Mr. Fogg paid the cabman and was about to enter the train station when a poor beggar approached him. She was carrying a child in her arms, her bare feet were smeared with mud, and her clothes were old and torn. She asked Mr. Fogg for some money for food. Mr. Fogg took out the twenty guineas he had won that very evening at whist and handed them to her, saying, "Here, my good woman. I'm glad that I met you." Then he continued on his way.
Passepartout was touched by his master's generosity, and he entered the station with a tear in his eye.
Mr. Fogg quickly bought two first-class tickets for Paris. As he and Passepatout were crossing the platform, Mr. Fogg saw his five friends from the Reform Club.
"Well, gentlemen," he said. "I'm off, and you can examine my passport when I get back. You will be able to judge then whether I completed the journey."
"Oh, that is quite unnecessary, Mr. Fogg," said one man politely. "We trust your word as a gentleman of honor."
"You do remember when you are due back in London?" asked another man.
"In eighty days, on Saturday, December 21, 1872, at 8:45 p.m.," said Mr. Fogg. "Good-bye, gentlemen."
And with that, Phileas Fogg and Passepartout boarded the train and seated themselves in the first-class carriage. Five-minutes later the train whistled, and then glided out of the station.
Phileas Fogg suspected that his departure from London would create a lively sensation. He was right. The news of the extraordinary bet spread through the Reform Club and sparked excited conversation among its members. The news quickly got into the newspapers around London, and the "tour of the world" was soon being talked about all over town.
Some people supported Mr. Fogg and believed his journey would be a success. But many thought he was insane for betting so much money on a journey he could not possibly complete in eighty days. Many of the newspapers claimed Mr. Fogg's project was madness. Only the Daily Telegraph supported his adventure.
Soon the members of the Reform Club weren't the only ones to place wagers on Phileas Fogg's journey. His name began appearing in the betting books as if he were a racehorse! Five days after his departure, an article appeared in the bulletin of the Royal Geographical Society. Everything, it said, was against the travelers. There would be obstacles imposed by humans and by nature. Furthermore, Fogg's success would depend on a miraculous agreement of trains and steamers' departure and arrival times. Mr. Fogg might be able to depend on trains arriving on time in Europe, where distances were relatively short. But when he was trying to cross India in three days, and the United States in seven, transportation would not be as reliable. Surely there would be problems with machinery, trains running off the tracks, collisions, and bad weather.
Still, as Phileas Fogg rode the train out of London, he was relaxed and confident in his first-class carriage, unconcerned about any of the problems that could interrupt his journey. Passepartout, however, had still not recovered from the shock of being whisked away on such short notice. He clung mechanically to the carpetbag filled with money and stared straight ahead without seeing a thing.
As the train was speeding through Sydenham, just outside London, Passepartout suddenly uttered a cry of despair.
"What's the matter?" asked Mr. Fogg.
"Alas!" cried Passepartout. "In my hurry I forgot . . ."
"What?" asked Mr. Fogg.
"To turn off the gas in my room!" said Passepartout.
"Very well, young man," returned Mr. Fogg coolly. "It will burn . . . at your expense."
Passepartout looked down in embarrassment. It was his fault, after all.
After arriving in Calais, they traveled by train to Paris and then through the Alps to Turin in northern Italy. They traversed Italy to Brindisi, at the heel of Italy's boot, where they boarded the ship Mongolia and sailed for Suez.
Passepartout's Guidebook
So Mr. Fogg and I had just caught the train from Paris, France, to Brindisi, a port in the south of Italy. What a long trip it was! Although I must say, it was extremely comfortable. After all, this is known as the "golden age" of rail travel. Train travel is now more popular and comfortable than ever before.
Train tracks first appeared in Europe in the 1500s, but the "train" was a wagon pulled along the track by horses. In 1804 an English steam engine pulled train cars with passengers for the first time. Early steam engines like this were often called "iron horses." I'm just glad I didn't have to "feed" it the coal it needed! What a tough and dirty job!
The first passenger trains were pretty rough. They seldom traveled more than 18 miles per hour, passengers sat on wooden benches, and meals were eaten quickly in dining halls at train stations.
Thankfully, train travel has improved a lot since then. By the 1860s trains could travel at around 99 miles per hour, and no more wooden benches! Passengers now have a choice of first, second, or third class. First class is like a hotel on wheels! The rooms are large and luxurious, and the dining car resembles a fancy restaurant. There are also bars and lounges where passengers can relax, and watch the countryside go by.