Chapter 2, The Mail Coach Summary

The thugs drop Rashid and Haroun at the Bus Depot, where rhyming signs warn against excessive speed. Bus drivers tease passengers, pretending to be ready to leave. When Haroun observes it is not fair, Mr. Butt, the driver of an Express Mail coach offers to get the Khalifas to the Tunnel of I (or J) by sunset. They rocket away and passengers' howl as he continues accelerating. People at bypassed mail stops curse. In the mountains, warnings against speed are so urgent they no longer rhyme. Butt slams on the brakes as they enter the Tunnel. Beyond the Tunnel, admiring the glorious view, Rashid thanks Haroun, saying he had thought things were "khattam-shud." Haroun believes that his stories are coming back.

Word of Rashid's failure has not traveled as fast as Butt, so the Khalifas are met...