noun, outdated: a ship that travels regularly, as in a mail carrier, between two ports on a set schedule (similar to what we know as ferries)

The two day gain was lost by rescuing Aouda from the sati, and Fogg certainly did not regret having done so, thus did not regret the loss of the extra time he had previously gained.

Despite the travelers' adventures with the elephant and the sati rescue, Fogg has arrived at Calcutta exactly according to schedule.

On the River Hugli, the town of Hugly (now Hooghly or Hugli) was a Portuguese colony but originated with the ancient Hindu kingdom of Bhurshut. During colonial times, it was noted as a trading post.

Burdwan, now Bardhaman, has history dating back to the Mesolithic, or Late Stone Age, periods and was once a district capital under British colonization.

A French colonial town, founded in 1673 as a trading post, but not situated on the Ganges but rather on the Hooghly River and famous for its trade in sandalwood products (sandalwood is now also a fragrant essential oil used in men's scents and women's perfumes) and for its temple to the goddess Chandi, or Kali, whose blood ritual rites we became familiar with in Chapter XI.

Referring to the fact the Murshedabad had been the ancient capital of banking, administration and judicial courts.

On the south, or west, bank of the Ganges (after the Ganges turns north-south en route to Calcutta and the Bay of Bengal), Murshedabad (now Murshidabad) was a seat of early British colonial power until Warren Hastings and then Lord Cornwallis moved judicial functions to Calcutta, though Murshedabad retained the state bank of Bengal as it had done for multiple generations.

Golconda is the location of famous (now ruined) fort and diamond mines that produced diamonds like the Hope diamond and the Koh-i-Noor diamond, now in the British Monarchy Crown Jewels.

Gour (now Gauḍa) was the capital of the Bengal Pala Empire and was then situated on the west bank of the Ganges River below where the river takes a turn to a north-south direction on its route to the Calcutta estuary en route to the Bay of Bengal.

For some reason not clear to modern readers, Jules Verne connects the ruin of Gour (northern Bengal) to Golconda (central east coast), while historians attribute Gour's ruin to conquest by the Muslims, repeated relocation of the capital away from Gour, and a change to the east in the course of the Ganges, leaving Gour farther to the west and more remote from the river.

Bengal is a state within India thus covers much territory and has many marvels including ancient Hindu temples, a portion of the Himalayas to the north and the Gangetic Plain to the south, with Calcutta (now Kolkata) as its state capital. Recall that Calcutta is Fogg's present destination.

Ran away at the oncoming of the loud and large steam-engine train.

noun: a condition in which someone is surrounded by something else, i.e., in the midst of, surrounded by, tigers and wolves

Factories where tools with cutting edges, like chisels and knives, are made. Special equipment and skills are needed to make the cutting edges so dedicated, specialized factories are needed.

Important to manufacturing firearms.

foundry, noun: a factory where metal is molten and cast for multiple uses

Since Monghir is an ancient town, this is meant figuratively and reflects the changes brought to the town by British colonization, which changed the emphasis from tailoring and wood crafting (furniture, palanquins, carriages, etc) to manufacturing of a European type, such as firearms and bored rifles, and on a European scale of volume.

An ancient seat of power situated on the south side, or right bank, of the Ganges, with a fortress dating to ancient times that, in the 1800s, had been abandoned and left as a depot for British military uniforms.

As a result of the British victory in the Battle of Buxar, the opium trade, which was strong even under the Mughals dynasty, became firmly fixed and centered in the manufacturing town of Patna, located conveniently on the Ganges River. The British East India Company was rescued from bankruptcy by the Buxar victory and the acquisition of the opium industry.

On the south side, right bank, of the Ganges River and once an ancient fortified city of the Magadha Empire, Patna became and is today noted for manufacturing and as a trade center; now it is also an educational center as well. Even in the Maurya period, Patna was noted as a center for learning and fine arts. Patna, formerly known as Pataliputra, was the capitol of the Magadha Empire.

Fortified for the Battle of Buxar (1764) during early colonial history. Buxar was not a fortified city in ancient Indian history, while towns round about it, like Patna, were fortified in antiquity though not so during colonial periods.

The Battle of Buxar was a critically pivotal event in establishing British empire in India and was fought between the command of the British East India Company and the Mughal Emperor. The British victory opened the door to establishing the British Empire.

Buxar is where the railroad line crosses the Ganges River, leaving the north side, or left bank, coming up under it further on (after it twists up further north to join a tributary) on the south side, or right bank, in the city of Patna.

Painfully ironic juxtaposition of heavenly words and toxic words given what we now know about the effects of heavenly "clouds of ... smoke" that leisurely puff blackly "heavenward" while coating human dwellings and nature's ecosystems with life debilitating and, I dare say, life altering toxins.

North side of the Ganges River, the same side that the ancient city of Ghazipur is on.

Lord Cornwallis was an important Governor-General of India. He died while in India and his burial tomb is in Ghazipur on the same side of the River Ganges as the ruins of the mud fort of Chupenie, on the left bank or north side of the Ganges.

Ghazipur, from ages past, has been famous for it's agricultural production of "perfume bearing flowers" like the rose.The Ghazipur perfume industry made a name for itself by the production of rose water, rose oil, and attar of roses.

Rose water is a by-product of water distillation of rose oil and it is used as a fragrance, as a food flavoring and for medicinal uses. Rose oil is the base product from which perfumes are made and is also called attar of rose or essence oil (this is different from essential oil because essential oil is* cut*** with other high grade oil so that it is safe to apply to the skin).

An ancient and still thriving city on the left bank (north side) of the River Ganges.

The mud fort of Chupenie in the mountains above Ghazipur had been the fortress of the ancient rajahs of the State of Behar (now Bihar) in which Benares lies.

There is an error in this phrase. While Calcutta (now Kolkata) lies in a generally south-eastward direction, saying the fort is at all westward is erroneous.

The train is journeying to the east coast of India, or eastward. From Benares (now Varanasi) eastward to the next stop at Ghazipur, the Ganges Valley turns northward along the Ganges River to the east of Benares. Therefore the correct direct of travel between Benares and Ghazipur is north-eastward not "south-westward." 

Jules Verne got a little turned around while writing this partly because Calcutta is southward of, at a lower latitude than, Benares. While Verne's error may be comforting to geographically dizzy readers, no editor has seen fit to correct Verne's two directional errors.

Rest assured that the direction of the mud fort and the direction of travel at this point is north-eastward toward** Ghazipur**, then eventually further eastward to Calcutta on the east coast.

A mud fortress from ancient days located in the mountains above Ghazipur and now a site of ruins, probably in greater decay than when Passepartout dashed past with a glimpse from the steam-engine train window.

The train they travel on is a steam engine train, like the Mongolia was a steam engine ship. Consequently, billows of steam expelled from the engine works at times blocked or obscured their view of the panoramic scene visible from their train carriage (compartment) window ("window" in the singular because British trains have a walkway on one side of train carriages with compartments on the other side, unlike American trains that normally have central walkways so that travelers can see out two windows with ease).

noun: a wide uninterrupted view of the entire landscape within a person's view as at a mountainside vista lookout point

The Hindu faithful who make pilgrimages to the holy Ganges or who make journeys to cremate or float out their dead.

The turtles of the Ganges are a softshell species called Nilssonia gangetica found in Southeast Asia along major rivers, like the Ganges.

[These turtles have a startling characteristic that is made good use of today in that they eat flesh. The Ganges pollution problem has been of epic proportion because it has been used as a direct sewer and as a burial place. Along with daily waste, uncremated corpses are also daily released into the holy, (ironically) purifying waters of the holy Ganges. Each year, the Indian government releases multitudes of Nilssonia gangetica into the Ganges so that they will eat up the fleshly debris and clean the River Ganges.]

The scudding steamships frighten the creatures to be listed: gulls, turtles and Hindu worshipers.

verb (present tense form): moving fast in a straight-on direction seemingly as though driven and compelled forward by the wind

verb: made to be like English society and culture in form and character

These ancient Hindu gods that are still actively worshiped today just as they were in 1872, the setting of Verne's narrative.

To put this complex topic of enmity between Brahmins (now Brahmans) and Buddhists simply, Brahmins historically carried a great hatred for Buddhism because Buddhism turned worship away from the Hindu pantheon of gods, of which Brahmins were and are priests, and, in the eyes of the Brahmin priests, corrupted the Indian peoples chances of finding sinless purity and entry to Siva's heaven. As a result of this deep feeling against Buddhism, Brahmins declared Buddhists Untouchables, the lowest of the low Hindu castes.

(B.R. Ambedkar, "Contempt for Buddhists as the Root of Untouchability," outlookindia.com/)

noun: members of India's highest caste and priests of Hinduism

In addition to upper caste Brahmins, the lowest ascetics also wash in the River Ganges.

adjective: having or showing passionate intensity about something or someone

Bathing in the holy River Ganges is said to be a way to attain spiritual purification and entry into the Hindu god Siva's heaven with all their sins washed away.

Confirmation of the allusion to the season of the year given just above in "thickly-leaved forests."

The Ganges is considered the most sacred river in India and, as such, is the destination of holy pilgrims seeking enlightenment as well as that of the deceased whose families bring them to the Ganges to be cremated on open-air pyres, with their ashes then mixed with the water of the Ganges to speed the rebirth of the soul into another body.

This suggest the season of the year and implies that the climate is a moderate one since leaves in harsher climates are shed or shedding from forest trees.

Implying orderliness and cleanliness to the poor rural inhabitants of the valley. Contrast this to the poor rural (i.e., city dwelling) inhabitants of "brick houses" and "clay huts" seen in "desolation" in the city of Benares, purportedly, according to legend, the city of a Hindu god.

figurative, rhetorical device: populated; giving habitat to various animal, fowl and other species

The State in North India through which the Ganges river flows from west to east, bordered on both sides by the Ganges Valley river basin, dividing Behar (now Bihar) into North and South sectors.

Landscape of a great variety of flora and fauna; widely varied ecosystems with widely varied niche occupants.

The Ganges River is surrounded on both sides by a fertile river basin, a low lying area created by river floods and the resulting soil deposits.

Sir Francis, we recall, is a high ranking brigadier-general in the British Indian Colonial Army.

Passepartout is, in reality and in Sir Francis's mind, the general courageous hero of the rescue effort, and Sir Francis thoroughly likes Passepartout and thoroughly admires his daring and the happy result of it (Aouda's freedom).

Her "debt" or "obligation" to him of gratitude and thanksgiving that she may never find a way to return in kind (may never find a way to repay through an equal act of courage and giving).

The farewell that Aouda gave Sir Francis (this will be compared in an implied analogy to Fogg's farewell and leave taking).

Aouda warmly demonstrated her gratitude at Sir Francis's part in her rescue and her joy at being liberated.

Always precisely expressive, when Sir Francis shook hands with Fogg, Fogg took Sir Francis's hands in both of his and lightly exerted pressure as a gesture of warmth and reciprocated (i.e., returned, mutual) friendship (always true to his scientific approach to the shortest, most conservative means of accomplishing a desired end, Fogg exerted just the required amount of pressure, nothing more, as was true to his character).

Sir Francis hopes that Fogg's next visit will be more like a well ordered visit rather than like an escapade of 80 days and an impromptu life-endangering rescue. In other words, he hopes Fogg's next visit to Benares will be a well planned holiday.

That Phileas Fogg would come to Benares India to visit Sir Francis again sometime indicating that Sir Francis has grown to like, admire and respect Fogg.

Success in all things in his journey round the world in eighty days.

noun: good-bye or farewell, similar to the expression "go with God"

Entered Middle English from Middle French between 1325 and 1375, derived from the two Latin words, a and deus meaning "to" and "god."

verb (past tense form of bid): to utter something to someone as in to bid a fair greeting or a farewell to someone

verb: settled in a camp as in soldiers settled in a military camp

Sir Francis' final point of arrival, meaning his adventures with the unfathomable Phileas Fogg are at an end.

Passepartout perceives the quality of lonely, emptiness and misery ascribed by the narrator to Benares because the brick houses are built by those who dwell in them thus are not good quality homes, merely houses, and the huts, also constructed by those who dwell in them, being round or square single roomed spaces with small uncovered openings for doors, signify the poverty of the masses living then in Benares, the city of the god Siva, which was, as the legend says, brought to the level of clay and thatch by sins against Siva.

Small shelters used as homes, often with only one interior space that includes a clay stove, like a fireplace but of stand-away-from-the-wall construction with flat surfaces atop it where people can sit or lay down (the sort of stove often mentioned in Russian literature).

This was a descriptive analogy penned by French traveler Francois Bernier in 1667. In his travel memoir, he compared Benares to Athens by describing them both as*** centers of learning***. As in Athens, where young scholars would go to seek out masters to study under for ten or more years, so too in Benares do young scholars gather to find masters to study under for the same lengthy time.

In each city, in ancient Athens and up until more recently in equally ancient Benares, the masters were not collected in colleges or universities but were spread throughout and found dwelling in private houses with their four to seven scholars living and debating with them and learning from them. The educational locus and style made Benares like Athens and, in analogy, the Athens of India.

(Winand M. Callewaert, Banaras: Vison of a Living Ancient Tradition. Hemkunt Publishers, New Delhi. 2000. p.72)

Peoples of Asian descent such as Arabs, Indians, Chinese, Southeast Asians, etc. Today the term "Asians" is preferred and used; "Orientals," the opposite of Europeans' "Occidentals," is considered demeaning and inappropriate to say or write (see Orientalism by Edward Said).

Suspended upon the tips of Siva's trident during the time when the city was made of gold, before the sins of the inhabitants turned it first to stone and then to combustible thatch and hay.

Hindu Brahmin teaching and legend holds that Benares, properly called Varanashi, is the seat of the Hindu god Siva and that, along with having been originally constructed of gold, any pilgrims seeking enlightenment at Benares are granted entrance to the heaven of Siva because Benares does not rest on planet earth--which is carried on the snake Ananta called Eternity--but rather rests upon the three points of the trident Siva holds (Walter Hamilton, The East-India Gazetteer; Containing Particular Descriptions of ... Hindoostan, and the Adjacent Countries, Vol. I. Wm. H. Allen and Co. London. 1828. p. 170)

The final destination for Sir Francis who to join his troops just north of there.

Twelve-thirty: 30 minutes past the hour of twelve noon, with 30 minutes being half of an hour.

Hong Kong was ceded to the British Monarchy in 1841 as a result of negotiations during the First Opium War (1839-1842). On January 26, 1842, the British flag was first flown over Hong Kong, and the British military took possession.

idiom, figure of speech: to attempt to suppress information to keep something a secret; to act to prevent rumors from forming

The incident of the rescue by three Europeans and one Parsee and the consequent escape from the sati.

After leaving India at Calcutta (now called Kolkata) where they board another steamship, their next destination (place of future arrival) is Hong Kong in China. The first leg of this journey takes them through the Bay of Bengal in the north of the Indian Ocean but on the east side of India (the Arabian Seas lies on the West side of India).

verb: to accompanying someone to someplace to give protection and security from danger or fear

verb: to say or do something to ease unhappiness or uncertainty and to remove fear from someone

Fogg understood what Aouda was thinking about, recalling and dreading; he understood the fears she had for her future safety.

verb (past tense form): to tremble or subtly shake as from fear or as from revulsion or as from terror

The pagoda, the platform-raised funeral pyre, the domineering priests, the wild fakirs, the enraged family0in-law: the scene of the sati.

The narrator is commenting that the expression and tears of her "fine eyes" expressed her gratitude better than any arrangement of words could ever have done.

Aouda's heart-stirring thanks were given not with words but with the expression and tears of her eyes.

adverb form modifying the verb thank: in a way that moved or affected the feelings of her three hero rescuers

adjective: embarrassed; disconcerted; having one's self-composure and equilibrium disturbed,* i.e., Passepartout, being modest, was discomposed at hearing himself praised as a hero*

adjective: hasty; not having weighed the consequences; without consideration of end results

noun: a risky, dangerous undertaking that has an uncertain outcome; an adventure with an unknown ending

noun: the event or events following a prior event or events; event(s) that come after something else

Upper class British men of the 1800s often carried pocket flasks containing liquor such as brandy or whiskey or scotch. These are said to have reviving properties when taken in small medicinal amounts.

The three men traveling with her in the train carriage (compartment): Phileas Fogg, Sir Francis, and Passepartout.

noun: clothes or clothing of a particular way of life, ethnic group, etc, i.e., clothes of a European instead of those of a an Indian woman.

Aouda, now aware of her surroundings, not before now having realized what had happened to her nor where she was nor whom with, is now utterly surprised to see herself on a train.

The effects of the opium and hemp fumes have now completely worn off.

adjective (used as a Complement to the Subject "it"): finished; concluded; completed; done

Aouda was given the most comfortable seat in respect of her nature and her recent experiences with being drugged, kidnapped and imprisoned.

We now recall that Sir Francis wished to continue on the railroad journey as well.

Kiouni repaid all Passepartout's praise and sugar gifts with an elephant style hug by hugging his waist and raising him up heavenward to the height of his own head. Kiouni is a good and kind animal.

You will recall that Passepartout was both worried that he might be made owner of Kiouni and that he was distraught that Fogg had not paid the guide more money than the agreed upon fee precisely because he knew the guide's devotion was worth far more than the fee's value.

Now Passepartout has no fear of being an elephant owner and he sees the Parsee properly rewarded and he sees more deeply into Phileas Fogg's heart. This is why Passepartout yells, "Good!"

Fogg means that, while Kiouni may be worth a "fortune" to the Parsee, what the Parsee did on the journey was of immensely greater worth and value. Therefore when the worth of Kiouni is subtracted from the worth of what the Parsee [he still has no name] did on the journey for all, especially Fogg and the widow [it was Fogg's idea to rescue her, you'll remember], Fogg still ends up owing the Parsee more than he can ever pay: the Parsee gave more than the elephant is worth so Fogg is still morally and psychologically in debt to the Parsee.  

The guide exclaims because the worth of the elephant is very high, thus equal to a fortune worth of money to the Parsee.

Imagine the stories he will tell with pride and pleasure when people ask him where he got Kiouni the elephant.

An honorific form of address connoting respect and affection toward someone of a higher social rank.

verb (past tense form): to reflect light from a moist surface such as teary eyes,* i.e., the guide's eyes sprang forth tears at Fogg's offer*

Fogg is repaying the Parsee's devotion and sacrifice by giving him the elephant Kiouni as a token of appreciation and as the fulfillment of an obligation owed to the Parsee for the devotion and courage he has given to Fogg and the others.

The fee could not possibly pay for the Parsee's unwavering dedication, loyalty and sacrifice.

adjective (past participle form as an adjective): enthusiastic, passionate in affection, attachment or loyalty

The Parsee has been unwavering in fulfilling his responsibilities for keeping people and animal safe and en route while also giving of himself in danger to put someone else ahead of himself in the rescue of the sati widow.

adjective: (of a person) capable of serving; being of service; useful through service

A suspense building and a character revealing statement about what Fogg was thinking behind his appearance unperturbed calm.

Such a large amount of money had been paid by Fogg for the elephant since he was prohibited from renting it.

Something must be decided about what to do with Kiouni: sold, given away, given as a gift to Passepartout (as he feared would happen), returned to the original owner, etc.

Passepartout is speculating that if by chance some of the priests, fakirs or other men in the procession might sometime recognize the Parsee, who wore a specific dress signifying his religious devotion to Zoroastrianism, his life might be in danger.

Their own safety. The safety and health of the elephant; an elephant driver might think little of the beast and overdrive it, breaking its health. The shared danger overcome in rescuing the widow Adoua.

Passepartout is shocked and dismayed that Fogg could be so miserly considering all that had transpired (he is shocked and disappointed that Fogg paid the Parsee no extra since they had all faced danger together).

One-fourth of a British penny. Taken out of currency circulation in 1961.

This is meant to indicate that, regardless of dangers or adventures, regardless of the Parsee guide's tireless efforts to preserve the travelers' safety and the elephant's health, Fogg stuck to his first agreed upon offer of payment across the terrain to the next section of laid railroad track.

Adoua had been made cosmopolitan (a citizen of Western civilization rather than of one geographical location) by her excellent English education.

Adoua's English speech was correct in all particulars and spoken with a pure pronunciation that had few or no overtones of Indian speech sounds or patterns.

noun: in the usual commonly understood or accepted meaning of a word or phrase

adjective: like poetry though not in the form and conventions of poetry, i.e., Uddaul's praise of Ahmehnagara was written in prose form, not in poetic form

noun: ecstatic expression of overflowing feeling, i.e., not realistic, but emotional expression

Vicvarcarma, usually written as Vishvakarma, is one of the "precious things born" during the time when good fought evil in the churning ocean waters in the Indian stories, especially the Rigveda, of the Hindu pantheon, and he is the one in the Hindu pantheon who is called the Architect of the Universe and Omniscience personified (made visibly human). He is called "godlike" by the "poet-king, rajah Uddaul, because the gods were presiding over the conflict at the time he was "born" from the churning waters.

The folds of her long flowing dress that is made of silk.

silken, adjective: made of silk; having the smooth, soft delicateness of silk

tunic, noun: a woman's gown-like garment that may be sleeveless and is sometimes belted and that falls in draping folds down the outline of her body

"Modelled" as in sculpted out of pure silver, which is smooth, lustrous, shiny, cool to the touch.

A woman's breast where emotions and feelings are traditionally centered.

Implied metaphor comparing a woman's youthful bosom to treasures, which would be her metaphorical treasure of love and deep feelings associated with love.

Implied metaphor comparing youth to a newly opened flower blossom.

Again, poetical hyperbole, yet not out of the realm of human possibility if the woman were especially finely figured and of small stature and the man were of large stature with larger than normal hands.

clasp, verb: to hold in an embrace

Diamonds mined at the city of Golconda--a city made of stone, now in ruins--have produced some of the most famous diamonds of history: the Hope Diamond, a dark blue diamond, now in the U.S. Smithsonian Natural History Museum; the Koh-i-Noor Diamond, a perfect white (clear) diamond, now part of the British Crown Jewels; the Darya-ye Noor, a pink diamond once worn by Rezā Shāh on his military cap, now in the Museum of Central Bank of Iran.

The "pearls of Ceylon" came from the Gulf of Mannar just to the east of the tip of India in the Laccadive Sea in the North Indian Ocean. From antiquity, Ceylon pearls were renowned as being among the most exquisite in the world. Today, Ceylon is know as Sri Lanka.

This continues the implied compound metaphor about Ahmehnagara's ears, hands and feet. These are compare, in the upcoming metaphors, to pearls and diamonds. The way to understand such an elaborate metaphor is through hyperbole, the rhetorical or poetical art of exaggeration, and through the vast changes from antiquity until now in the manifestation of the component parts of the human body.

Just as environmental and household toxins have altered the health, vigor and vitality of the natural environment, reducing its robust appearance and nature, so have toxins altered the health, vigor and vitality of humans in the environment, reducing our robust appearance and nature. This can easily be seen in daguerreotypes and photographs from previous centuries.

Consequently it is conceivable that, despite hyperbole, skin in antiquity was more translucent, thus more pearl-like. Similarly, despite hyperbole, it is equally conceivable that finger- and toenails had more shine and brilliance, especially if buffed, thus seemed more diamond-like.

Her feet are praised for being curved from the full part of her foot near the ankle to the thin pointed part at the toes: like the lotus bud, they curve from full and rounded to delicate and pointed.

metonymy, literary device: [the general (vermillion) represents the specific (hand desings)] her hands decorated with red dye; one sees vermillion red dye paintings on the hands of Indian brides, on their "vermillion" hands.

This simile, using "like," means that her teeth are as wonderful as early morning dew drops resting in the petals of the partially opened passion flower.

The passion flower is a uniquely beautiful and highly unusual one. It goes through intriguing stages of openness with large outer petals followed slim, shorter inner petals. It is these that continue to hug the stamen while the outer petals are moving to a fully opened position.

It seem that it is this intermediate stage during which dewdrops would most show in a half opened blossom: the majesty of the inner flower is revealed yet the short, slim inner petals still cling to the center so dewdrops can easily collect and show off their early morning glitter.

[You can see passion flowers in various stages at: http://tinyurl.com/2o9hf3]

These pure reflections and this celestial light, such as are seen in the sacred lakes, are seen the black pupils of her large and clear eyes.

"Clear" eyes denotes both spiritual health and purity as well as physical health and purity of body: a person who is ill or has systemic dysfunctions, such as allergies, won't have clear eyes of the caliber being sung about here.

The "pure reflections" and "celestial light" metaphorically swim, or appear, in her eyes just as they swim in the sacred lakes of the Himalayas.

There are four lakes in the high Himalayan Mountains that are sacred to Hindus. They are: Sagarmatha Lake, Bagamti Lake, Phoksundo Lake and Rara Lake.

The eyes are traditionally said to be the windows to the soul, to the inner qualities of being.

The poet-rajah is here strongly implying that what is seen of queen Ahmehnagara's soul through her eyes is purity, truth ("pure reflections") and a heavenly light or radiance: she is a woman to be highly praised with a perfectly pure and radiant soul (neither Shakespeare nor Spenser ever praised woman more highly in their sonnets).

implied metaphor, figure of speech: her eyelashes are implicitly (indirectly) compared to the softness and shininess of silk: they are silken

The Indian pantheon of gods (collective of gods) Kama Deva (Kāmadeva). He is born of the highest god, Lord Vishnu (Lord Krishna) and the goddess Lakshmi. He carries a bow made of flower stems having a bowstring made of bees and shoots arrows formed of unblown flower buds that, being unblown, i.e., unopened, have sharp tips.

*Kama *is passionate longing and the most important literature related to Kama is the Kama Sutra, which is rejected by Hindus for not being part of Hindu religious cannon, i.e., authorized religious books, because it leads to entrapment in human passion and prevents spiritual enlightenment.

The bow of Kama (Kama Deva), the god of love who is an Indian version of the Greek Eros and the Roman Cupid, is made of entwined flower stems and is gracefully arched. Thus Ahmehnagara has eyebrows that are as gracefully arched as Kama's bow.

Black eyebrows.

Ebony is a type of wood from Diospyros and, when taken from the heart of the tree, can be virtually black. A hard wood, it takes a high polish finish and is shiningly glowing. 

Her cheeks are perfectly contoured, i.e., shaped, and of fair pale color and delicate texture.

Her hair was wound round and round circularly near her ears.

She had her long hair separated from brow to neck as though for two side braids or "pig tails."

Shiny long locks of hair.

tress(es), noun: long lock(s) of a woman's hair

lock, noun: (of hair) a section of hair that naturally coils or hangs together

In keeping with the fictitious poet-rajah Ucaf Uddaul, "Ahmehnagara" seems to be a fictitious variation on the name of the town Ahmednagar located in the northwest of India, near Bundelcund.

These touches of near-reality give Around the World in Eighty Days a sense of reality that is heightened by the very real details on history, geography, religion, and culture.

Bundelcund

Bundelcund

Bundelcund

Ucalf Uddaul, a rajah (king) and a poet, in keeping with an historical tradition of ruler-poets, seems to be a fictitious representative of India's poets and rulers, not a real person.

So that her beautifully shaped and expressive eyes regained the "soft Indian" expression of life and sensibility they were renowned for.

We can only guess what the "soft Indian" expression was that Jules Verne seemed to equate with Indian women. Images of Indian women from the 1800s, early 1900s and today might reveal a hint of what this "soft Indian" expression might be that Verne saw.

She became sensible of her surroundings and her eyes came to "life" after shedding their drugged inexpressiveness.

The drugged state gradually faded away so Aouda was less heavily drugged.

Had forced the widowed Aouda to take to render her insensible for her sati (sutee).

The Hindu priests at the pagoda from which Passepartout and the other three men (Sir Francis, Fogg, and the Parsee) rescued her.

adverb: with triumphant; in exhalation over having done well

Made of well-seasoned otter skin, which is a type of leather.

A tight-fitting coat worn by women over their dresses, often very thin dresses made of delicate fabric in all seasons.

A mantle may be worn over the pelisse for added warmth and protection from the elements, like rain, fog, snow, wind.

A large cloak with attached hood used as outer covering over clothing.

A street in London's upscale West End that is a major shopping area with a major shopping bazaar, such as Passepartout was looking for in Allahabad.

A large, usually outdoor, shopping area where all manner of things can be purchased from clothes to vegetables and from flowers to shoes.

The business of buying and selling on a large scale, which includes import and export between foreign countries.

The Hindu creator god and part of the Hindu triad of major gods.

A great Hindu epic poem said to have been written by Valmiki. It tells about the "ideal" depicting ideal relationships. It also tells about the god Vishnu and his wife Sati, for whom the sati (suttee) is name and from which Fogg, Sir Francis, the Parsee, and Passepartout have just rescued the widow.

verb: regarded with reverence; revered; regarded with great respect

Passepartout was not limited in any way in how much he may spend on acquiring articles for the widow's comfort.

To keep out the winter or high altitude cold.

Furs were a staple of cold weather or cold climate clothing in the 1800s.

Grooming supplies: hair brush, toothpaste (rather, in 1872, tooth powder), soap etc.

conjunction: during the time that; in that time; throughout that time.

The same in meaning as "while" when "while" is used as a conjunction, whilst is a conjunction used by British English speakers, while "while" may be a preposition, a noun, a conjunction or a verb.

Recall that the unfinished railroad line was the reason for the cross-country adventure with the elephant that Fogg purchased.

Fogg's deadline for arrival was "before noon" (Chapter XIII). They have saved the widow and returned to the Great Peninsular train line in proper time.

The young widow's name as revealed by the Parsee guide when he revealed her story.

verb: to be unable to feel, think or act properly; to be senseless

A traditional remedy to stimulate consciousness and restore cognitive and emotional faculties, responses, or function.

A stop for rest, water and food, especially for the elephant.

adjective: principally dark; verging on lightness but still dark

The early dawn hour and the darkening forest branches render the early daytime still more dark than light.

Because of the peculiar deep but not wide shape of the side-slung howdahs, the widow is reclining rather than lying down.

A warm woolen blanket that is woven especially to be warm out-of-doors and used during traveling.

What was happening around and to her.

The fakirs and priests gave her far more drugs for the sacrifice than they had for the procession.

past participle used as adjective: preserved from death decay by the use of spices and removal of bodily fluids

adjective: demanding respect due to position, age, wisdom, and inner character

Humble reception of praise by recalling that the idea, thus the credit for the idea and it's successful execution, was Fogg's.

High praise; extreme congratulations; significant recognition of a job done very well.

Phileas Fogg, his employer (employers of domestic servants were still called by the older title of "master").

Shook his hand by taking one of Passepartout's in two of Sir Francis's hands (a two-handed, warmly pressing hand shaking).

noun: something that is bold and daring; a dangerous feat done with bold and courageous daring

adjective: showing great haste in acting without prolonged or careful foresight and planning; acting spontaneously in possibly dangerous situations

verb: consider; think about; ponder; think about with extreme seriousness