During the night, the train rolled continuously towards the Great Salt Lake. The next morning, Passepartout went out to the open platform to get some fresh air. He noticed a tall man dressed entirely in black walking through the train, putting up small paper signs.
Passepartout read one of the signs. It announced that a Mormon missionary was going to give a lecture in car number 117. Passepartout was curious about the local culture, so he decided to attend. Mr. Fogg and Detective Fix preferred to stay in their quiet seats.
When Passepartout entered the car, about thirty passengers were already there. The tall man stood at the front and began to speak in a loud, angry voice. He talked endlessly about the history of his church. He explained how his people had been chased out of different states and violently persecuted for their beliefs over many years.
The man’s story was very detailed and incredibly boring. After twenty minutes, some passengers stood up and left. The speaker ignored them and kept talking. He explained how the church leaders finally moved their followers safely to the wild lands of Utah. By the time he reached the end of his long story, the entire audience had disappeared—except for Passepartout, who was still listening politely.
The angry speaker stopped and stared directly into Passepartout’s eyes. "And you, my brother!" the man shouted. "Will you come and live safely under our flag?"
"No!" Passepartout replied bravely. He quickly stood up and walked out of the car, leaving the man completely alone.
At two o'clock in the afternoon, the train stopped at a station near the Great Salt Lake. They had a six-hour delay, so Mr. Fogg, Aouda, and Passepartout took a short carriage ride to visit Salt Lake City.
The city was built in a perfectly square shape, with quiet streets and neat brick houses. Passepartout observed the local people with great interest. He knew that in their culture, it was common to practice polygamy. He looked at the large groups of women walking down the street, sharing a single husband.
Passepartout did not feel jealous at all. In fact, he deeply sympathized with the poor men. To him, guiding ten or fifteen wives through life seemed like a terrifying amount of work. He was very happy to be a single man.
At four o'clock, the travelers returned to the station and boarded their train. The whistle blew, and the heavy wheels began to turn.
Suddenly, they heard a loud shout from the platform. "Stop! Stop!"
A man was running after the moving train as fast as he could. The train was picking up speed, but the man jumped bravely onto the back platform and fell into a seat, completely exhausted.
Passepartout watched the man with great interest. He soon learned that the traveler had just escaped from his home after a terrible argument with his family.
Remembering what he had seen in the city, Passepartout smiled and asked the breathless man a polite question. "Tell me, sir, how many wives are you running away from? Twenty?"
"One, sir," the man answered, throwing his hands up in the air. "One, and that was enough!"