Chapter XIV. IN WHICH PHILEAS FOGG DESCENDS THE WHOLE LENGTH OF THE BEAUTIFUL VALLEY OF THE GANGES WITHOUT EVER THINKING OF SEEING IT

The rash exploit had been accomplished; and for an hour Passepartout laughed gaily at his success. Sir Francis pressed the worthy fellow's hand, and his master said, "Well done!" which, from him, was high commendation; to which Passepartout replied that all the credit of the affair belonged to Mr. Fogg. As for him, he had only been struck with a "queer" idea; and he laughed to think that for a few moments he, Passepartout, the ex-gymnast, ex-sergeant fireman, had been the spouse of a charming woman, a venerable, embalmed rajah! As for the young Indian woman, she had been unconscious throughout of what was passing, and now, wrapped up in a travelling-blanket, was reposing in one of the howdahs.

The elephant, thanks to the skilful guidance of the Parsee, was advancing rapidly through the still darksome forest, and, an hour after leaving the pagoda, had crossed a vast plain. They made a halt at seven o'clock, the young woman being still in a state of complete prostration. The guide made her drink a little brandy and water, but the drowsiness which stupefied her could not yet be shaken off. Sir Francis, who was familiar with the effects of the intoxication produced by the fumes of hemp, reassured his companions on her account. But he was more disturbed at the prospect of her future fate. He told Phileas Fogg that, should Aouda remain in India, she would inevitably fall again into the hands of her executioners. These fanatics were scattered throughout the county, and would, despite the English police, recover their victim at Madras, Bombay, or Calcutta. She would only be safe by quitting India for ever.

Phileas Fogg replied that he would reflect upon the matter.

The station at Allahabad was reached about ten o'clock, and, the interrupted line of railway being resumed, would enable them to reach Calcutta in less than twenty-four hours. Phileas Fogg would thus be able to arrive in time to take the steamer which left Calcutta the next day, October 25th, at noon, for Hong Kong.

The young woman was placed in one of the waiting-rooms of the station, whilst Passepartout was charged with purchasing for her various articles of toilet, a dress, shawl, and some furs; for which his master gave him unlimited credit. Passepartout started off forthwith, and found himself in the streets of Allahabad, that is, the City of God, one of the most venerated in India, being built at the junction of the two sacred rivers, Ganges and Jumna, the waters of which attract pilgrims from every part of the peninsula. The Ganges, according to the legends of the Ramayana, rises in heaven, whence, owing to Brahma's agency, it descends to the earth.

Passepartout made it a point, as he made his purchases, to take a good look at the city. It was formerly defended by a noble fort, which has since become a state prison; its commerce has dwindled away, and Passepartout in vain looked about him for such a bazaar as he used to frequent in Regent Street. At last he came upon an elderly, crusty Jew, who sold second-hand articles, and from whom he purchased a dress of Scotch stuff, a large mantle, and a fine otter-skin pelisse, for which he did not hesitate to pay seventy-five pounds. He then returned triumphantly to the station.

The influence to which the priests of Pillaji had subjected Aouda began gradually to yield, and she became more herself, so that her fine eyes resumed all their soft Indian expression.

When the poet-king, Ucaf Uddaul, celebrates the charms of the queen of Ahmehnagara, he speaks thus:

"Her shining tresses, divided in two parts, encircle the harmonious contour of her white and delicate cheeks, brilliant in their glow and freshness. Her ebony brows have the form and charm of the bow of Kama, the god of love, and beneath her long silken lashes the purest reflections and a celestial light swim, as in the sacred lakes of Himalaya, in the black pupils of her great clear eyes. Her teeth, fine, equal, and white, glitter between her smiling lips like dewdrops in a passion-flower's half-enveloped breast. Her delicately formed ears, her vermilion hands, her little feet, curved and tender as the lotus-bud, glitter with the brilliancy of the loveliest pearls of Ceylon, the most dazzling diamonds of Golconda. Her narrow and supple waist, which a hand may clasp around, sets forth the outline of her rounded figure and the beauty of her bosom, where youth in its flower displays the wealth of its treasures; and beneath the silken folds of her tunic she seems to have been modelled in pure silver by the godlike hand of Vicvarcarma, the immortal sculptor."

It is enough to say, without applying this poetical rhapsody to Aouda, that she was a charming woman, in all the European acceptation of the phrase. She spoke English with great purity, and the guide had not exaggerated in saying that the young Parsee had been transformed by her bringing up.

The train was about to start from Allahabad, and Mr. Fogg proceeded to pay the guide the price agreed upon for his service, and not a farthing more; which astonished Passepartout, who remembered all that his master owed to the guide's devotion. He had, indeed, risked his life in the adventure at Pillaji, and, if he should be caught afterwards by the Indians, he would with difficulty escape their vengeance. Kiouni, also, must be disposed of. What should be done with the elephant, which had been so dearly purchased? Phileas Fogg had already determined this question.

"Parsee," said he to the guide, "you have been serviceable and devoted. I have paid for your service, but not for your devotion. Would you like to have this elephant? He is yours."

The guide's eyes glistened.

"Your honour is giving me a fortune!" cried he.

"Take him, guide," returned Mr. Fogg, "and I shall still be your debtor."

"Good!" exclaimed Passepartout. "Take him, friend. Kiouni is a brave and faithful beast." And, going up to the elephant, he gave him several lumps of sugar, saying, "Here, Kiouni, here, here."

The elephant grunted out his satisfaction, and, clasping Passepartout around the waist with his trunk, lifted him as high as his head. Passepartout, not in the least alarmed, caressed the animal, which replaced him gently on the ground.

Soon after, Phileas Fogg, Sir Francis Cromarty, and Passepartout, installed in a carriage with Aouda, who had the best seat, were whirling at full speed towards Benares. It was a run of eighty miles, and was accomplished in two hours. During the journey, the young woman fully recovered her senses. What was her astonishment to find herself in this carriage, on the railway, dressed in European habiliments, and with travellers who were quite strangers to her! Her companions first set about fully reviving her with a little liquor, and then Sir Francis narrated to her what had passed, dwelling upon the courage with which Phileas Fogg had not hesitated to risk his life to save her, and recounting the happy sequel of the venture, the result of Passepartout's rash idea. Mr. Fogg said nothing; while Passepartout, abashed, kept repeating that "it wasn't worth telling."

Aouda pathetically thanked her deliverers, rather with tears than words; her fine eyes interpreted her gratitude better than her lips. Then, as her thoughts strayed back to the scene of the sacrifice, and recalled the dangers which still menaced her, she shuddered with terror.

Phileas Fogg understood what was passing in Aouda's mind, and offered, in order to reassure her, to escort her to Hong Kong, where she might remain safely until the affair was hushed up—an offer which she eagerly and gratefully accepted. She had, it seems, a Parsee relation, who was one of the principal merchants of Hong Kong, which is wholly an English city, though on an island on the Chinese coast.

At half-past twelve the train stopped at Benares. The Brahmin legends 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; though the Benares of to-day, which the Orientalists call the Athens of India, stands quite unpoetically on the solid earth, Passepartout caught glimpses of its brick houses and clay huts, giving an aspect of desolation to the place, as the train entered it.

Benares was Sir Francis Cromarty's destination, the troops he was rejoining being encamped some miles northward of the city. He bade adieu to Phileas Fogg, wishing him all success, and expressing the hope that he would come that way again in a less original but more profitable fashion. Mr. Fogg lightly pressed him by the hand. The parting of Aouda, who did not forget what she owed to Sir Francis, betrayed more warmth; and, as for Passepartout, he received a hearty shake of the hand from the gallant general.

The railway, on leaving Benares, passed for a while along the valley of the Ganges. Through the windows of their carriage the travellers 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 performing solemnly their pious ablutions. These were fervent Brahmins, the bitterest foes of Buddhism, their deities being Vishnu, the solar god, Shiva, the divine impersonation of natural forces, and Brahma, the supreme ruler of priests and legislators. What would these divinities think of India, anglicised as it is to-day, with steamers whistling and scudding along the Ganges, frightening the gulls which float upon its surface, the turtles swarming along its banks, and the faithful dwelling upon its borders?

The panorama passed before their eyes like a flash, save when the steam concealed it fitfully from the view; the travellers could scarcely discern the fort of Chupenie, twenty miles south-westward from Benares, the ancient stronghold of the rajahs of Behar; or Ghazipur and its famous rose-water factories; or the tomb of Lord Cornwallis, rising on the left bank of the Ganges; the fortified town of Buxar, or Patna, a large manufacturing and trading-place, where is held the principal opium market of India; or Monghir, a more than European town, for it is as English as Manchester or Birmingham, with its iron foundries, edgetool factories, and high chimneys puffing clouds of black smoke heavenward.

Night came on; the train passed on at full speed, in the midst of the roaring of the tigers, bears, and wolves which fled before the locomotive; and the marvels of Bengal, 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 the morning, and the packet left for Hong Kong at noon; so that Phileas Fogg had five hours before him.

According 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-hand nor ahead of time. The two days gained 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 them.

Footnotes

  1. 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)

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  2. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  3. Despite the travelers' adventures with the elephant and the sati rescue, Fogg has arrived at Calcutta exactly according to schedule.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  4. 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.

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

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  6. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  7. Referring to the fact the Murshedabad had been the ancient capital of banking, administration and judicial courts.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  8. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  9. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  10. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  11. Ran away at the oncoming of the loud and large steam-engine train.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  12. noun: a condition in which someone is surrounded by something else, i.e., in the midst of, surrounded by, tigers and wolves

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  13. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  14. Important to manufacturing firearms.

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

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  15. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  16. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  17. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  18. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  19. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  20. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  21. North side of the Ganges River, the same side that the ancient city of Ghazipur is on.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  22. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  23. 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).

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  24. An ancient and still thriving city on the left bank (north side) of the River Ganges.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  25. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  26. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  27. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  28. 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).

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  29. noun: a wide uninterrupted view of the entire landscape within a person's view as at a mountainside vista lookout point

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  30. The Hindu faithful who make pilgrimages to the holy Ganges or who make journeys to cremate or float out their dead.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  31. 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.]

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  32. The scudding steamships frighten the creatures to be listed: gulls, turtles and Hindu worshipers.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  33. verb (present tense form): moving fast in a straight-on direction seemingly as though driven and compelled forward by the wind

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  34. verb: made to be like English society and culture in form and character

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

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  36. 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/)

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  37. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  38. adjective: having or showing passionate intensity about something or someone

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  39. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  40. Confirmation of the allusion to the season of the year given just above in "thickly-leaved forests."

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  41. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  42. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  43. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  44. figurative, rhetorical device: populated; giving habitat to various animal, fowl and other species

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  45. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  46. Landscape of a great variety of flora and fauna; widely varied ecosystems with widely varied niche occupants.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  47. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  48. Sir Francis, we recall, is a high ranking brigadier-general in the British Indian Colonial Army.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  49. 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).

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  50. 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).

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

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  52. Aouda warmly demonstrated her gratitude at Sir Francis's part in her rescue and her joy at being liberated.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  53. 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).

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  54. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  55. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  56. Success in all things in his journey round the world in eighty days.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  57. 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."

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  58. verb (past tense form of bid): to utter something to someone as in to bid a fair greeting or a farewell to someone

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  59. verb: settled in a camp as in soldiers settled in a military camp

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  60. Sir Francis' final point of arrival, meaning his adventures with the unfathomable Phileas Fogg are at an end.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  61. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  62. 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).

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  63. 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)

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  64. 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).

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  65. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  66. 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)

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  67. The final destination for Sir Francis who to join his troops just north of there.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  68. Twelve-thirty: 30 minutes past the hour of twelve noon, with 30 minutes being half of an hour.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  69. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  70. idiom, figure of speech: to attempt to suppress information to keep something a secret; to act to prevent rumors from forming

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  71. The incident of the rescue by three Europeans and one Parsee and the consequent escape from the sati.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  72. 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).

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  73. verb: to accompanying someone to someplace to give protection and security from danger or fear

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  74. verb: to say or do something to ease unhappiness or uncertainty and to remove fear from someone

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  75. Fogg understood what Aouda was thinking about, recalling and dreading; he understood the fears she had for her future safety.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  76. verb (past tense form): to tremble or subtly shake as from fear or as from revulsion or as from terror

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  77. The pagoda, the platform-raised funeral pyre, the domineering priests, the wild fakirs, the enraged family0in-law: the scene of the sati.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  78. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  79. Aouda's heart-stirring thanks were given not with words but with the expression and tears of her eyes.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  80. adverb form modifying the verb thank: in a way that moved or affected the feelings of her three hero rescuers

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  81. 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*

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  82. adjective: hasty; not having weighed the consequences; without consideration of end results

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  83. noun: a risky, dangerous undertaking that has an uncertain outcome; an adventure with an unknown ending

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  84. noun: the event or events following a prior event or events; event(s) that come after something else

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  85. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  86. The three men traveling with her in the train carriage (compartment): Phileas Fogg, Sir Francis, and Passepartout.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  87. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  88. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  89. The effects of the opium and hemp fumes have now completely worn off.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  90. adjective (used as a Complement to the Subject "it"): finished; concluded; completed; done

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  91. Aouda was given the most comfortable seat in respect of her nature and her recent experiences with being drugged, kidnapped and imprisoned.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  92. We now recall that Sir Francis wished to continue on the railroad journey as well.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  93. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  94. 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!"

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  95. 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.  

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  96. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  97. An honorific form of address connoting respect and affection toward someone of a higher social rank.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  98. 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*

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  99. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  100. The fee could not possibly pay for the Parsee's unwavering dedication, loyalty and sacrifice.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  101. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  102. adjective: (of a person) capable of serving; being of service; useful through service

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  103. A suspense building and a character revealing statement about what Fogg was thinking behind his appearance unperturbed calm.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  104. Such a large amount of money had been paid by Fogg for the elephant since he was prohibited from renting it.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  105. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  106. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  107. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  108. 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).

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  109. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  110. Adoua had been made cosmopolitan (a citizen of Western civilization rather than of one geographical location) by her excellent English education.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  111. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  112. noun: in the usual commonly understood or accepted meaning of a word or phrase

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  113. 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

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  114. noun: ecstatic expression of overflowing feeling, i.e., not realistic, but emotional expression

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  115. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  116. 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

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  117. "Modelled" as in sculpted out of pure silver, which is smooth, lustrous, shiny, cool to the touch.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  118. A woman's breast where emotions and feelings are traditionally centered.

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

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  120. Implied metaphor comparing youth to a newly opened flower blossom.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  121. 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

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  122. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  123. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  124. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  125. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  126. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  127. 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]

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  128. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  129. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  130. 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).

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  131. implied metaphor, figure of speech: her eyelashes are implicitly (indirectly) compared to the softness and shininess of silk: they are silken

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  132. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  133. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  134. 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. 

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  135. Her cheeks are perfectly contoured, i.e., shaped, and of fair pale color and delicate texture.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  136. Her hair was wound round and round circularly near her ears.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  137. She had her long hair separated from brow to neck as though for two side braids or "pig tails."

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  138. 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

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  139. 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

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  140. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  141. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  142. She became sensible of her surroundings and her eyes came to "life" after shedding their drugged inexpressiveness.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  143. The drugged state gradually faded away so Aouda was less heavily drugged.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  144. Had forced the widowed Aouda to take to render her insensible for her sati (sutee).

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  145. The Hindu priests at the pagoda from which Passepartout and the other three men (Sir Francis, Fogg, and the Parsee) rescued her.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  146. adverb: with triumphant; in exhalation over having done well

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  147. Made of well-seasoned otter skin, which is a type of leather.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  148. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  149. A large cloak with attached hood used as outer covering over clothing.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  150. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  151. A large, usually outdoor, shopping area where all manner of things can be purchased from clothes to vegetables and from flowers to shoes.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  152. The business of buying and selling on a large scale, which includes import and export between foreign countries.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  153. The Hindu creator god and part of the Hindu triad of major gods.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  154. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  155. verb: regarded with reverence; revered; regarded with great respect

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  156. Passepartout was not limited in any way in how much he may spend on acquiring articles for the widow's comfort.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  157. To keep out the winter or high altitude cold.

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

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  158. Grooming supplies: hair brush, toothpaste (rather, in 1872, tooth powder), soap etc.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  159. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  160. Recall that the unfinished railroad line was the reason for the cross-country adventure with the elephant that Fogg purchased.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  161. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  162. The young widow's name as revealed by the Parsee guide when he revealed her story.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  163. verb: to be unable to feel, think or act properly; to be senseless

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  164. A traditional remedy to stimulate consciousness and restore cognitive and emotional faculties, responses, or function.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  165. A stop for rest, water and food, especially for the elephant.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  166. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  167. Because of the peculiar deep but not wide shape of the side-slung howdahs, the widow is reclining rather than lying down.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  168. A warm woolen blanket that is woven especially to be warm out-of-doors and used during traveling.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  169. 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.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  170. past participle used as adjective: preserved from death decay by the use of spices and removal of bodily fluids

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  171. adjective: demanding respect due to position, age, wisdom, and inner character

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  172. Humble reception of praise by recalling that the idea, thus the credit for the idea and it's successful execution, was Fogg's.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  173. High praise; extreme congratulations; significant recognition of a job done very well.

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  174. Phileas Fogg, his employer (employers of domestic servants were still called by the older title of "master").

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

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  176. noun: something that is bold and daring; a dangerous feat done with bold and courageous daring

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  177. adjective: showing great haste in acting without prolonged or careful foresight and planning; acting spontaneously in possibly dangerous situations

    — Karen P.L. Hardison
  178. verb: consider; think about; ponder; think about with extreme seriousness

    — Karen P.L. Hardison