Chapter XII. IN WHICH PHILEAS FOGG AND HIS COMPANIONS VENTURE ACROSS THE INDIAN FORESTS, AND WHAT ENSUED

In order to shorten the journey, the guide passed to the left of the line where the railway was still in process of being built. This line, owing to the capricious turnings of the Vindhia Mountains, did not pursue a straight course. The Parsee, who was quite familiar with the roads and paths in the district, declared that they would gain twenty miles by striking directly through the forest.

Phileas Fogg and Sir Francis Cromarty, plunged to the neck in the peculiar howdahs provided for them, were horribly jostled by the swift trotting of the elephant, spurred on as he was by the skilful Parsee; but they endured the discomfort with true British phlegm, talking little, and scarcely able to catch a glimpse of each other. As for Passepartout, who was mounted on the beast's back, and received the direct force of each concussion as he trod along, he was very careful, in accordance with his master's advice, to keep his tongue from between his teeth, as it would otherwise have been bitten off short. The worthy fellow bounced from the elephant's neck to his rump, and vaulted like a clown on a spring-board; yet he laughed in the midst of his bouncing, and from time to time took a piece of sugar out of his pocket, and inserted it in Kiouni's trunk, who received it without in the least slackening his regular trot.

After two hours the guide stopped the elephant, and gave him an hour for rest, during which Kiouni, after quenching his thirst at a neighbouring spring, set to devouring the branches and shrubs round about him. Neither Sir Francis nor Mr. Fogg regretted the delay, and both descended with a feeling of relief. "Why, he's made of iron!" exclaimed the general, gazing admiringly on Kiouni.

"Of forged iron," replied Passepartout, as he set about preparing a hasty breakfast.

At noon the Parsee gave the signal of departure. The country soon presented a very savage aspect. Copses of dates and dwarf-palms succeeded the dense forests; then vast, dry plains, dotted with scanty shrubs, and sown with great blocks of syenite. All this portion of Bundelcund, which is little frequented by travellers, is inhabited by a fanatical population, hardened in the most horrible practices of the Hindoo faith. The English have not been able to secure complete dominion over this territory, which is subjected to the influence of rajahs, whom it is almost impossible to reach in their inaccessible mountain fastnesses. The travellers several times saw bands of ferocious Indians, who, when they perceived the elephant striding across-country, made angry and threatening motions. The Parsee avoided them as much as possible. Few animals were observed on the route; even the monkeys hurried from their path with contortions and grimaces which convulsed Passepartout with laughter.

In the midst of his gaiety, however, one thought troubled the worthy servant. What would Mr. Fogg do with the elephant when he got to Allahabad? Would he carry him on with him? Impossible! The cost of transporting him would make him ruinously expensive. Would he sell him, or set him free? The estimable beast certainly deserved some consideration. Should Mr. Fogg choose to make him, Passepartout, a present of Kiouni, he would be very much embarrassed; and these thoughts did not cease worrying him for a long time.

The principal chain of the Vindhias was crossed by eight in the evening, and another halt was made on the northern slope, in a ruined bungalow. They had gone nearly twenty-five miles that day, and an equal distance still separated them from the station of Allahabad.

The night was cold. The Parsee lit a fire in the bungalow with a few dry branches, and the warmth was very grateful, provisions purchased at Kholby sufficed for supper, and the travellers ate ravenously. The conversation, beginning with a few disconnected phrases, soon gave place to loud and steady snores. The guide watched Kiouni, who slept standing, bolstering himself against the trunk of a large tree. Nothing occurred during the night to disturb the slumberers, although occasional growls from panthers and chatterings of monkeys broke the silence; the more formidable beasts made no cries or hostile demonstration against the occupants of the bungalow. Sir Francis slept heavily, like an honest soldier overcome with fatigue. Passepartout was wrapped in uneasy dreams of the bouncing of the day before. As for Mr. Fogg, he slumbered as peacefully as if he had been in his serene mansion in Saville Row.

The journey was resumed at six in the morning; the guide hoped to reach Allahabad by evening. In that case, Mr. Fogg would only lose a part of the forty-eight hours saved since the beginning of the tour. Kiouni, resuming his rapid gait, soon descended the lower spurs of the Vindhias, and towards noon they passed by the village of Kallenger, on the Cani, one of the branches of the Ganges. The guide avoided inhabited places, thinking it safer to keep the open country, which lies along the first depressions of the basin of the great river. Allahabad was now only twelve miles to the north-east. They stopped under a clump of bananas, the fruit of which, as healthy as bread and as succulent as cream, was amply partaken of and appreciated.

At two o'clock the guide entered a thick forest which extended several miles; he preferred to travel under cover of the woods. They had not as yet had any unpleasant encounters, and the journey seemed on the point of being successfully accomplished, when the elephant, becoming restless, suddenly stopped.

It was then four o'clock.

"What's the matter?" asked Sir Francis, putting out his head.

"I don't know, officer," replied the Parsee, listening attentively to a confused murmur which came through the thick branches.

The murmur soon became more distinct; it now seemed like a distant concert of human voices accompanied by brass instruments. Passepartout was all eyes and ears. Mr. Fogg patiently waited without a word. The Parsee jumped to the ground, fastened the elephant to a tree, and plunged into the thicket. He soon returned, saying:

"A procession of Brahmins is coming this way. We must prevent their seeing us, if possible."

The guide unloosed the elephant and led him into a thicket, at the same time asking the travellers not to stir. He held himself ready to bestride the animal at a moment's notice, should flight become necessary; but he evidently thought that the procession of the faithful would pass without perceiving them amid the thick foliage, in which they were wholly concealed.

The discordant tones of the voices and instruments drew nearer, and now droning songs mingled with the sound of the tambourines and cymbals. The head of the procession soon appeared beneath the trees, a hundred paces away; and the strange figures who performed the religious ceremony were easily distinguished through the branches. First came the priests, with mitres on their heads, and clothed in long lace robes. They were surrounded by men, women, and children, who sang a kind of lugubrious psalm, interrupted at regular intervals by the tambourines and cymbals; while behind them was drawn a car with large wheels, the spokes of which represented serpents entwined with each other. Upon the car, which was drawn by four richly caparisoned zebus, stood a hideous statue with four arms, the body coloured a dull red, with haggard eyes, dishevelled hair, protruding tongue, and lips tinted with betel. It stood upright upon the figure of a prostrate and headless giant.

Sir Francis, recognising the statue, whispered, "The goddess Kali; the goddess of love and death."

"Of death, perhaps," muttered back Passepartout, "but of love—that ugly old hag? Never!"

The Parsee made a motion to keep silence.

A group of old fakirs were capering and making a wild ado round the statue; these were striped with ochre, and covered with cuts whence their blood issued drop by drop—stupid fanatics, who, in the great Indian ceremonies, still throw themselves under the wheels of Juggernaut. Some Brahmins, clad in all the sumptuousness of Oriental apparel, and leading a woman who faltered at every step, followed. This woman was young, and as fair as a European. Her head and neck, shoulders, ears, arms, hands, and toes were loaded down with jewels and gems with bracelets, earrings, and rings; while a tunic bordered with gold, and covered with a light muslin robe, betrayed the outline of her form.

The guards who followed the young woman presented a violent contrast to her, armed as they were with naked sabres hung at their waists, and long damascened pistols, and bearing a corpse on a palanquin. It was the body of an old man, gorgeously arrayed in the habiliments of a rajah, wearing, as in life, a turban embroidered with pearls, a robe of tissue of silk and gold, a scarf of cashmere sewed with diamonds, and the magnificent weapons of a Hindoo prince. Next came the musicians and a rearguard of capering fakirs, whose cries sometimes drowned the noise of the instruments; these closed the procession.

Sir Francis watched the procession with a sad countenance, and, turning to the guide, said, "A suttee."

The Parsee nodded, and put his finger to his lips. The procession slowly wound under the trees, and soon its last ranks disappeared in the depths of the wood. The songs gradually died away; occasionally cries were heard in the distance, until at last all was silence again.

Phileas Fogg had heard what Sir Francis said, and, as soon as the procession had disappeared, asked: "What is a suttee?"

"A suttee," returned the general, "is a human sacrifice, but a voluntary one. The woman you have just seen will be burned to-morrow at the dawn of day."

"Oh, the scoundrels!" cried Passepartout, who could not repress his indignation.

"And the corpse?" asked Mr. Fogg.

"Is that of the prince, her husband," said the guide; "an independent rajah of Bundelcund."

"Is it possible," resumed Phileas Fogg, his voice betraying not the least emotion, "that these barbarous customs still exist in India, and that the English have been unable to put a stop to them?"

"These sacrifices do not occur in the larger portion of India," replied Sir Francis; "but we have no power over these savage territories, and especially here in Bundelcund. The whole district north of the Vindhias is the theatre of incessant murders and pillage."

"The poor wretch!" exclaimed Passepartout, "to be burned alive!"

"Yes," returned Sir Francis, "burned alive. And, if she were not, you cannot conceive what treatment she would be obliged to submit to from her relatives. They would shave off her hair, feed her on a scanty allowance of rice, treat her with contempt; she would be looked upon as an unclean creature, and would die in some corner, like a scurvy dog. The prospect of so frightful an existence drives these poor creatures to the sacrifice much more than love or religious fanaticism. Sometimes, however, the sacrifice is really voluntary, and it requires the active interference of the Government to prevent it. Several years ago, when I was living at Bombay, a young widow asked permission of the governor to be burned along with her husband's body; but, as you may imagine, he refused. The woman left the town, took refuge with an independent rajah, and there carried out her self-devoted purpose."

While Sir Francis was speaking, the guide shook his head several times, and now said: "The sacrifice which will take place to-morrow at dawn is not a voluntary one."

"How do you know?"

"Everybody knows about this affair in Bundelcund."

"But the wretched creature did not seem to be making any resistance," observed Sir Francis.

"That was because they had intoxicated her with fumes of hemp and opium."

"But where are they taking her?"

"To the pagoda of Pillaji, two miles from here; she will pass the night there."

"And the sacrifice will take place—"

"To-morrow, at the first light of dawn."

The guide now led the elephant out of the thicket, and leaped upon his neck. Just at the moment that he was about to urge Kiouni forward with a peculiar whistle, Mr. Fogg stopped him, and, turning to Sir Francis Cromarty, said, "Suppose we save this woman."

"Save the woman, Mr. Fogg!"

"I have yet twelve hours to spare; I can devote them to that."

"Why, you are a man of heart!"

"Sometimes," replied Phileas Fogg, quietly; "when I have the time."

Chapter XIII. IN WHICH PASSEPARTOUT RECEIVES A NEW PROOF THAT FORTUNE FAVORS THE BRAVE
Chapter XI. IN WHICH PHILEAS FOGG SECURES A CURIOUS MEANS OF CONVEYANCE AT A FABULOUS PRICE

Footnotes

  1. So high a cost as to cause bankruptcy and the loss of all principal funds: Fog would go broke.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  2. Passepartout is wondering if Fogg will **carry, **or bring, him, the elephant, on the train with the rest of Fogg's travel gear (little though that be) and continue the journey with the elephant coming along.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  3. Fogg makes a wry ironical comment about himself by agreeing that he is a compassionate and courageous man--but--only when he (literally) has the time to spare for it (like twelve hours).

    wry, adjective: mockingly humorous

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  4. A man who feels compassion and, equally, who is courageous.

    heart, noun: courage; determination; also, hope, love, compassion

    This also answers the question Sir Francis mused upon regarding Fogg in Chapter XI as to "whether a human heart really beat beneath this cold exterior."

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  5. Based on his recorded itinerary arrivals and departures, his is ahead of schedule by twelve hours and can consequently give a few hours to a good cause, such as rescuing a sutee.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  6. A whistle peculiar to elephant drivers, which they use to instruct the elephants being driven.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  7. Technically, the light that makes the horizon barely discernible and that comes before the actual dawn of light before sunrise.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  8. Sacred religious building with many levels each having square, up-curving roofs; found in Japanese, Chinese, Indian Buddhist and Hindu religions.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  9. verb (past participle form): to bring to a state of stupor or euphoria, with a loss of self-control, through application of drugs or liquors

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  10. noun: the intention of fighting something off; the effort to prevent something

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  11. The Parsee guide declares that the widow in the procession that passed by them is not a voluntary sacrificial suttee but a compelled and coerced sacrifice.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  12. The Parsee guide had more knowledge as a native of India than Sir Francis had as an observer of India and was mentally comparing the observed actuality of the sati processon with Sir Francis's speculations and comments.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  13. This suggests that no relative or Hindu priest has coerced the widow into assenting to the sati but that she has voluntarily devoted herself to the ritual of her own free will and out of devotion to Hindu tradition and to her deceased husband.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  14. A Hindu Indian king or prince who is outside of British colonial control and who is sympathetic to the ritual of sati.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  15. When a Hindu widow insists upon sacrificing herself on her husband's funereal fire, only intentional steps taken by British colonial government agencies, such as the military or police force, can stop the suttee from going through with the sacrifice.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  16. Sometimes, the woman truly believes her destiny is to die a widow's death in sati and chooses to sacrifice herself without being drugged and coerced.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  17. The ancient tradition in India regarded women as non-entities without a husband. In the tradition, when a woman's entity-providing husband died, she took on non-human status and was often completely rejected by her family. Many such widows made their way by begging to the Hindu temple town of Vrindavan, in Uttar Pradesh, where they earned food and shelter by singing the Hindu prayers at religious services. [Though waning, this traditional rejection of widows continues in Indian villages today, and the temple in Vrindavan continues to be a widows' shelter.]

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  18. noun: the expression of thinking something or someone is worthless, vile, to be scorned, to be disdained

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  19. noun: something permitted; something doled out

    "scanty allowance": meager rations; insufficiency of what is permitted

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  20. Equal in meaning to "cannot believe" "cannot comprehend": something, though true, is beyond the scope of comprehensibility.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  21. noun phrase: a person pitied for their misfortune, for their sorrowful situation

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  22. noun: the experience of being or having been violently robbed as in a war or other violent confrontation

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  23. adjective: continually going; continuing without pause or interruption

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  24. Now spelled Vindhya, an east-west mountain range forming the southern border of the Bundelcud district.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  25. Now spelled Bundelkhand, the central region of Northern India at the intersection of three mountain ranges. The location of the ancient Chedi Kingdom of the Chandel Rajputs and the later c. 1500 Bundela Rajputs. "Rajputs" is the name of a Northern Indian Hindu warrior/military caste with ancestral descent from the Kshatriya military and governing caste, the second caste of the four great Hindu castes.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  26. Untamed territories, like the dense mountain forest, where untamed fanatical practices continue.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  27. The greater expanse of India and the larger towns; the places where British colonial government has made inroads and has legislative and administrative control.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  28. Satis or suttees, the sacrifice of the widow on the dead husband's funeral fire, as Indians burn their dead rather than bury them.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  29. Fogg is questioning the effectiveness of British colonial power and also questioning Britain's moral authority, which Fogg infers has been violated by overlooking the continuance of such a brutal, cruel and primitive custom.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  30. Fogg's voice was steady and calm; it didn't show any signs of emotional distress.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  31. A prince who was not connected to the British government and who remained free from the effects of colonization because of being one of those whose "fastness" was buried so deep in the vast wilds of India that the British army could not penetrate its harshness and reach him.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  32. noun: "anger or scorn aroused by something felt to be unfair, unworthy, or wrong" (Collins Dictionary)

    Fogg is roused to anger at the unworthy sight of a beautiful young woman wrongly being taken to her death by capering religious fanatics.

    The capering fanatics pose a bitter situational irony in the face of the young widow's impending death.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  33. Shouts, loud snatches of song, loud exclamations from the ascetic fakirs, etc.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  34. The interior of the woods behind them through which they could no longer see.

    Ironic twist of fate (situational irony): The same thick covering of branches and foliage that protected them soon took the threatening and dangerous procession from sight.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  35. Line of individuals standing abreast, standing side by side.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  36. Slowly made its way through the twists and turns of the forest path.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  37. Another indication of the need for silence to avoid detection by the procession in honor of the goddess Kali and for the purpose of a ritual immolation (burning).

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  38. noun: the woman who performs a sati

    sati, noun: Hindu ritual in which a newly widowed woman voluntarily or through forcable corercion throws herself upon the burning pyre holding her deceased husband's flame engulfed body (eventually outlawed by British regulation)

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  39. noun: those positioned at the rear of a group as in a procession or an army, e.g., a religious procession

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  40. Soft head covering made of a long length of silk cloth wound in a precise pattern around a man's head.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  41. Indian king or prince.

    The old man on the palanquin was an Indian king or prince.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  42. In this case, the palanquin is not a sedan chair nor a howdah, but it is a flat palanquin on which a corpse (a dead body) is laid out prior to funereal proceedings.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  43. adjective: a metal object, like scabbard, that is inlaid with gold and silver decoration

    inlaid, verb: to have decorative embellishments embedded in the material of an object: e.g., wood with embedded, inlaid ivory; brass with embedded, inlaid silver

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  44. Broad, heavy swords hanging from their belts but not sheathed in scabbards.

    naked, adjective
    something outside of, not inside of its protective covering

    sabre, noun
    heavy sword with curved blade, the cutting edge is the outer edge of the curve

    scabbard, noun: a sheath, a protective covering for a sword, dagger or knife

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  45. A shocking, dramatically distinct difference.

    violent, adjective
    shocking; emotionally strong; disturbing

    contrast, noun
    being strikingly different from something

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  46. The form-fitting tunic that was thin and light weight showed her silhouette while the open outer garment flowed away from her with the motion of walking (more so if there would be a wind).

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  47. noun: loose-fitting outer garment

    In this case, the stumbling girl wore an open-fronted, loose, light-weight cotton garment over her form-fitting, gold-trimmed tunic.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  48. adjective: decorated with gold along the edges of something, e.g., a garment

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  49. noun: a sleeveless, tight-fitting garment, usually falling length-wise to the ankles or ground

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  50. adjective: light complected; not of dark skin hue

    Many Indians are noted for having deeply colored skin of a dark brown hue.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  51. verb: to move unsteadily; to stumble while walking; to hesitate or waver

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  52. Oriental apparel, from what we now call Asian countries, is represented by silks, satins, and gossamer fabrics.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  53. Juggernaut is a title for the Hindu deity Krishna.

    When the idol of Krishna the Juggernaut is moved in procession, as Kali is being moved in our narrative, his extremist fanatical worshipers literally throw themselves under the wheels of the cart or wagon that carries the idol statue. The wheels crush them to death.

    Verne, through the voice of the narrator, is condemning fanatical practices he has called "stupid": without sense; without rationality; without intelligence or reasonableness.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  54. A person lacking good sense and the ability to reason who is not intelligent enough to understand who couples inability to reason with an excessive commitment to tunnel vision zeal for an extreme cause, belief, or religion.

    stupid, adjective
    lacking good judgement; lacking intelligence; unable to reason; unable to learn

    fanatic, noun
    having excessive, single-focus zeal for an extreme religious, political or personal belief or cause

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  55. The religious ascetics, the old fakirs, practicing self-punishment, had gashes that slowly bled. Neither the narrator on Jules Vernes condones or approves of the fakirs' actions since the narrator goes on to insult them and condemn them by saying "stupid fanatics."

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  56. The old fakirs were painted with stripes colored by ochre, an earthen clay that dyes or stains skin and other objects brown or red.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  57. noun: earthen clay that dyes or stains skin and other objects brown or red

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  58. noun (archaic): trouble; difficulty; fuss; bother

    The old fakirs were dancing about and around the statue generating fuss and bother, like the idiom "kicking up a storm" meaning being unruly and lively without guidance or structure.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  59. noun: Hindu or Muslim religious men devoted to self-denial and self-punishment (of varying degrees and sorts) who live only by what people offer to them as alms; they live lives of  ascetic deprivation 

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  60. The Parsee made a gesture indicating that the men needed to keep quiet.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  61. Kali is more often rightly noted for being the goddess of destruction and death.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  62. The statue of the goddess Kali is shown standing on a fallen foe in the form of a giant that was decapitated (lost his head in battle). This alludes to one of the myths about Kali related to the goddess's birth: Shortly after her birth, the goddess Kali conquered and decapitated the demons Chanda and Munda.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  63. These Brahmins worshiped Kali who is the goddess of the forest and of death and destruction. Kali has myths told of her about bloody rampages through forests, which her worshipers did not hesitate to reenact. Therefore it was critical the travelers not be seen in order to preserves their lives.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  64. noun: an evergreen Asian climbing plant that is related to pepper and that has deep red coloration

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  65. noun: a carving or a metal cast image of a person, animal, god, or goddess

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  66. adjective: ugly to look at or hear; frightening; disgusting

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  67. noun: a tropical climate animal of the cow family with a large back hump and long horns

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  68. adjective (old fashioned): decorative cloth to deck an animal with, i.e., a caparisoned animal is a decorated animal covered in fine cloth such as silk or velvet

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  69. The spokes were designed decoratively to look like large snakes twisted around each other.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  70. noun: bars or rods connecting the center of a wheel to its outer rim; may have decorative shapes

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  71. noun: holy hymn or song used in religions for worship and praise

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  72. adjective: sad and dismal; depressing, dreary; gloomy, melancholy

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  73. Ceremonial garments hanging ground-length and made of lace.

    lace, noun
    fine thread twisted and looped together as with a crochet hook or as in filigree work to form fine, delicate patterns with as much space as thread

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  74. Tall pointed caps, with a tall pointed back matched by a tall pointed front.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  75. The distance equal to 100 steps taken by an average man while walking or running.

    A means of approximately measuring distance by equating distance to the measurement of a physical feature or activity, a method quite commonly used before the age of scientific precision and still used by archeologists in the field today.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  76. The person leading the procession.

    procession, noun
    a moving group of people, animals, vehicles intent on one purpose such as a celebration or a religious festival or rite

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  77. A musical instrument consisting of two large medium or small round brass plates, slightly concave in shape (bulging outward toward the middle) that are struck together or slid across each other producing a loud clashing sound.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  78. Musical percussion instrument with small cymbals encircling a narrow round frame holding stretched leather in place. It is hit or shaken.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  79. Low, monotonous tones of murmured songs mixed in with other music.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  80. Tones that were out of harmony, not harmonious; clashing musical sounds.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  81. Paraphrase: surrounded by the heavy forest branches and thick tangle of the thicket hiding the elephant

    amid, preposition
    surrounded by; in the middle of

    foliage, noun
    collective descriptor for plant leaves in general

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  82. verb (be- + stride, similar to astride) (old fashioned): to mount an animal with one's legs on each side of the saddle or of the animal's back

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  83. Not to move from their present location so as not to risk being seen by the approaching procession of Brahmins and others.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  84. Highest Hindu caste comprised of priests of Hinduism: Hindu religious holy men.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  85. Leapt into a thickly grown collection of bushes in order to be unseen as he crept closer to the voices and to spy out what the situation was, to get the answers to what was approaching them and did it pose a danger to them.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  86. figure of speech, idiom: watching intently and listening intently as one transfixed by what was seen and heard

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  87. The musical concert of human voices were in real fact joined by brass instruments being played.

    This "accompaniment" carries on the metaphor of voices being compared to music and musical instruments.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  88. Play on the word "concert": (1) voices raised as one in "concert" or agreement (2) voices that sounded musically, like a musical "concert"

    Paraphrase: a joining together of many voices of many people who were heard from across a distance and who, in a metaphor, sounded like a musical concert

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  89. Paraphrase: the low sound of many voices that, all talking at once, were only indistinctly heard and recognizable, partly because of the sound absorbing quality of the tree branches

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  90. Paraphrase: the low sound of many voices that, all talking at once, were only indistinctly heard and recognizable, partly because of the sound absorbing quality of the tree branches

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  91. Looking out from the neck-high depths of the side-slung, deep howdah (sedan chair, palanquin).

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  92. Paraphrase: the elephant became agitated and nervous (restless) and stopped.

    restless, adjective
    unquiet, uneasy; agitated

    Introduces an element of irony into the story: so close to their journey's end, then the elephant stops in its tracks.

    Also introduces an element of suspense: with practitioners of the goddess Kali's blood cult traveling the forest, what danger has caused the elephant to stop?

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  93. Paraphrase: it seemed the trip was all but finished, all having gone well, because they were so very close to their destination

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  94. noun phrase: unexpected meeting that leads, in this case, to fear, danger, or unhappiness

    unpleasant, adjective
    causing discomfort, fear, unhappiness

    encounter, noun
    unexpected meeting, in this case, of a disquieting or dangerous kind

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  95. *noun phrase: meaning *protected and concealed by the spreading tree branches that are overhead where they travel

    under, adjective
    beneath, below; on the underside of

    cover, noun
    something that spreads over, conceals, protects

    of the woods, prepositional phrase
    (post-modifier of "cover")
    identifying what the cover is: the woods is the cover over them

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  96. verb (past tense form): thankful and grateful knowing the full worth of something

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  97. Many were eaten.

    amply, adjective
    in great capacity; plentifully

    partaken, verb
    eaten or drunk

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  98. A lowering of land level leading to the mouth or estuary of a river where tributaries of a river flow into that river.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  99. The River Cani is a tributary feeding the mighty and holy Ganges River.

    tributary, noun
    stream or river flowing into a larger, central river (or lake)

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  100. East-west mountain range in west-central India separating North India from South India; a geological and climatological divide.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  101. mountain spurs, sometimes called "sub-peaks": jutting rock on the sides of mountain ranges (or hills) that form jagged peak-like appendages to the central mountain structure

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  102. When Fogg's means of transportation arrived at a destination earlier than scheduled, Fogg logged it as being ahead of schedule by so many days. As it happened, early arrivals  put him 2 days, or 48 hours, ahead of ahead of schedule.

    The journey by elephant is expected to take only a little longer than the planned train trip would (if there had been railway tracks laid), so Fogg will lose only a few hours of the 48 hour lead in his schedule: he'll still have close to 48 hours lead in his race against time.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  103. verb: to continue after a pause; to begin again at the point where interrupted

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  104. Alluding to Fogg's residence at No. 7, Saville Row, Burlington Gardens, London, England.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  105. noun phrase (adjective +noun): quiet, peaceful home of luxury

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  106. The bouncing ride on the back of the trotting elephant as they crossed the mountains.

    [This is the same kind of sensation we might experience today, after going rowing or ice skating or surfing, of the continuation of unaccustomed motion hurtling us through our sleep or jostling us in our dreams.]

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  107. phrasal verb, implying a metaphor comparing sleeping dreams to being wrapped in a blanket:

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  108. literary device, allusion: referring to his military career as a soldier who performed his duty honestly

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  109. Paraphrase: aggressive displays of ferocious intentions

    hostile, adjective
    unfriendly; antagonistic

    demonstration, noun
    outward display of emotion or intention

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  110. adjective: as though intensely hungry; intensely eager for gratification

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  111. (archaic) adjective: received or experienced with a sense of gratitude; something that is welcome

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  112. Next railway station where they can resume their travels by train.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  113. noun: small single-storied house with a characteristic broad front porch

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  114. noun: pause; rest from motion; temporary suspension of activity

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  115. An east-to-west mountain chain in west-central India that separates North India from South India and over which Fogg and his companions are traveling to reach the next section of the Great Peninsula Railway line.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  116. geographic feature: the major section of a mountainous geological structure

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  117. After all the elephant's excellent work on their behalf, it required some form of recognition for service rendered.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  118. Passepartout was seized by involuntary, twisting muscle contractions caused by uproarious laughter at the aspect the fleeing monkeys presented.

    convulsed, verb
    involuntary yet violent contractions of muscles producing twistings and contortions

    The irony is that the contortions of Passepartout's violent laughter made him look rather like the monkeys, who fled with violent contortions resulting from alarm.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  119. contortions, noun
    violent body motions that involve twisting the body back on itself and being somewhat distorted

    grimaces, noun
    ugly twisted facial expressions showing alarm, fear, disgust or pain

    The monkeys were in such a state to escape from the seemingly charging elephant that they fled with such speed as to cause them to twist their bodies and faces into unnatural positions of alarm and fear.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  120. Paraphrase: groups of savage, cruel and violent Indians

    Recall that in Chapter XI, Verne, using the narrator's voice, explained about the "fatal country" and the "sectaries of Kali," the "goddess of Death," and the "Thugees." This is the class of "bands of ferocious Indians" that the Parsee and his journeymen were keen to avoid encounters with.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  121. Paraphrase: groups of savage, cruel and violent Indians

    Recall that in Chapter XI, Verne, using the narrator's voice, explained about the "fatal country" and the "sectaries of Kali," the "goddess of Death," and the "Thugees." This is the class of "bands of ferocious Indians" that the Parsee and his journeymen were keen to avoid encounters with.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  122. Mountain hide-away kingdoms beyond the reach of English colonizing civilization.

    fastness, noun
    a refuge that is secure and impossible to reach because of protective surrounding natural features,* e.g., cliffs, dense forest, dry desert etc*

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  123. Under the control of the local Indian kings and princes.

    rajah, noun: Indian king or prince

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  124. Since this part of the country is in India's savage and almost unreachable interior, English colonial government has not succeeded in imposing English law and order.

    able, adjective
    having the power, skill or resources to do something

    secure, verb
    to obtain or to capture something

    dominion, noun
    control; sovereignty

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  125. Jules Verne, speaking through the voice of the narrator, is referring to, among other things, death rites and secret rites that require travelers' deaths as sacrifices.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  126. A population with extreme believes and behaviors who will resort to excessive actions in support of their beliefs.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  127. Dense forests of trees gave way to clusters of varieties of tall, top-leafing palm trees, like the date palm and the dwarf palm. This indicates the land was growing hotter and sparse vegetation. 

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  128. noun: coarse-grained gray igneous rock with mineral content

    igneous rock: solidified from lava or magma; volcanic rock

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  129. noun: appearance or quality of features

    They were going through country that had very wild and fierce characteristics.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  130. figure of speech, idiom (derived from a metaphor): forged iron is stronger than raw iron ore so the elephant is as strong as the strongest kind of iron

    metaphor: comparing the elephant, Kiouni, to iron that has been forged

    Forging is a process by which iron or other metals are introduced into extreme heat the beaten. This forging process increases the natural physical properties of the metal.

    The metaphor (used so often it has become an idiom) suggests that Kiouni is stronger than raw iron ore: he is as strong as iron that has been enhanced by the heating and hammering process.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  131. To look steadily and intently at something or someone with esteem, respect and pleased surprise.

    gazing, verb
    looking steadily and intently as in with admiration or surprise

    admiringly, adverb
    in a way that shows admiration

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  132. figure of speech, idiom (derived from a metaphor): seemingly having the strength and durability of iron metal

    metaphor: comparing the elephant's strength to the strength of iron

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  133. Neither man was unhappy to have a pause in the journey.

    regret, verb
    to feel sad or dissappointed about something

    delay, noun
    the condition of being given a postponement or a pause in activity or action

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  134. verb: eat quickly, eagerly, eagerly to slacken great hunger

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  135. Paraphrase: the elephant received the sugar without slowing the step of its consistently paced trot

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  136. Since Passepartout is bouncing neck to rump, while he is at the neck end (behind the Parsee guide), the elephant's trunk could reach so over as to be within Passepartout's reach, so he treated the elephant to sugar lumps.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  137. figurative imagery: this gives an image, though not an actually accurate one, of jumping up and down while supported by hands on the elephants back.

    vault, verb (vaulted, past tense)
    to spring or jump over something while being propelled by the force from hands or a pole

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  138. Indicating that he is not riding in a sedan chair palanquin.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  139. Been bitten short (off) by the extreme force of the "concussions"--the jolts--of each of the elephant's trotting steps.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  140. noun: in agreement with, in conformity with, in accord with something

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  141. figurative, paraphrase: as Passepartout went along on the elephant's back as the animal trampled along the route.

    The figure of speech, a metonymy, has Passepartout doing the treading along the path as a representation for the elephant really treading along the path (metonymy: the general represents the specific)

    trod, verb (past tense of tread)
    trample over or along; to walk along

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  142. Paraphrase: the full impact of each forceful step the elephant took (there was nothing to buffer the physical jolt of each thunderous step)

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  143. Rode atop the elephant's back without the benefit of a palanquin or howdah: riding on just the thatched rug slung across the elephant's back.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  144. Fogg and Sir Francis could see each other for brief instances because the elephant's trotting gait rose first one up then the other as the elephant stepped with diagonal pairs of legs, thus shifting its weight and exertion.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  145. figure of speech, idiom: to see someone of something very briefly; see for a fleeting moment

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  146. adverb + adjective: barely, almost not, having opportunity

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  147. "having phlegm": an expression derived from the Ancient Greek medical philosophy of four bodily "humors" that controlled four temperament types. A phlegmatic humor or temperament is associated with a calm, stolid, dependable, unemotional individual.

    The British had a reputation for being calm and unperturbed in all manner of situations, always the well-deported lady or gentleman, thus Fogg and Sir Francis are characterized as having "British phlegm": they have typical unperturbed British calm in adversity.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  148. phrasal verb: given encouragement and incentive by someone to do something

    Through his diving skill, the Parsee encouraged the rapid progress of the elephant.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  149. Elephants have a very fast though jostling, buoyant, uneven gait that causes a lot of bouncing to riders and passengers.

    jostle, verb
    bumping, bouncing, pushing, rough action

    swift, adjective
    quickly, briskly done

    trotting, noun
    pace between a walk and run where animals step alternating pairs of diagonal legs

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  150. The "howdahs," or sedan palanquin chairs, are strapped to the elephant's flanks--its sides between ribs and hips--so the men rode high though on opposite sides of the elephant.

    They were "plunged up to the neck" because the howdahs were of a deep construction, with front and sides extending upward to neck level (perhaps the construction was to keep them from bouncing out with the elephant's vigorous motions). The backs of the howdahs may have extended further and been curved to provide umbrella-like protection.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  151. verb (past tense (past participle form)): to state emphatically (forcefully) with a solemn tone

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  152. capricious, adjective
    having sudden changes that cannot be predicted, e.g.., of the mountains, changes in directions

    turnings, noun
    places where there are turnings or off-branches in a road, surface, or route

    The section of railway line that was being built was filled with sudden changes in direction and turnings.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison

  153. The railway company would shorten their upcoming route by twenty miles if they would build a straight track line that went through the forest instead of along the Vindhia Mountains, which require a railway track line that is twisty and turny, like the contour of the mountains.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison