Around the World in Eighty Days

On the second day at sea they ran into bad weather, and a typhoon began to blow up. Soon great waves were crashing over the ship. Lashed by the typhoon, the ship creaked and rolled. Then, near the coast of China, the wind dropped. They had lost valuable time and were still a hundred miles from Shanghai. The captain ordered full steam ahead. Then, just as Shanghai came into sight, they saw a big steamer sailing towards them.

'We're too late!' the captain yelled. 'That's your ship for Yokohama!'

'Signal to her!' ordered Fogg.

The big steamer slowed, and the little ship pulled alongside her. Aouda, Phileas Fogg, and Fix climbed aboard. As they waved goodbye to the captain of the little ship, the steamer moved off on the journey to Yokohama.

'If only Passepartout were with us!' said Aouda.

What none of them knew was that Passepartout was already on his way to Japan, too. Although still sleepy from the opium Fix had given him, he had struggled to the docks. Sailors had carried him on board the Carnatic as she was about to sail.

They had put him in his cabin where he had fallen asleep. When he had recovered, he had searched for his master. Fogg and Aouda were not on board. He realised that Fix had tricked him, and he felt utterly miserable. It was his fault that his master had missed the boat. If Phileas Fogg failed to get to London on time and lost his bet, he, Passepartout, was to blame!

Alone and penniless, he stepped ashore in Yokohama. He wandered the streets, wondering how he could earn money to get back to London. Then a poster, in English, caught his eye. It read:

'The very thing!' he thought. 'I'll get a job as an acrobat!' And he went straight into the theatre.

'Yes, we can use a strong man,' said the leader of the acrobats. 'We need a man to hold up our Human Pyramid. You have to lie on your back, and the rest of us balance on top of you.'

At three o'clock the show began. With a roll of drums, fifty acrobats leapt onto the stage. Passepartout lay down and the rest, climbing on each other, balanced on top of him. The crowd cheered and the band played as the Human Pyramid grew higher and higher. As he lay on his back. Passepartout could see up into the theatre. There, up in the gallery, he saw Mr Fogg and Aouda!

'Master!' shouted Passepartout joyfully. He pushed off the men on top of him, and the Human Pyramid collapsed in a heap. He raced off the stage to join his lost master and Aouda. The theatre was in uproar. The acrobats were wild with anger but Fogg, delighted to be with his servant again, calmed them with a handful of bank notes.

Together, the three made their way to the docks to board the steamer that would take them across the Pacific Ocean to America. Fogg told his servant how he, Aouda and Mr Fix had reached Japan. Passepartout told them he had missed them because he had been smoking opium. He did not mention his meeting with the detective.

The steamer sailed on time for San Francisco. 'So far, so good!' said Phileas Fogg. 'At this rate we will be back in the Reform Club in time!'

Passepartout was delighted. He was back with his master and Aouda. Mr Fogg could still win his bet and, at last, they seemed to be free of Fix. He was glad, too, that he had not told his master about the detective. Clearly, there had been a mistake, and there had been no need to worry him.

He was feeling his old, cheerful self as he went for a walk on deck, then, turning a corner, he came face to face with Fix!

Without a word, he rushed at Fix, raining blows on him, and knocked him down.

'That's for the trick you played on me!' he roared. 'Any more of your tricks and I'll break your neck!'

Wisely, Fix kept out of sight for the rest of the voyage, and eleven days later the ship sailed into San Francisco.

That evening they were on the train for New York, three thousand seven hundred and eighty six miles away. In seven days the train should take them from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. They had eighteen days left.

All was going well, Fogg decided. To his surprise and delight, Mr Fix was also on the train. Passepartout was neither surprised nor delighted!

Through the night the train roared on, through the Rocky Mountains and over raging rivers. Then they were crossing the prairies. Suddenly the train stopped as thousands of great buffaloes charged across the railway track. For hours they passed in front of the train, like a brown river stretching as far as the eye could see.

Passepartout fumed at the delay, but nothing disturbed Phileas Fogg. He spent long hours playing cards, as if time did not matter! When at last the train moved on, snow began to fall. Passepartout grew worried again, for he knew that soon the prairies would be covered with snow. A heavy snowfall could block the track and end their adventure.

On the third morning, the train stopped suddenly again, and Passepartout went to see what was the matter.

'No, you can't cross the river,' he heard a signalman say. 'The bridge isn't strong enough to take the train!'

The train driver was not to be stopped. 'Let me through!' he demanded. 'If we go at top speed we'll nearly fly across!'

He reversed the train down the track, then drove forward, quickly gathering speed. The engine shrieked. The train shuddered. They were doing sixty, eighty—a hundred miles an hour! The wheels hardly seemed to touch the track. They were over the river in a flash! As the last carriage reached the opposite bank, the bridge behind it crashed into the raging river.

The next day danger struck once more. Savage yells and rifle fire filled the air as a band of Sioux Indians attacked the train.

A hundred of them galloped beside it, and some leapt aboard. The rifle fire was answered by pistol shots from the passengers.

The Sioux Chief sprang from his horse onto the engine. He knocked out the engine-driver and his mate, then tried to stop the train by turning a wheel.

The engine roared on even faster. He had turned the wheel the wrong way!

'The train must be stopped!' cried Fogg, starting for the door.

'No, sir!' said Passepartout. 'Not you! I'll go!'

Unseen by the Indians, he got out of the carriage, then climbed along under the racing train. Clinging to the swinging chains, he worked his way forward until he reached the engine. Quickly, he set the engine free from the coaches, and they began to slow down.

As the coaches neared a station the Indians on board could see soldiers on the platform. They jumped from the train and made off.

At the station it was found that the engine, with its driver and mate, had roared on into the distance and disappeared. Passepartout and two other passengers were also missing.

'The Indians have taken them!' sobbed Aouda.

'I shall find our brave Passepartout and the passengers,' Phileas Fogg told her. With a group of soldiers he set out after the Indians.

Aouda and Fix were waiting with the other passengers at the station when suddenly they heard a whistle. Then to their delight, they saw the engine coming back down the line. The driver told them that when he and his mate had come round, the Sioux chief had fled and the engine had come to a halt. They found that the fire in the engine had burned out. They re-lit the fire and had come back for the coaches. Once all the passengers were back on board the train, they would carry on to New York.

'But what about Mr Fogg and the missing passengers?' asked Aouda. 'Please don't leave without them,' she pleaded.

'They will have to get tomorrow's train,' the driver replied. Aouda refused to leave, and waited at the station as the train pulled out. Fix stayed with her, worried that he might still lose his bank-robber.

It was a long, cold night. As the sun rose on a snow-covered, icy scene, gun-shots were heard. Then, at last, a band of marching men appeared. Phileas Fogg was leading the group of lost passengers and soldiers! Soon Aouda was re-united with Fogg and Passepartout. She heard how Fogg had found Passepartout and the passengers fighting off the Sioux. The brave Passepartout had felled three Indians with his bare fists!

Fogg was angry that the train had left without them.

'I am twenty four hours late,' he said. 'I must be in New York on December the eleventh. The steamer sails for Liverpool at nine that evening!'

A man standing nearby heard this. He offered to take them on his wind-sledge, which ran on steel runners and had a large sail. Fogg gladly accepted, and soon the icy wind was carrying them, including Fix, fast over the frozen snow.

They came to a town where a train, bound for New York, was standing at the station. They boarded it and Fogg spoke to its driver, who ordered, 'full speed ahead'. The prairie and towns flashed by. Just after eleven in the evening, on December 11th, the train arrived in New York. But they were too late. The steamer for Liverpool had already sailed!

Determined not to be beaten, Fogg hurried to the docks. There he found a small cargo ship ready to sail.

'Where are you going?' he asked the captain.

'Bordeaux, France,' was the reply.

'I'll pay you well to take me and three friends to Liverpool!' said Fogg.

'I sail for Bordeaux,' said the captain. 'I will take you there.'

'Agreed!' said Fogg.

An hour later, Fogg and his friends, together with Fix, sailed from New York. But Fogg had no intention of sailing to France. He had a plan. Secretly, he spoke to the sailors and paid them well. First, he had the captain locked in his cabin. Then Fogg took command of the ship.

All went well until a gale blew up. Fogg ordered the sails to be taken down. More coal was heaped on the furnaces to keep up the speed. Under black skies, huge waves crashed down on the little ship. Five days before he was due in London, Phileas Fogg was still in mid-Atlantic. The ship's engineer brought him bad news.

'The coal's almost gone, sir!' he gasped. 'We must slow down!'

'Not now,' replied Fogg. 'Full speed ahead!' Then he ordered the captain to be brought to the bridge. The captain raged like an unchained tiger.

'Pirate!' he stormed. 'You have stolen my ship!'

'Stolen?' said Fogg. 'I want to buy your ship.'

'I won't sell!' roared the captain.

'But I must burn her!' Fogg went on.

'Burn her!' gasped the captain. 'She's worth fifty thousand dollars!'

'I'll give you sixty thousand dollars,' Fogg said calmly. It was a bargain the captain could not refuse. He accepted, and joined in the fight to keep the little ship scudding along. When the coal was gone, they ripped up the decks and burned the wood. Everything that would burn was fed to the furnaces.

On the evening of December 20th they were south of Ireland.

Now, only twenty four hours remained for Phileas Fogg to get to London and win his bet. They landed in Cork harbour, then a fast train took them to Dublin where they took the boat to Liverpool.

Fogg felt safe as he stepped ashore at Liverpool. He knew he could reach London in six hours, and there were nine hours left.

At that moment, Phileas Fogg felt a heavy hand on his shoulder.

'I arrest you in the Queen's name!' said Fix, the detective.

Passepartout raised his fist, but policemen grabbed his arms, and Fogg was put in a cell in the Customs House.

Poor Passepartout told Aouda the whole story. He blamed himself for everything. If only he had told his master about Fix!

Phileas Fogg sat in his cell watching the seconds tick away. It seemed impossible that, on the very last day, he could fail. At thirty-three minutes past two, the door of his cell was flung open, and Passepartout, Aouda and Fix burst in.

'Sir,' stammered Fix, 'I was mistaken! The real robber was caught three days ago! You are free!'

Phileas Fogg got up slowly. He walked calmly up to Fix, staring into the detective's eyes. Then with one swift blow he knocked Fix out.

'Well hit, sir!' laughed Passepartout.

Fogg ordered a special train which set off for London at top speed. But as it puffed into the station, the clocks of London showed it was ten minutes to nine. After travelling around the world, Phileas Fogg was just five minutes late. He had lost his bet.

Sadly, the three travellers returned to Fogg's house. Few words were spoken. They all knew that Phileas Fogg was ruined.

Passepartout, who blamed himself, went to Aouda's room. 'Madam,' he pleaded, 'please try to comfort Mr Fogg. He sends me away.'

When Phileas Fogg came to talk to Aouda about his plans for her, she told him, 'If you had not saved me, you would have had time to spare.'

'You are safe,' said Fogg. 'It doesn't matter what happens to me. I have no family to care about me.'

'A pity,' sighed Aouda. 'Trouble is easier to bear when it is shared.'

'So they say,' said Fogg.

'Then share your troubles with me!' said Aouda. 'Will you have me as your wife?'

'With all my heart I will!' answered Fogg. At once, he sent for Passepartout and told him to arrange the wedding.

'When will it be, sir?' he asked. He was delighted at the news. 'Tomorrow, Monday!' replied the happy Phileas Fogg.

As fast as his legs could carry him, Passepartout ran to the vicar's house. 'Please, sir,' he said breathlessly, 'will you arrange the marriage of my master, Mr Phileas Fogg, for tomorrow, Monday?'

'No, no, my man,' said the vicar. 'Tomorrow is Sunday, not Monday. It's Saturday today.'

'Today is Saturday?' gasped Passepartout. To the vicar's amazement, Passepartout rushed out of the room and into the street. Bursting into Fogg's room, Passepartout cried, 'Hurry, master! We were wrong! Today is Saturday! There are still ten minutes left for you to win your bet!'

Fogg was stunned. He couldn't have made a mistake! He had counted every day. Then he realised that, as he had travelled east, he should have altered his watch. Every fifteen degrees he travelled, he should have put his watch back one hour. In going round the world he had gained twenty four hours—a whole day! He sprang into action.

On the evening of Saturday, December 21st, the group of friends met at the Reform Club. It was Fogg's eightieth day. They had had no recent news of his travels, and no one knew if he was still alive.

'It's twenty past eight,' said one. 'The last train from Liverpool has already arrived. He can't get here now!'

'Not so fast,' said another. 'Phileas Fogg is a very exact man. We are not safe until a quarter to nine.'

The minutes ticked away. The second hand swept away the last minute. The clock began to chime the third quarter. The door burst open.

'Here I am, gentlemen,' said Phileas Fogg. Behind him was an excited crowd.

Through every kind of danger, he had travelled around the world in eighty days. He had won his race against time. He had won his bet. Better still, he had found Aouda. Phileas Fogg was the happiest man in the world!