied Phileas Fogg.
"Well, we are really in America," thought Passepartout, "and theconductor is a gentleman of the first order!"
So muttering, he followed his master.
The two combatants, their seconds, and the conductor passedthrough the cars to the rear of the train. The last car was onlyoccupied by a dozen passengers, whom the conductor politely askedif they would not be so kind as to leave it vacant for a fewmoments, as two gentlemen had an affair of honor to settle. Thepassengers granted the request with alacrity, and straightwaydisappeared on the platform.
The car, which was some fifty feet long, was very convenient fortheir purpose. The adversaries might march on each other in theaisle, and fire at their ease. Never was duel more easilyarranged. Mr. Fogg and Colonel Proctor, each provided with twosix-barreled revolvers, entered the car. The seconds, remainingoutside, shut them in. They were to begin firing at the firstwhistle of the locomotive. After
an interval of two minutes, whatremained of the two gentlemen would be taken from the car.
Nothing could be more simple. Indeed, it was all so simple thatFix and Passepartout felt their hearts beating as if they wouldcrack. They were listening for the whistle agreed upon, whensuddenly savage cries resounded in the air, accompanied byreports which certainly did not issue from the car where theduelists were. The reports continued in front and the wholelength of the train. Cries of terror proceeded from the interiorof the cars.
Colonel Proctor and Mr. Fogg, revolvers in hand, hastily quittedtheir prison, and rushed forward where the noise was mostclamorous. They then perceived that the train was attacked by aband of Sioux.
This was not the first attempt of these daring Indians, for morethan once they had waylaid trains on the road. A hundred of themhad, according to their habit, jumped upon the steps withoutstopping the train, with the ease of a clown mounting a horse atfull gallop.
The Sioux were armed with guns, from which came the reports, towhich the passengers, who were almost all armed, responded byrevolver shots.
The Indians had first mounted the engine, and half stunned theengineer and stoker with blows from their muskets. A Sioux chief,wishing to stop the train, but not knowing how to work theregulator, 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 likeenraged monkeys over the roofs, thrusting open the doors, andfighting hand to hand with the passengers. Penetrating thebaggage-car, they pillaged it, throwing the trunks out of thetrain. The cries and shots were constant. The travelers defendedthemselves bravely. Some of the cars were barricaded, andsustained a siege, like moving forts, carried along at a speed ofa hundred miles an hour.
Aouda behaved courageously from the first. She defended herselflike a true heroine with a revolver, which she shot through thebroken windows whenever a savage made his appearance. TwentySioux had fallen mortally wounded to the ground, and the wheelscrushed 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 lastedfor ten minutes, and which would result in the triumph of theSioux if the train was not stopped. Fort Kearney station, wherethere was a garrison, was only two miles distant; but, that oncepassed, the Sioux would be masters of the train between FortKearney and the station beyond.
The conductor was fighting beside Mr. Fogg, when he was shot andfell. At the same moment he cried, "Unless the train is stoppedin five minutes, we are lost!"
"It shall be stopped," said Phileas Fogg, preparing to rush fromthe car.
"Stay, monsieur," cried Passepartout. "I will go."
Mr. Fogg had not time to stop the brave fellow, who, opening adoor unperceived by the Indians, succeeded in slipping under thecar; and while the struggle continued, and the balls whizzedacross each other over his head, he made use of his old acrobaticexperience, and with amazing agility worked his way under thecars, holding on to the chains, aiding himself by the brakes andedges of the sashes, creeping from one car to another withmarvelous skill, and thus gaining the forward end of the train.
There, suspended by one hand between the baggage-car and thetender, with the other he loosened the safety chains; but, owingto the traction, he would never have succeeded in unscrewing theyoking-bar, had not a violent concussion jolted this bar out. Thetrain, 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 movedfor several minutes; but the brakes were worked and at last theystopped, less than a hundred feet from Kearney station.
The soldiers of the fort, attracted by the shots, hurried up. TheSioux had not expected them, and decamped in a body before thetrain entirely stopped.
But when the passengers counted each other on the stationplatform several were found missing; among others the courageousFrenchman, whose devotion had just saved them.
