Around the World in Eighty Days (Part-3)
By - Jules Verne
 |
| Around the World in Eighty Days |
The first part of the trip was without incident. Then as they crossed the Tropic of Cancer the sea changed. A typhoon was soon raging. The “Tankadere” was lifted like a feather. Mountains of water surrounded them. The storm raged through the night. Then things became calmer.
Two days of better weather followed. Of course, the storm had slowed them. Just three miles from Shanghai they saw smoke. The American steamship was leaving port.
“Send a signal! Lower the flag to half-mast,” shouted Mr. Fogg. The signals from the ”Tankadere” were spotted. A payment of 550 Pound was made to the boat’s captain John Bunsby. The three than boarded the “General Grant”.
On arrival at Yokohama, Mr. Fogg and Mrs. Aouda went in search of the “Carnatic” and Passepartout. To their joy they discovered he had been on board. He had arrived just as the ship was leaving Hong Kong. They spotted him working for food money. As they hurried back to the “General Grant” he told his tale of woe. Not mentioning Mr. Fix’s part in it. Mr. Fix had headed for the Consulate. The arrest warrant was there. But Mr. Fogg had now left the British soil. It was useless!
So on 14th November, somehow still on schedule, the three of them set off to America. Mr. Fix joined them. The “General Grant” was a huge paddle-steamer. With a combination of steam and sail it moved swiftly. This trip was uneventful from the nautical point of view. But Passepartout had to sort things out. Passepartout still believed in Mr. Fogg. He blamed Mr. Fix for causing trouble for him. Mr. Fogg and Mrs. Aouda were not aware of Mr. Fix’s profession. Nor did they know he was “tailing” Mr. Fogg.
 |
| Around the World in Eighty Days |
On 7th December, another delay-more snow and a bridge over rapids that appeared dangerous. A meeting of passengers and the driver agreed that he should go at high speed over the bridge and risk it collapsing. They just got across-then the bridge crashed!
At 11 o’clock on the morning of 8th December, the train was attacked by a band of Sioux Indians. Thank goodness for the guns! Passengers battled bravely and strongly. But the driver and fireman went down-soon the train was out of control.
“We must stop the train at Fort Kearney Station,” shouted the guard as he fell, wounded.
“Let me do it,” said Passepartout sliding outside underneath the carriage- without being seen. While the battle raged overhead Passepartout worked his way towards the engine. Carefully, he disconnected the coupling pin. The carriages slowed. The engine sped on-alone.
Soldiers from the Fort rushed through the snow to assist. The Sioux made off taking Passepartout and others with them. Mr. Fogg quickly assembled a rescue party. The engine returned to the station after the driver had recovered. Coupled up to the carriages it left to safety. It did so, without Mr. Fogg, Passepartout, Mr. Fix and Mrs. Aouda. The latter two were waiting at the Fort. At dawn, the rescue party was spotted. They had with them the missing passengers and Passepartout. Mr. Fogg paid the detachment the 1,000 pounds he promised them. But how was he going to move his group to New York?
Mr. Fix came up with a suggestion. “Why not a land-yacht?” he had been offered a ride while waiting for Mr. Fogg.
Phileas Fogg agreed a price to get them to Omaha Station, quickly. The sled flew over the carpet of snow. At 1 o’clock they slithered to a halt. They had arrived at Omaha! The group rushed to catch a through train to Chicago. From Chicago they quickly made it to New York. At 11:15 pm on 11th December they arrived at the pier on the Hudson River. Forty five minutes too late!
The steamer “China” bound for Liverpool had left. Crushing! But Mr. Fogg left to find yet another boat. He spotted a steamer named “Henrietta” sending out clouds of smoke. “Where are you heading?” he called out.
“Bordeaux,” came back the reply. “No Passengers, thank you.”
“I will pay 2,000 pound each for four passengers.”
That changed the captain’s mind. “Be ready by nine.”
By the following day Mr. Fogg had bought off the crew. They simply locked the captain in his cabin. The ship was now going to Queenstown on the Irish coast. Not Bordeaux!
On 18th December fuel was low. Mr. Fogg had to do something. He bought and burnt all the wood on the “Henrietta” itself. They struggled, but made it to Queenstown. Then a train to Dublin, straight onto a mail streamer to Liverpool. Just before noon on 21th December they landed at Liverpool. Then, Mr. Fix arrested Mr. Fogg. They were back on British soil!
At 2:33 pm doors of the prison opened. Phileas Fogg was free! Inspector Fix was very apologetic. The real thief had already been caught-three days before they had arrived back in Britain. Mr. Fogg arranged for a special train. When they arrived in London all clocks were showing 8:50 pm. Mr. Fogg was five minutes late-“HE HAD LOST!” Mr. Fogg went home-ruined. That bungling inspector!
In his depths of despair Mrs. Aouda asked him to marry her. “I love you,” was all he said. Passeportout was asked to give notice of marriage to the local parish priest. For tomorrow, Monday!
At 8:38 pm he came rushing back to the room. “Mr. Fogg, tomorrow is Sunday. Today is still Saturday, 21th December.”
 |
| Around the World in Eighty Days |
At 8:44 pm the five colleagues were at the Reform Club. Then, just three seconds before 8:45 pm Mr. Phileas Fogg appeared in the drawing room doorway. “Here I am gentlemen,” he said, “here is my passport.”
What had happened? Mr. Fogg, that precise man, had forgotten he had gained a day. All because he had gone round the globe eastwards. Had he gone westwards he would have lost a day. Heading towards the sun had gained him four minutes for every degree of the earth’s circumference:
4 minutes x 360 degrees = 24 hours.
Mr. Phileas Fogg had after all won his wager. He won 20,000 pound, but he spent 19,000 pound on the trip. He split the last 1,000 pound between Passepartout and Mr. Fix. So, what did he really gain from his journey around the world? Nothing-except of course his lovely new wife. And, he did charge Passepartout for all the gas while they were away!!!
About Jules Verne :
 |
| Jules Verne |
Jules Gabriel Verne was a French poet, novelist and play writer. He is best known for his adventure novels and his profound influence on the literary type of science fiction.
Jules Verne was born in the seaport of Nantes, French in 8th February, 1828. Jules Verne was trained to follow in his father's footsteps as a lawyer, but quit the profession early in life to write for magazines and the stage. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the Voyages Extra-ordinaries, a widely popular series of exactly researched adventure novels including Around the World in Eighty Days, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, A Trip to the Moon, The Mysterious Island and much more.
Jules Verne is generally considered a major literary author in France and most of Europe, where he has had a wide influence on the literary activist and the way of thinking. His name is markedly different in English region, where he has often been labeled a writer of different fiction or children’s books, not least because of the highly edited and altered translations in which his novels are often reprinted.
Around the World in Eighty Days is one of the world famous novels. Before Jules Verne no one can imagine that the whole world can be travel in eighty days. That time lot of critics considered this novel as a bogus-boo. But after his dead the world realized that it is possible with the help of modern inventions like airplanes and high speedy ships.
Jules Verne was born in the seaport of Nantes, French in 8th February, 1828. Jules Verne was trained to follow in his father's footsteps as a lawyer, but quit the profession early in life to write for magazines and the stage. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the Voyages Extra-ordinaries, a widely popular series of exactly researched adventure novels including Around the World in Eighty Days, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, A Trip to the Moon, The Mysterious Island and much more.
Jules Verne is generally considered a major literary author in France and most of Europe, where he has had a wide influence on the literary activist and the way of thinking. His name is markedly different in English region, where he has often been labeled a writer of different fiction or children’s books, not least because of the highly edited and altered translations in which his novels are often reprinted.
Around the World in Eighty Days is one of the world famous novels. Before Jules Verne no one can imagine that the whole world can be travel in eighty days. That time lot of critics considered this novel as a bogus-boo. But after his dead the world realized that it is possible with the help of modern inventions like airplanes and high speedy ships.
Want to read the first part of this story... Click Here
Want to read the second part of the story... Click Here
Want to more World famous literature... Click Here
No comments:
Post a Comment