Around the World in Eighty Days Chapter 29 Summary

In which certain incidents are narrated which are only to be met with on American railroads

  • The train journey is now about halfway over, and Phileas is totes absorbed in playing cards—that is until Colonel Proctor asks if he can play… uh oh.
  • Fogg and the Colonel try to decide when and where to duel. Phileas wants a six-month appointment, but the Colonel says he wants to do his dueling here and now.
  • They decide all sophisticated-like that the duel should take place at the next train stop, with Fix acting as Phileas's second.
  • The conductor has to rain on their parade, though, because the train won't be stopping at the agreed-upon point-of-duel. He then suggests, "Hey, why don't you boys just duel on the train? There's an empty car, after all?"—oh good.
  • Right as Fogg and Proctor begin their duel (cue fainting and weeping), a band of Sioux Indians attacks the train.
  • The passengers fight for their belongings and their lives.
  • Passepartout makes a daring attempt to uncouple the passenger cars from the train engine. He slips under the cars and removes the chains connecting them to the engine.
  • The train halts just outside Fort Kearney.
  • The soldiers of the fort come on over and clean up the rascally Indians still engaged in battle. But after it's all over, it seems that several people are missing, including Passepartout.