Several hours had passed since the train had left Fix and Aouda at Fort Kearney station.
The weather was dismal. Fix sat motionless on a bench in the station.
Aouda, despite the bitter cold, kept stepping outside, walking to the end of the platform and peering through the heavily falling snow.
She would return chilled and remain inside only long enough to warm up.
Then she would exit again, looking for any sign of the rescue party.
The commander of the fort waited with them, careful to hide his worry.
Night fell, but the little band of rescuers still did not return.
As the falling snow diminished, the air became intensely cold.
Where could they be? Had they found the Indians?
Were they fighting with them, or were they still wandering in the cold? Aouda suffered through the night.
Her heart was filled with anguish, and her imagination was full of the dangers Mr. Fogg faced.
At dawn the sun rose above a misty horizon.
It was now possible to see objects two miles off, but the horizon was still vacant.
At seven o'clock the captain betrayed his worry and began to rub his hands anxiously.
Then gunshots were heard. Was it a signal?
The soldiers who had remained in the fort rushed out.
Half a mile to the south, they could see a small group approaching.
Mr. Fogg was riding at the head of the squad, and just behind him were Passepartout and the other two missing passengers.
They had met and fought the Indians ten miles south of Fort Kearney.
Passepartout and his companions had managed to escape their ropes and were already struggling against the Indians when Mr. Fogg and the soldiers arrived.
The fight had been quick and successful.
They were all welcomed back at the station with a joyful cheer.
Phileas Fogg distributed the reward he had promised to the soldiers.
Aouda took her protector's hand and pressed it to her own, too moved even to speak.
Meanwhile Passepartout was looking around for the train.
He thought he would find it there, ready to start for Omaha.
He hoped that they could make up the lost time.
"The train! The train!" cried Passepartout.
"Gone," said Fix.
"And when does the next train pass here?" asked Mr. Fogg.
"Not until this evening," explained Aouda.
"Ah," said Mr. Fogg quietly.
They were now twenty hours behind schedule. Fix approached Mr. Fogg with a possible solution.
While Fix had been sitting in the station, a man had approached him and offered him a ride on a sledge with sails.
Fix pointed to the man, who was walking up and down in front of the station.
Mr. Fogg paused. He had never heard of any vehicle like the one described.
He went up to the man, and after a brief exchange, the two entered a hut a short distance from the fort.
Mr. Fogg examined the curious device. A low frame was mounted on two long runners, like skis.
A high mast was attached to the frame, held firmly by thin metal wires.
Attached to the mast was a wide sail.
The owner of the vehicle, a man named Mudge, said the sledge could take them to Omaha where they could catch a train to Chicago and finally to New York.
Mr. Fogg made a bargain with Mudge.
At eight o'clock the sledge was ready.
Mr. Fogg, Aouda, Passepartout, and Fix, took their places.
The great sail was hoisted, and soon they were skimming across the frozen prairie at forty miles an hour.
The travelers huddled close together to protect themselves from the cold.
The freezing wind burned Passepartout's face as red as the setting sun.
Aouda was cozily wrapped in fur. Mr. Fogg was as calm and confident as usual, sitting close beside Aouda.
Fix was happy to be moving closer to England with Mr. Fogg in his sight.
Passepartout knew that he would never forget Mr. Fogg's bravery.
Nor would he forget the sacrifice that Mr. Fogg had made to rescue him from the Indians.
Without hesitation, Fogg had risked his fortune and his life!
Mudge steered his strange vehicle skillfully.
Traveling on skis, they were able to cross the frozen Platte River and shorten the distance they would have traveled by train.
They arrived at the station in Omaha just in time to catch the next train to Chicago.
Mr. Fogg generously rewarded Mudge, and they jumped aboard the train as it slowly pulled out of the station.
What a strange way to travel! I've seen a sledge before, but I've never seen a sledge with sails!
A sledge is a vehicle that slides along grass or snow.
It does not have wheels, but instead has runners, which are like skis.
A sledge can carry heavy things such as wood, stone, or blocks of ice.
Many American farmers have sledges, which can be moved by people, animals, or even sails on a windy day!
A sledge is similar to a sled or a sleigh. Have you ridden a sled in winter?
It's fun, isn't it? A sled is smaller than a sledge or a sleigh and is usually used for fun or to carry a light load.
Animals, like horses or dogs, or people can pull sleds.
A sleigh is much larger and is usually pulled by horses.
What a fabulous adventure! I never expected to find myself sailing—and then skiing—across the American prairies!