第14章

Meanwhile theMongolia'was pushing forward rapidly；on the 13th，Mocha，surrounded by its ruined walls whereon date-trees were growing，was sighted，and on the mountains beyond were espied vast coffee-fields.Passepartout was ravished to behold this celebrated place，and thought that，with its circular walls and dismantled fort，it looked like an immense coffee cup and saucer.The following night they passed through the Strait of Bab-el-Mandeb，which means in ArabicThe Bridge of Tears'，and the next day they put in at Steamer Point，north-west of Aden harbour，to take in coal.This matter of fuelling steamers is a serious one at such distances from the coal mines；it costs the Peninsular Company some eight hundred thousand pounds a year.In these distant seas，coal is worth three or four pounds sterling a ton.

TheMongolia'had still sixteen hundred and fifty miles to traverse before reaching Bombay，and was obliged to remain four hours at Steamer Point to coal up.But this delay，as it was foreseen，did not affect Phileas Fogg's programme；besides，theMongolia'，instead of reaching Aden on the morning of the 15th，when she was due，arrived there on the evening of the 14th，a gain of fifteen hours.

Mr Fogg and his servant went ashore at Aden to have the passport again visaed；Fix，unobserved，followed them.The visa procured，Mr Fogg returned on board to resume his former habits；while Passepartout，according to custom，sauntered about among the mixed population of Somalis，Banyans，Parsees，Jews，Arabs and Europeans who comprise the twenty-five thousand inhabitants of Aden.He gazed with wonder upon the fortifications which make this place the Gibraltar of the Indian Ocean，and the vast cisterns where the English engineers were still at work，two thousand years after the engineers of Solomon.

Very curious，very curious，said Passepartout to himself，on returning to the steamer.I see that it is by no means useless to travel，if a man wants to see something new.'At six p.m.theMongolia'slowly moved out of the roadstead，and was soon once more on the Indian Ocean.She had a hundred and sixty-eight hours in which to reach Bombay，and the sea was favourable，the wind being in the north-west，and all sails aiding the engine.The steamer rolled but little，the ladies，in fresh toilets，reappeared on deck，and the singing and dancing were resumed.The trip was being accomplished most successfully，and Passepartout was enchanted with the congenial companion which chance had secured him in the person of the delightful Fix.On Sunday，October 20th，towards noon，they came in sight of the Indian coast：two hour later pilot came on board.A range of hills lay against the sky in the horizon，and soon the rows of palms which adorn Bombay came distinctly into view.The steamer entered the road formed by the islands in the bay，and at half-past four she hauled up at the quays of Bombay.

Phileas Fogg was in the act of finishing the thirty-third rubber of the voyage，and his partner and himself having，by a bold stroke，captured all thirteen of the tricks，concluded this fine campaign with a brilliant victory.

TheMongolia'was due at Bombay on the 22nd；she arrived on the 20th.This was a gain to Phileas Fogg of two days since his departure from London，and he calmly entered the fact in the itinerary，in the column of gains.

CHAPTER ⅣCHAPTER X

IN WHICH PASSEPARTOUT IS ONLY TOO GLAD TO GET OFF WITH THE LOSS OF HIS SHOES.

Everybody knows that the great reversed triangle of land，with its base in the north and its apex in the south，which is called India，embraces fourteen hundred thousand square miles，upon which is spread unequally a population of one hundred and eighty millions of souls.The British Crown exercises a real and despotic dominion over the larger portion of this vast country，and has a governor-general stationed at Calcutta，governors at Madras，Bombay，and in Bengal，and a lieutenant-governor at Agra.

But British India，properly so called，only embraces seven hundred thousand square miles，and a population of from one hundred to one hundred and ten millions of inhabitants.A considerable portion of India is still free from British authority；and there are certain ferocious rajahs in the interior who are absolutely independent.The celebrated East India Company was all-powerful from 1756，when the English first gained a foothold on the spot where now stands the city of Madras，down to the time of the great Sepoy insurrection.It gradually annexed province after province，purchasing them of the native chiefs，whom it seldom paid，and appointed the governor-general and his subordinates，civil and military.But the East India Company has now passed away，leaving the British possessions in India directly under the control of the Crown.The aspect of the country，as well as the manners and distinctions of race，is daily changing.

Formerly one was obliged to travel in India by the old cumbrous methods of going on foot or on horseback，in palanquins or unwieldy coaches；now，fast steamboats ply on the Indus and the Ganges，and a great railway，with branch lines joining the main line at many points on its route，traverses the peninsula from Bombay to Calcutta in three days.This railway does not run in a direct line across India.The distance between Bombay and Calcutta，as the bird flies，is only from one thousand to eleven hundred miles；but the deflections of the road increase this distance by more than a third.