of　his　long…gowned　adversaries　with　his　fists　and　a　vigorous　application　of　his　toes；　then；　rushing　out　of　the　pagoda　as　fast　as　his　legs　could　carry　him；　he　soon　escaped　the　third　priest　by　mingling　with　the　crowd　in　the　streets。
  At　five　minutes　before　eight；　Passepartout；　hatless；　shoeless；　and　having　in　the　squabble　lost　his　package　of　shirts　and　shoes；　rushed　breathlessly　into　the　station。
  Fix；　who　had　followed　Mr　Fogg　to　the　station；　and　saw　that　he　was　really　going　to　leave　Bombay；　was　there；　upon　the　platform。　He　had　resolved　to　follow　the　supposed　robber　to　Calcutta；　and　farther；　if　necessary。　Passepartout　did　not　observe　the　detective；　who　stood　in　an　obscure　comer；　but　Fix　heard　him　relate　his　adventures　in　a　few　words　to　Mr　Fogg。
  ‘I　hope　that　this　will　not　happen　again；'　said　Phileas　Fogg；　coldly；　as　he　got　into　the　train。　Poor　Passepartout；　quite　crestfallen；　followed　his　master　without　a　word。　Fix　was　on　the　point　of　entering　another　carriage；　when　an　idea　struck　him　which　induced　him　to　alter　his　plan。
  ‘No；　I'll　stay；'　muttered　he。　‘An　offence　has　been　committed　on　Indian　soil。　I've　got　my　man。'
  Just　then　the　locomotive　gave　a　sharp　screech；　and　the　train　passed　out　into　the　darkness　of　the　night。
  CHAPTER　XI
  IN　WHICH　PHILEAS　FOGG　SECURES　A　CURIOUS　MEANS　OF　CONVEYANCE　AT　A　FABULOUS　PRICE。
  The　train　had　started　punctually。　Among　the　passengers　were　a　number　of　officers；　Government　officials；　and　opium　and　indigo　merchants；　whose　business　called　them　to　the　eastern　coast。　Passepartout　rode　in　the　same　carriage　with　his　master；　and　a　third　passenger　occupied　a　seat　opposite　to　them。　This　was　Sir　Francis　Cromarty；　one　of　Mr　Fogg's　whist　partners　on　the　‘Mongolia'；　now　on　his　way　to　join　his　corps　at　Benares。　Sir　Francis　was　a　tall；　fair　man　of　fifty；　who　had　greatly　distinguished　himself　in　the　last　Sepoy　revolt。　He　made　India　his　homer　only　paying　brief　visits　to　England　at　rare　intervals；　and　war　almost　as　familiar　as　a　native　with　the　customs；　history　and　character　of　India　and　its　people。　But　Phileas　Fogg；　who　was　not　travelling；　but　only　describing　a　circumference；　took　no　pains　to　inquire　into　these　subjects；　he　was　a　solid　body；　traversing　an　orbit　around　the　terrestrial　globe；　according　to　the　laws　of　rational　mechanics。　He　was　at　this　moment　calculating　in　his　mind　the　number　of　hours　spent　since　his　departure　from　London；　and；　had　it　been　in　his　nature　to　make　a　useless　demonstration；　would　have　rubbed　his　hands　for　satisfaction。　Sir　Francis　Cromarty　had　observed　the　oddity　of　his　travelling　companion　…　although　the　only　opportunity　he　had　for　studying　him　had　been　while　he　was　dealing　the　cards；　and　between　two　rubbers　…　and　questioned　himself　whether　a　human　heart　really　beat　beneath　this　cold　exterior；　and　whether　Phileas　Fogg　had　any　sense　of　the　beauties　of　nature。　The　brigadier…general　was　free　to　mentally　confess；　that；　of　all　the　eccentric　persons　he　had　ever　met；　none　was　comparable　to　this　product　of　the　exact　sciences。
  Phileas　Fogg　had　not　concealed　from　Sir　Francis　his　design　of　going　round　the　world；　nor　the　circumstances　under　which　he　set　out；　and　the　general　only　saw　in　the　wager　a　useless　eccentricity　and　a　lack　of　sound　common　sense。　In　the　way　this　strange　gentleman　was　going　on；　he　would　leave　the　world　without　having　done　any　good　to　himself　or　anybody　else。
  An　hour　after　leaving　Bombay　the　train　had　passed　the　viaducts　and　the　island　Salcette；　and　had　got　into　the　open　country。　At　Callyan　they　reached　the　junction　of　the　branch　line　which　descends　towards　southeastern　India　by　Kandallah　and　Pounah；　and；　passing　Pauwell；　they　entered　the　defiles　of　the　mountains；　with　their　basalt　bases；　and　their　summits　crowned　with　thick　and　verdant　forests。　Phileas　Fogg　and　Sir　Francis　Cromarty　exchanged　a　few　words　from　time　to　time；　and　now　Sir　Francis；　reviving　the　conversation；　observed；　‘Some　years　ago；　Mr　Fogg；　you　would　have　met　with　a　delay　at　this　point　which　would　probably　have　lost　you　your　wager。'
  ‘How　so；　Sir　Francis？'
  ‘Because　the　railway　stopped　at　the　base　of　these　mountains；　which　the　passengers　were　obliged　to　cross　in　palanquins　or　on　ponies　to　Kandallah；　on　the　other　side。'
  ‘Such　a　delay　would　not　have　deranged　my　plans　in　the　least；'　said　Mr　Fogg。　‘I　have　constantly　foreseen　the　likelihood　of　certain　obstacles。'
  ‘But；　Mr　Fogg；'　pursued　Sir　Francis；　‘you　run　the　risk　of　having　some　difficulty　about　this　worthy　fellow's　adventure　at　the　pagoda。'　Passepartout；　his　feet　comfortably　wrapped　in　his　travelling…blanket；　was　sound　asleep；　and　did　not　dream　that　anybody　was　talking　about　him。　The　Government　is　very　severe　upon　that　kind　of　offence。　It　takes　particular　care　that　the　religious　customs　of　the　Indians　should　be　respected；　and　if　your　servant　were　caught'
  ‘Very　well；　Sir　Francis；'　replied　Mr　Fogg；　‘if　he　had　been　caught　he　would　have　been　condemned　and　punished；　and　then　would　have　quietly　returned　to　Europe。　I　don't　see　how　this　affair　could　have　delayed　his　master。'
  The　conversation　fell　again。　During　the　night　the　train　left　the　mountains　behind；　and　passed　Nassik；　and　the　next　day　proceeded　over　the　flat；　well…cultivated　country　of　the　khandeish；　with　its　straggling　villages；　above　which　rose　the　minarets　of　the　pagodas。　This　fertile　territory　is　watered　by　numerous　small　rivers　and　limpid　streams；　mostly　tributaries　of　the　Godavery。
  Passepartout；　on　waking　and　looking　out；　could　not　realize　that　he　was　actually　crossing　India　in　a　railway　train。　The　locomotive；　guided　by　an　English　engineer　and　fed　with　English　coal；　threw　out　its　smoke　upon　cotton；　coffee；　nutmeg；　clove　and　pepper　plantations；　while　the　steam　curled　in　spirals　around　groups　of　palm…trees；　in　the　midst　of　which　were　seen　picturesque　bungalows；　viharis　（a　sort　of　abandoned　monasteries）；　and　marvellous　temples　enriched　by　the　exhaustless　ornamentation　of　Indian　architecture。　Then　they　came　upon　vast　tracts　extending　to　the　horizon；　with　jungles　inhabited　by　snakes　and　tigers；　which　fled　at　the　noise　of　the　train；　succeeded　by　forests　penetrated　by　the　railway；　and　still　haunted　by　elephants　which；　with　pensive　eyes；　gazed　at　the　train　as　it　passed。　The　travellers　crossed；　beyond　Malligaum；　the　fatal　country　so　often　stained　with　blood　by　the　sectaries　of　the　goddess　Kali。　Not　far　off　rose　Ellora；　with　its　graceful　pagodas；　and　the　famous　Aurungabad；　capital　of　the　ferocious　Aureng…Zeb；　now　the　chief　town　of　one　of　the　detached　provinces　of　the　kingdom　of　the　Nizam。　It　was　thereabouts　that　Feringhea；　the　Thuggee　chief；　king　of　the　stranglers；　held　his　sway。　These　ruffians；　united　by　a　secret　bond；　strangled　victims　of　every　age　in　honour　of　the　goddess　Death；　without　ever　shedding　blood；　there　was　a　period　when　this　part　of　the　country　could　scarcely　be　travelled　over　without　corpses　being　found　in　every　direction。　The　English　Government　has　succeeded　in　greatly　diminishing　these　murders；　though　the　Thuggees　still　exist；　and　pursue　the　exercise　of　their　horrible　rites。
  At　half…past　twelve　the　train　stopped　at　Burhampoor；　where　Passepartout　was　able　to　purchase　some　Indian　slippers；　ornamented　with　false　pearls；　in　which；　with　evident　vanity；　he　proceeded　to　incase　his　feet。　The　travellers　made　a　hasty　breakfast　and　started　off　for　Assurghur；　after　skirting　for　a　little　the　banks　of　the　small　river　Tapty；　which　empties　into　the　Gulf　of　Cambray；　near　Surat。
  Passepartout　was　now　plunged　into　absorbing　reverie。　Up　to　his　arrival　at　Bombay；　he　had　entertained　hopes　that　their　journey　would　end　there；　but　now　that　they　were　plainly　whirling　across　India　at　full　speed；　a　sudden　change　had　come　over　the　spirit　of　his　dreams。　His　old　vagabond　nature　returned　to　him；　the　fantastic　ideas　of　his　youth　once　more　took　possession　of　him。　He　carne　to　regard　his　master's　project　as　intended　in　good　earnest；　believed　in　the　reality　of　the　bet；　and　therefore　in　the　tour　of　the　worlds　and　the　necessity　of　making　it　without　fail　within　the　designated　period。　Already　he　began　to　worry　about　possible　delays；　and　accidents　which　might　happen　on　the　way。　He　recognized　himself　as　being　personally　interested　in　the　wager；　and　trembled　at　the　thought　that　he　might　have　been　the　means　of　losing　it　by　his　unpardonable　folly　of　the　night　before。　Being　much　less　cool…headed　than　Mr　Fogg；　he　was　much　more　restless；　counting　and　recounting　the　days　passed　over；　uttering　maledictions　when　the　train　stopped；　and　accusing　it　of　sluggishness；　and　mentally　blaming　Mr　Fogg　for　not　having　bribed　the　engineer。　The　worthy　fellow　was　ignorant　that；　while　it　was　possible　by　such　means　to　hasten　the　rate　of　a　steamer；　it　could　not　be　done　on　the　railway。
  The　train　entered　the　defiles　of　the　Sutpour　Mountains；　which　separate　the　Khandeish　from　Bundelcund；　towards　evening。　The　next　day　Sir　Francis　Cromarty　asked　Passepartout　what　time　it　was；　to　which；　on　consulting　his　watch；　he　replied　that　it　was　three　in　the　morning。　This　famous　timepiece；　always　regulated　on　the　Greenwich　meridian；　which　was　now　some　seventy…seven　degrees　westward；　was　at　least　four　hours　slow。　Sir　Francis　corrected　Passepartout's　time；　whereupon　the　latter　made　the　same　remark　that　he　had　done　to　Fix；　and　upon　the　general　insisting　that　the　watch　shoul