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“从桥上过去。” "With our train?" “开着火车过去？”上校问。 "With our train." “开着火车过去。” Passepartout stopped short, and eagerly listened to the engineer. 司机这句话的每一个字路路通都听清楚了，他停住了脚步。 "But the bridge is unsafe," urged the conductor. “可是这座桥就要坍了！”列车员说。 
“没关系，”孚尔斯特说，“我们只要把火车开到最大速度，碰运气也许能过去。” "The devil!" muttered Passepartout. “见他的鬼！”路路通说。 But a number of the passengers were at once attracted by the engineer's proposal, and Colonel Proctor was especially delighted, and found the plan a very feasible one. He told stories about engineers leaping their trains over rivers without bridges, by putting on full steam; and many of those present avowed themselves of the engineer's mind. 但是，立刻就有些旅客对这个建议随声附和表示同意，尤其是普洛克托上校特别拥护这个办法，这个冒失鬼，他觉得完全可以这么干。他甚至还告诉大家说，有些工程师还想过用高速度直线奔驰的办法使火车从“没有桥”的河上飞过去，他还讲了另外一些类似的怪事。说到最后，所有关心这个问题的人都同意了司机的高见。 "We have fifty chances out of a hundred of getting over," said one. “我们准有百分之五十的机会能过去。”一个旅客说。 "Eighty! ninety!" “百分之六十的机会。”另一个说。“百分之八十……百分之九十的机会！” 
路路通可给吓昏了。虽然他也是准备要用一切办法过这条梅迪西河的，可是现在这个办法他觉得未免有点太“美利坚式”了。“再说，”他心里想，“总应该让旅客们先下来，这是一件很简单的事，应当先作，可是这些人根本连想也不想！……”这时路路通就对一个旅客说：“先生，这位司机出的这个主意，我看是有点冒险，可是……” "Eighty chances!" replied the passenger, turning his back on him. “有百分之八十的机会！”这位旅客回答说，他说完这句话就转身走了。路路通又走到另一位先生跟前接着说： "I know it," said Passepartout, turning to another passenger, "but a simple idea--" “我知道有百分之八十的机会，可是您只要想一下……” "Ideas are no use," returned the American, shrugging his shoulders, "as the engineer assures us that we can pass." “想有什么用，没什么好想的！”这个听他说话的美国人耸着肩膀说，“司机已经说了，准能过去！” "Doubtless," urged Passepartout, "we can pass, but perhaps it would be more prudent--" “是啊，”路路通说，“能过去，要是更谨慎一点，我们应该……” 
“什么！谨慎！”普洛克托上校碰巧听见了路路通这句话，他跳了起来，嚷着说。“不是谨慎，我告诉你，是开快车，你懂吗？开快车。” "I know--I see," repeated Passepartout; "but it would be, if not more prudent, since that word displeases you, at least more natural--" “我知道……我懂……”路路通说，这时谁也不肯听完他的话，但是他仍然继续说下去，“假如说，‘更谨慎一点’这句话您听不惯那么我就说，为了更合情理一点，至少应该……” "Who! What! What's the matter with this fellow?" cried several. “他是谁啊？他要干什么？他说什么？他讲什么合情理不合情理啊？……”周围的人都哄起来了。 The poor fellow did not know to whom to address himself. 这个可怜的小伙子，现在不知道该向谁讲话了。 "Are you afraid?" asked Colonel Proctor. “你是害怕了吧？”普洛克托上校问他。 
“我！害怕！”路路通叫着说，“好吧，算了！我要让你们这些人看看，一个法国人也能跟他们一样的‘美利坚’！” "All aboard!" cried the conductor. "Yes, all aboard!" repeated Passepartout, and immediately. "But they can't prevent me from thinking that it would be more natural for us to cross the bridge on foot, and let the train come after!" “上车了！上车了！”列车员喊着说。“对，上车，”路路通说，“上车！马上上车！不过你们不能不叫我有自己的想法，最合情理的办法，应该是让旅客们先步行过桥，然后再把车开过去！……” But no one heard this sage reflection, nor would anyone have acknowledged its justice. The passengers resumed their places in the cars. Passepartout took his seat without telling what had passed. The whist-players were quite absorbed in their game. 但是，他这个合理的想法谁也不同意，谁也不觉得他有道理。旅客们都回到自己的车厢里去了。路路通往自己的坐位上一坐，对于刚才发生的一切连半个字儿也不提。三位玩“惠司脱”的牌迷现在心都在牌上。 The locomotive whistled vigorously; the engineer, reversing the steam, backed the train for nearly a mile--retiring, like a jumper, in order to take a longer leap. Then, with another whistle, he began to move forward; the train increased its speed, and soon its rapidity became frightful; a prolonged screech issued from the locomotive; the piston worked up and down twenty strokes to the second. They perceived that the whole train, rushing on at the rate of a hundred miles an hour, hardly bore upon the rails at all. 火车头大声地吼了一声，司机打开了汽门，把火车向后倒开了差不多一英里，就象是一个跳远的健将向后退着准备飞跃。紧接着响了第二声汽笛，火车又开始前进了。它不断加快速度，一会儿，速度已经大到了十分可怕的程度，车上只能听见机车发出的一阵隆隆声，活塞每秒钟进返二十次，车轴在机油盒里冒着浓烟，简直可以说整个火车就象以每小时一百英里的速度在前进，铁轨所负担的重量减少了，因为高速抵销了重量。 And they passed over! It was like a flash. No one saw the bridge. The train leaped, so to speak, from one bank to the other, and the engineer could not stop it until it had gone five miles beyond the station. But scarcely had the train passed the river, when the bridge, completely ruined, fell with a crash into the rapids of Medicine Bow. 列车过去了！就象闪电一样，连个桥影也没来得及看见，简直可以说是从对岸飞过来的，火车一直冲过了车站五英里，司机才勉强把它煞住。但是，列车一过了河，桥就轰隆一声坍落在梅迪西弯的激流里了。 
当天傍晚，火车一路前进非常顺利，过了索德尔斯堡，又过了夏延关，到了伊文思关。这个地区是整个铁路线标高的顶点，海拔达八千零九十一英尺。火车通过一望无际的天然太平原，往下一直奔向大西洋海岸。在这条平原干线上，有一条南路支线通向科罗拉多州的主要大城丹佛。那里有丰富的金矿和银矿，在当地定居的居民已有五万余人。 Thirteen hundred and eighty-two miles had been passed over from San Francisco, in three days and three nights; four days and nights more would probably bring them to New York. Phileas Fogg was not as yet behind-hand. During the night Camp Walbach was passed on the left; Lodge Pole Creek ran parallel with the road, marking the boundary between the territories of Wyoming and Colorado. They entered Nebraska at eleven, passed near Sedgwick, and touched at Julesburg, on the southern branch of the Platte River. 从旧金山出发到现在，三夭三夜已经走完了一千三百八十二英里（再有四天四夜不论如何也能到达纽约了，斐利亚·福克显然是在按部就班地完成着自己的日程。这一夜，火车从瓦尔巴营右方驰过。洛基布尔河和铁道平行，顺着怀俄明和科罗拉多两州笔直的交界线向前奔流。十一时，火车进入内布拉斯加州，经过塞奇威克就到了位于普拉特河南支流的居尔斯甫。 It was here that the Union Pacific Railroad was inaugurated on the 23rd of October, 1867, by the chief engineer, General Dodge. Two powerful locomotives, carrying nine cars of invited guests, amongst whom was Thomas C. Durant, vice-president of the road, stopped at this point; cheers were given, the Sioux and Pawnees performed an imitation Indian battle, fireworks were let off, and the first number of the Railway Pioneer was printed by a press brought on the train. Thus was celebrated the inauguration of this great railroad, a mighty instrument of progress and civilisation, thrown across the desert, and destined to link together cities and towns which do not yet exist. The whistle of the locomotive, more powerful than Amphion's lyre, was about to bid them rise from American soil. 1867 年10月23日，联合太平洋铁路公司在此地举行了通车典礼。总工程师是J·M·道奇将军，当时就是在这里由两个大机车拖着九节客车，送来了以副总统M·汤姆斯·C·杜郎为首的许多观礼人士。就在这儿，当时曾经有群众欢呼；同时西乌人和包尼斯人表演了一场印第安人战斗演习，在这儿，曾经点放庆祝通车的焰火，最后，人们在这儿用手提印刷机出版了《铁路先锋报》的创刊号。这就是这条大铁路举行庆祝通车典礼的情况。这条铁路是一条进步和文明的道路。它穿过荒凉的原野，把很多当时还不存在的城市联结起来。火车头的汽笛比神话中昂斐勇的七弦琴还要强，它使许多城市很快地在美洲大陆上冒出来了。 Fort McPherson was left behind at eight in the morning, and three hundred and fifty-seven miles had yet to be traversed before reaching Omaha. The road followed the capricious windings of the southern branch of the Platte River, on its left bank. At nine the train stopped at the important town of North Platte, built between the two arms of the river, which rejoin each other around it and form a single artery a large tributary whose waters empty into the Missouri a little above Omaha. 早晨八点钟，火车越过麦克费尔逊堡，此地离奥马哈角仅三百五十七英里。火车沿着普拉特河左岸，顺着普拉特河南部支流千变万化的弯曲河岸前进。九点钟火车到达了位于南、北普拉特河支流中间的一座大城市--北普拉特。两条大河在这座城的附近形成一条巨流，然后和奥马哈北面不远的密苏里河汇合。 The one hundred and first meridian was passed. 现在已经越过了经线一百零一度了。
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