f000001,5.880,13.040,"XXVIII."
f000002,13.040,29.760,"IN WHICH TASSEPARTOUT DOES NOT SUCCEED IN MAKING ANYBODY LISTEN TO REASON."
f000003,29.760,56.600,"The train, on leaving Great Salt Lake at Ogden, passed northward for an hour as far as Weber River, having com pleted nearly nine hundred miles from San Francisco."
f000004,56.600,64.840,"From this point it took an easterly direction towards the jagged Wahsatch Mountains."
f000005,64.840,94.720,"It was in the section included between this range and the Rocky Mountains that the American engineers found the most formidable difficulties in laying the road, and that the government granted a sub sidy of fortyeight thousand dollars per mile, instead of sixteen thousand allowed for the work done on the plains."
f000006,94.720,107.520,"But the engineers, instead of violating nature, avoided its difficulties by winding around, instead of penetrating the rocks."
f000007,107.520,121.320,"One tunnel only, fourteen thousand feet in length, was pierced in order to arrive at the great basin."
f000008,121.320,130.400,"AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHTY DAYS. playing from Mr. Fogg."
f000009,130.400,153.320,"As for the detective, he was simply an adept, and worthy of being matched against his present opponent."
f000010,153.320,159.800,"Now, thought Passepartout, we've got him."
f000011,159.800,162.040,"He won't budge."
f000012,162.040,188.640,"At eleven in the morning the train had reached the dividing ridge of the waters at Bridger Pass, seven thou sand five hundred and twentyfour feet above the level of the sea, one of the highest points attained by the track in crossing the Rocky Mountains."
f000013,188.640,211.720,"After going about two hundred miles, the travellers at last found themselves on one of those vast plains which extend to the Atlantic, and which nature has made so propitious for laying the iron road."
f000014,211.720,224.200,"On the declivity of the Atlantic basin the first streams, branches of the North Platte River, already appeared."
f000015,224.200,248.400,"The whole northern and eastern horizon was bounded by the immense semicircular curtain which is formed by the southern portion of the Rocky Mountains, the highest being Laramie Peak."
f000016,248.400,259.240,"Between this and the railway ex tended vast plains, plentifully irrigated."
f000017,259.240,274.960,"On the right rose the lower spurs of the mountainous mass which extends southward to the sources of the Arkansas River, one of the great tributaries of the Missouri."
f000018,274.960,287.560,"At half past twelve the travellers caught sight for an instant of Fort Halleck, which commands that section;  AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHTY DAYS. and in a few more hours the Rocky Mountains were crossed."
f000019,287.560,304.040,"There was reason to hope, then, that no accident would mark the journey through this difficult country."
f000020,304.040,310.760,"The snow had ceased falling, and the air became crisp and cold."
f000021,310.760,318.800,"Large birds, frightened by the locomotive, rose and flew off in the distance."
f000022,318.800,322.560,"No wild beast appeared on the plain."
f000023,322.560,327.520,"It was a desert in its vast nakedness."
f000024,327.520,347.080,"After a comfortable breakfast, served in the car, Mr. Fogg and his partners had just resumed whist, when a violent whistling was heard, and the train stopped."
f000025,347.080,362.120,"Passe partout put his head out of the door, but saw nothing to cause the delay; no station was in view."
f000026,362.120,390.480,"Aouda and Fix feared that Mr. Fogg might take it into his head to get out; but that gentleman contented himself with saying to his servant,  See what is the matter."
f000027,390.480,394.680,"Passepartout rushed out of the car."
f000028,394.680,403.200,"Thirty or forty passengers had already descended, amongst them Colonel Stamp Proctor."
f000029,403.200,416.520,"The train had stopped before a red signal which blocked the way."
f000030,416.520,441.920,"The engineer and conductor were talking ex citedly with a signalman, whom the stationmaster at Medicine Bow, the next stopping place, had sent on before."
f000031,441.920,466.080,"The passengers drew around and took part in the discus sion, in which Colonel Proctor, with his insolent manner, was conspicuous."
f000032,466.080,471.560,"say,  No ! you can't pass !"
f000033,471.560,483.600,"The bridge at Medicine Bow is shaky, and would not bear the weight of the train."
f000034,483.600,497.080,"This was a suspensionbridge thrown over some rapids, about a mile from the place where they now were."
f000035,497.080,518.600,"Ac cording to the signalman, it was in a ruinous condition, several of the iron wires being broken; and it was impos sible to risk the passage."
f000036,518.600,525.680,"He did not in any way exagge rate the condition of the bridge."
f000037,525.680,539.000,"It may be taken for granted that, rash as the Americans usually are, when they are prudent there is good reason for it."
f000038,539.000,555.200,"Passepartout, not daring to apprise his master of what he heard, listened with set teeth, immovable as a statue."
f000039,555.200,572.560,"Hum ! cried Colonel Proctor;  but we are not going to stay here, I imagine, and take root in the snow?"
f000040,572.560,592.680,"Colonel, replied the conductor,  we have telegraphed to Omaha for a train, but it is not likely that it will reach Medicine Bow in less than six hours."
f000041,592.680,596.160,"Six hours! cried Passepartout."
f000042,596.160,601.480,"Certainly, returned the conductor."
f000043,601.480,609.360,"Besides, it will take us as long as that to reach Medicine Bow on foot."
f000044,609.360,615.760,"But it is only a mile from here, said one of the passengers."
f000045,615.760,620.280,"Yes, but it's on the other side of the river."
f000046,620.280,631.200,"And can't we cross that in a boat ? asked the colonel."
f000047,631.200,632.520,"That's impossible."
f000048,632.520,639.840,"The creek is swelled by the rains."
f000049,639.840,643.720,"AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHTY DAYS."
f000050,643.720,655.440,"It is a rapid, and we shall have to make a circuit of ten miles to the north to find a ford."
f000051,655.440,687.840,"The colonel launched a volley of oaths, denouncing the railway company and the conductor; and Passepartout, who was furious, was not disinclined to make common cause with him."
f000052,687.840,696.840,"Here was an obstacle, indeed, which all his master's banknotes could not remove."
f000053,696.840,715.160,"There was a general disappointment among the pas sengers, who, without reckoning the delay, saw themselves compelled to trudge fifteen miles over a plain covered with snow."
f000054,715.160,743.760,"They grumbled and protested, and would certainly have thus attracted Phileas Fogg's attention, if he had not been completely absorbed in his game."
f000055,743.760,787.200,"Passepartout found that he could not avoid telling his master what had occurred, and, with hanging head he was turning towards the car, when the engineer — a true Yankee, named Forster — called out,  Gentlemen, perhaps there is a way, after all, to get over."
f000056,787.200,791.520,"On the bridge ? asked a passenger."
f000057,791.520,792.560,"On the bridge."
f000058,792.560,795.200,"With our train?"
f000059,795.200,796.280,"With our train."
f000060,796.280,801.760,"Passepartout stopped short, and eagerly listened to the engineer."
f000061,801.760,807.640,"But the bridge is unsafe, urged the conductor."
f000062,807.640,822.040,"No matter, replied Forster;  I think that by putting AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHTY DAYS. on the very highest speed we might have a chance of getting over."
f000063,822.040,826.880,"The devil ! muttered Passepartout."
f000064,826.880,845.800,"But a number of the passengers were at once attracted by the engineer's proposal, and Colonel Proctor was especially delighted, and found the plan a very feasible one."
f000065,845.800,867.280,"He told stones about engineers leaping their trains over rivers without bridges, by putting on full steam; and many of those present avowed themselves of the engineer's mind."
f000066,867.280,871.880,"We have fifty chances out of a hundred of getting over, said one."
f000067,871.880,873.080,"Eighty ! ninety !"
f000068,873.080,889.360,"Passepartout was astounded, and, though ready to attempt anything to get over Medicine Creek, thought the experiment proposed a little too American."
f000069,889.360,905.120,"Besides, thought he,  there's a still more simple way, and it does not even occur to any of these people !"
f000070,905.120,924.160,"Sir, said he aloud to one of the passengers,  the engineer's plan seems to me a little dangerous, but —   Eighty chances ! replied the passenger, turning his back on him."
f000071,924.160,947.560,"I know it, said Passepartout, turning to another pas senger,  but a simple idea —   Ideas are no use, returned the American, shrugging his shoulders,  as the engineer assures us that we can pass."
f000072,947.560,951.120,"AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHTY DAYS."
f000073,951.120,963.320,"Doubtless, urged Passepartout,  we can pass, but perhaps it would be more prudent —   What !"
f000074,963.320,976.000,"Prudent! cried Colonel Proctor, whom this word seemed to excite prodigiously."
f000075,976.000,979.960,"At full speed, don't you see, at full speed !"
f000076,979.960,994.560,"I know— I see, repeated Passepartout;  but it would be, if not more prudent, since that word displeases you, at least more natural —   Who !"
f000077,994.560,996.080,"What !"
f000078,996.080,999.640,"What's the matter with this fellow ? cried several."
f000079,999.640,1004.480,"The poor fellow did not know to whom to address himself."
f000080,1004.480,1009.640,"Are you afraid ? asked Colonel Proctor."
f000081,1009.640,1011.320,"I afraid !"
f000082,1011.320,1019.720,"Very well; I will show these people that a Frenchman can be as American as they !"
f000083,1019.720,1022.720,"All aboard ! cried the conductor."
f000084,1022.720,1028.520,"Yes, all aboard! repeated Passepartout, and imme diately."
f000085,1028.520,1045.800,"But they can't prevent me from thinking that it would be more natural for us to cross the bridge on foot, and let the train come after!"
f000086,1045.800,1053.280,"But no one heard this sage reflection, nor would any one have acknowledged its justice."
f000087,1053.280,1057.840,"The passengers resumed their places in the cars."
f000088,1057.840,1067.520,"Passepartout took his seat without telling what had passed."
f000089,1067.520,1072.520,"The whistplayers were quite absorbed in their game."
f000090,1072.520,1086.520,"The locomotive whistled vigorously; the engineer, re THE BEIDGE, COMPLETELY ETJINED, FELL WITH A CEASH."
f000091,1086.520,1108.720,"Pag III. AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHTY DAYS. versing the steam, backed the train for nea r ly a mile — retiring, like a jumper, in order to take a longer leap."
f000092,1108.720,1127.440,"Then, with another whistle, he began to move forward; the train increased its speed, and soon its rapidity became frightful; a prolonged screech issued from the locomotive; the piston worked up and down twenty strokes to the second."
f000093,1127.440,1136.080,"They perceived that the whole train, rushing on at the rate of a hundred miles an hour, hardly bore upon the rails at all."
f000094,1136.080,1137.760,"And they passed over !"
f000095,1137.760,1139.320,"It was like a flash."
f000096,1139.320,1140.920,"No one saw the bridge."
f000097,1140.920,1150.320,"The train leaped, so to speak, from one bank to the other, and the engineer could not stop it until it had gone five miles beyond the station."
f000098,1150.320,1162.160,"But scarcely had the train passed the river, when the bridge, com pletely ruined, fell with a crash into the rapids of Medicine Bow."
f000099,1162.160,1163.840,"end of chapter twenty eight."