I must confess, while I have endeavoured to plan a journey to bring M Fogg swiftly and safely back to London to secure his bet, I have been also been guided by a desire instilled in me at the World's Fair, in Paris. There, I saw a rigid-balloon airship, and spoke to a mechanic who told me she services one such ship that travels from Khartoum to Ujiji. Today, we rode the very same one, and the captain spoke well of the mechanic, though it seems as I left to see the wonders of technology in Africa, she decided to stay in Paris and join the Artificers Guild! What strange fate, to have crossed paths at just such a time.
I do hope M Fogg does not think me a fool for taking us so far south in his journey east, but taking the shaba-meli has assured me that the technology and forms of transport that we find here will propel us ever faster toward our goal.
- Jean Passepartout
PS. There is, perhaps, another motive now for continuing our journey south... while passing through Wadi Halfa, I happened upon some children wishing to show me to the newly-built telegraph office. They seemed eager to send a message, and I obliged them by paying the fee, but the operator insisted they all had the same message... "Ulundi, Passepartout". I laughed it off as a prank at the time but I cannot shake the feeling something greater was happening, that I did not and still do not understand - we had just arrived, and there was no way for the clerk, let alone the children, to know my name. Perhaps I will find the answer in Ulundi, the Zulu capital, if we continue this direction.
I am participating in the 80 Days in 80 Days race, you can follow the progress of all participants on a live map at that site, where you can find me with the ☕ symbol. You can also follow my journaling in the 80 Danas tag.