Part 12 (1/2)

At half-past twelve the train stopped at Benares The Brahends assert that this city is built on the site of the ancient Casi, which, like Mahomet's tomb, was once suspended between heaven and earth But the Benares of today, which the Orientalists call the Athens of India, stands quite unpoetically on solid earth Passepartout caught gli an aspect of desolation to the place, as the train entered it

Benares was Sir Francis Cro were encamped so, wishi+ng hi the hope that he would coinal but htly pressed hiet what she owed to Sir Francis, betrayed more warmth As for Passepartout, he received a hearty shake of the hand fro Benares, passed for a while along the valley of the Ganges Through the s of their carriage the travelers had glimpses of the diversified landscape of Behar, with its mountains clothed in verdure, its fields of barley, wheat and corn, its jungles peopled with green alligators, its neat villages and its still thickly-leaved forests Elephants were bathing in the waters of the sacred river, and groups of Indians, despite the advanced season and chilly air, were perfor solemnly their pious ablutions These were fervent Brah Vishnu, the solar God, shi+va, the divine impersonation of natural forces and Brahislators

What would these divinities think of India? Anglicized as it is today, with stea the gulls which float upon its surface, the turtles swar upon its borders?

The panorama passed before their eyes like a flash, save when the steam concealed it fitfully from the view The travelers could scarcely discern the fort of Chupenie, twenty hold of the rajahs of Behar; or Ghazipur and its famous rose-waterfactories; or the toes; the fortified town of Buxar, or Patna, a large -place, where is held the principal opiuhir, a lish as Manchester or Birh chiht came on The train passed on at full speed, in the ers, bears and wolves which fled before the locoal, Golconda, ruined Gour, Murshedabad, the ancient capital, Burdwan, Hugly and the French town of Chandernagor, where Passepartout would have been proud to see his country's flag flying, were hidden from their view in the darkness

Calcutta was reached at seven in theat noon; so that Phileas Fogg had five hours before hi to his journal, he was due at Calcutta on the 25th of October, and that was the exact date of his actual arrival He was therefore neither behind nor ahead of tiained between London and Bombay had been lost, as has been seen, in the journey across India But it is not to be supposed that Phileas Fogg regretted theorges Some Thousands of Pounds More

The train entered the station Passepartout ju, who assisted his fair co intended to proceed at once to the Hong Kong steae He was unwilling to leave her while they were still on dangerous ground

Just as he was leaving the station a police?”

”I am he”

”Is thisto Passepartout

”Yes”

”Be so good, both of you, as to followbetrayed no surprise whatever The policeman was a representative of the law, and law is sacred to an Englishman

Passepartout tried to reason about the matter, but the policenal to obey

”May this young lady go with us?” he asked ”She , Aouda and Passepartout were conducted to a palkighari, a sort of four-wheeled carriage, drawn by two horses They took their places and were driven away No one spoke during the twenty minutes which elapsed before they reached their destination

They first passed through the ”black toith its narrow streets, its h the ”European tohich presented a relief in its bright brickwith antly dressed horse back and forth

The carriage stopped before ahouse, which, however, did not have the appearance of a privaterequested his prisoners--for so, truly, they ht be called--to descend, conducted them into a rooe Obadiah at half-past eight”

He then retired, and closed the door

”Why, we are prisoners!” exclai into a chair

Aouda, with an e: ”Sir, you must leave me to my fate! It is onsavedthat it was impossible It was quite unlikely that he should be arrested for preventing a suttee The coe There was some mistake Moreover, he would not, in any event, abandon Aouda, but would escort her to Hong Kong