eight o'clock
It would be difficult to guess the detective 's thoughts . Was this conviction shaken by Phileas Fogg 's return , or did he still regard him as an exceedingly shrewd rascal , who , his journey round the world completed , would think himself absolutely safe in England ? Perhaps Fix 's opinion of Phileas Fogg was somewhat modified , but he was nevertheless resolved to do his duty , and to hasten the return of the whole party to England as much as possible . At eight o'clock the sledge was ready to start . The passengers took their places on it , and wrapped themselves up closely in their traveling-cloaks . The two great sails were hoisted , and under the pressure of the wind the sledge slid over the hardened snow with a velocity of forty miles an hour . The distance between Fort Kearney and Omaha , as the birds fly , is at most two hundred miles .