Three days and three nights had gone by since the train had left San Francisco. The travelers had passed the Great Salt Lake in Utah, traveled over the Rocky Mountains, and crossed the prairies of Wyoming. In Nebraska they had reached the Platte River, which the rail line was now following, 350 miles before Omaha. Four more days and nights remained until they would reach New York. Phileas Fogg was right on schedule.
Mr. Fogg and his friends continued their whist game, and no one complained about the length of the trip. During the morning Fix had won several guineas, which he now seemed likely to lose. The train pulled into the station at Plum Creek. Mr. Fogg was about to play a winning spade when a voice from behind him said, "A smart whist player would play a diamond!"
It was Colonel Proctor.
"I see I have found you, Englishman," said the colonel.
Aouda turned pale. She seized Mr. Fogg's arm. But it was Mr. Fix who stood up and said, "Pardon me, but this is my affair. You hit me, Colonel, and now you are being insolent with one of my friends. I will challenge you myself!"
"Mr. Fix, you will not," said Mr. Fogg, rising from his seat. "The colonel has insulted me a second time by suggesting that I play a diamond. I have no more patience for this rude American. I challenge you to a duel, Colonel!"
"I accept your challenge," replied Colonel Proctor, "with whatever weapon you choose!"
Passepartout wanted to beg Mr. Fogg not to proceed but knew that, as Fogg's servant, he must hold his tongue. Aouda, on the other hand, pleaded with Mr. Fogg not to risk his life. Mr. Fogg calmly selected four revolvers from Passepartout's collection and handed two to the colonel. He left the car, and the American followed him out onto the platform. The weather had turned cold and scattered snowflakes were drifting in the air. The conductor hurried to them to say the train was about to get underway again. "We are already twenty minutes late, gentlemen. Please board the train," he said.
"We mean to fight a duel! And we would like to do it here and now," said Mr. Fogg.
"I'm really very sorry," said the conductor. "Under any other circumstances, I'd be willing to oblige you, but there is no time. Why not fight as we go along?"
The men reboarded the train. As it left the station, they followed the conductor to the last car. The conductor quickly relocated its few passengers. Mr. Fogg and Colonel Proctor, each carrying two six-barreled revolvers, faced each other at opposite ends of the empty car. They agreed to begin firing on the count of three.
Fix and Passepartout, their hearts beating, waited outside the door. Suddenly they heard savage cries, accompanied by gunshots, but the shots did not come from the last car of the train. Shrieks of terror came from the passengers.
Colonel Proctor and Mr. Fogg, revolvers in hand, left their dueling car and rushed to the forward cars with Fix and Passepartout. They saw right away what was causing the commotion. A hundred Indians had leaped from galloping horses onto the train. Three had climbed onto the engine and knocked the engineer unconscious. Now the train was racing forward at an uncontrollable speed. The Indians were armed with guns. They slipped through the windows and doors of the cars, shooting at the passengers. Many passengers were armed as well and fired back.
The conductor was fighting beside Mr. Fogg. He knew that a garrison of soldiers was at the next station, Fort Kearney, which they were fast approaching. Their only hope was to stop the train so that the soldiers could come to their aid. A shot hit the conductor in the chest. As he fell, he cried, "Unless the train is stopped, we are lost!"
"It shall be stopped," said Phileas Fogg, preparing to rush through the cars to the engine.
"Stay, monsieur, and protect Aouda," said Passepartout. "I will go!"
Mr. Fogg had no time to stop the courageous Passepartout, who crawled through a door and slipped under the train!
While bullets whizzed between the Indians and the passengers, smashing windows and puncturing seats, Passepartout clung dangerously above the speeding tracks. He crawled forward from one car to the next until he reached the first car. Hanging by one hand, he released the chains that attached the engine to the rest of the train. The train shuddered violently, and the engine detached from the rest of the cars. The engine raced ahead, but the cars began to slow. After several minutes they stopped, only a hundred feet from the station.
Passepartout crawled out from underneath the first car. Before he could brush himself off, he felt a pistol against his head. He turned to see a group of Indians had surrounded him on horseback, and everything went black.
Passepartout's Guidebook
Help! Help! Somebody, help me!
Oh, hello there. As you can see, I'm in a bit of trouble, captured by Indians! Let's hope Mr. Fogg comes to my rescue soon. At least he didn't get killed in that duel. What was he thinking?
Perhaps you have realized this on your own, but a duel is a confrontation between two men. A duel is usually arranged when one man is insulted or wronged by the other man. For example, Mr. Fogg said that Colonel Proctor had insulted him twice, so he challenged Proctor to a duel. It was a way of regaining his honor.
Duels are usually fought with guns and are common in Europe and the United States. They frequently take place at dawn so the men will not be interrupted by townspeople or police. Duels are also common among cowboys in the "Wild West" of America, especially when a new cowboy comes to town.
For a duel with guns, two men stand back-to-back, and then walk forward a certain number of steps. After that, they quickly turn to face each other and shoot.
It's a dangerous way to settle an argument!