Around the World in 80 Days
where Passepartout would have been proud to see his
country's flag flying, were hidden from their view in the
darkness.
Calcutta was reached at seven in the morning, and the
packet left for Hong Kong at noon; so that Phileas Fogg
had five hours before him.
According to his journal, he was due at Calcutta on the
25th of October, and that was the exact date of his actual
arrival. He was therefore neither behind-hand nor ahead
of time. The two days gained between London and
Bombay had been lost, as has been seen, in the journey
across India. But it is not to be supposed that Phileas Fogg
regretted them.
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Chapter XV
IN WHICH THE BAG OF
BANKNOTES DISGORGES
SOME THOUSANDS OF
POUNDS MORE
The train entered the station, and Passepartout jumping
out first, was followed by Mr. Fogg, who assisted his fair
companion to descend. Phileas Fogg intended to proceed
at once to the Hong Kong steamer, in order to get Aouda
comfortably settled for the voyage. He was unwilling to
leave her while they were still on dangerous ground.
Just as he was leaving the station a policeman came up
to him, and said, 'Mr. Phileas Fogg?'
'I am he.'
'Is this man your servant?' added the policeman,
pointing to Passepartout.
'Yes.'
'Be so good, both of you, as to follow me.'
Mr. Fogg betrayed no surprise whatever. The
policeman was a representative of the law, and law is
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sacred to an Englishman. Passepartout tried to reason
about the matter, but the policeman tapped him with his
stick, and Mr. Fogg made him a signal to obey.
'May this young lady go with us?' asked he.
'She may,' replied the policeman.
Mr. Fogg, Aouda, and Passepartout were conducted to
a palkigahri, a sort of four-wheeled carriage, drawn by two
horses, in which they took their places and were driven
away. No one spoke during the twenty minutes which
elapsed before they reached their destination. They first
passed through the 'black town,' with its narrow streets, its
miserable, dirty huts, and squalid population; then through
the 'European town,' which presented a relief in its bright
brick mansions, shaded by coconut-trees and bristling with
masts, where, although it was early morning, elegantly
dressed horsemen and handsome equipages were passing
back and forth.
The carriage stopped before a modest-looking house,
which, however, did not have the appearance of a private
mansion. The policeman having requested his prisoners for
so, truly, they might be called-to descend, conducted
them into a room with barred windows, and said: 'You
will appear before Judge Obadiah at half-past eight.'
He then retired, and closed the door.
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'Why, we are prisoners!' exclaimed Passepartout, falling
into a chair.
Aouda, with an emotion she tried to conceal, said to
Mr. Fogg: 'Sir, you must leave me to my fate! It is on my
account that you receive this treatment, it is for having
saved me!'
Phileas Fogg contented himself with saying that it was
impossible. It was quite unlikely that he should be arrested
for preventing a suttee. The complainants would not dare
present themselves with such a charge. There was some
mistake. Moreover, he would not, in any event, abandon
Aouda, but would escort her to Hong Kong.
'But the steamer leaves at noon!' observed Passepartout,
nervously.
'We shall be on board by noon,' replied his master,
placidly.
It was said so positively that Passepartout could not
help muttering to himself, 'Parbleu that's certain! Before
noon we shall be on board.' But he was by no means
reassured.
At half-past eight the door opened, the policeman
appeared, and, requesting them to follow him, led the way
to an adjoining hall. It was evidently a court-room, and a
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crowd of Europeans and natives already occupied the rear
of the apartment.
Mr. Fogg and his two companions took their places on
a bench opposite the desks of the magistrate and his clerk.
Immediately after, Judge Obadiah, a fat, round man,
followed by the clerk, entered. He proceeded to take
down a wig which was hanging on a nail, and put it
hurriedly on his head.
'The first case,' said he. Then, putting his hand to his
head, he exclaimed, 'Heh! This is not my wig!'
'No, your worship,' returned the clerk, 'it is mine.'
'My dear Mr. Oysterpuff, how can a judge give a wise
sentence in a clerk's wig?'
The wigs were exchanged.
Passepartout was getting nervous, for the hands on the
face of the big clock over the judge seemed to go around
with terrible rapidity.
'The first case,' repeated Judge Obadiah.
'Phileas Fogg?' demanded Oysterpuff.
'I am here,' replied Mr. Fogg.
'Passepartout?'
'Present,' responded Passepartout.
'Good,' said the judge. 'You have been looked for,
prisoners, for two days on the trains from Bombay.'
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'But of what are we accused?' asked Passepartout,
impatiently.
'You are about to be informed.'
'I am an English subject, sir,' said Mr. Fogg, 'and I have
the right—'
'Have you been ill-treated?'
'Not at all.'
'Very well; let the complainants come in.'
A door was swung open by order of the judge, and
three Indian priests entered.
'That's it,' muttered Passepartout; 'these are the rogues
who were going to burn our young lady.'
The priests took their places in front of the judge, and
the clerk proceeded to read in a loud voice a complaint of
sacrilege against Phileas Fogg and his servant, who were
accused of having violated a place held consecrated by the
Brahmin religion.
'You hear the charge?' asked the judge.
'Yes, sir,' replied Mr. Fogg, consulting his watch, 'and I
admit it.'
'You admit it?'
'I admit it, and I wish to hear these priests admit, in
their turn, what they were going to do at the pagoda of
Pillaji.'
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The priests looked at each other; they did not seem to
understand what was said.
'Yes,' cried Passepartout, warmly; 'at the pagoda of
Pillaji, where they were on the point of burning their
victim.'
The judge stared with astonishment, and the priests
were stupefied.
'What victim?' said Judge Obadiah. 'Burn whom? In
Bombay itself?'
'Bombay?' cried Passepartout.
'Certainly. We are not talking of the pagoda of Pillaji,
but of the pagoda of Malabar Hill, at Bombay.'
'And as a proof,' added the clerk, 'here are the
desecrator's very shoes, which he left behind him.'
Whereupon he placed a pair of shoes on his desk.
'My shoes!' cried Passepartout, in his surprise
permitting this imprudent exclamation to escape him.
The confusion of master and man, who had quite
forgotten the affair at Bombay, for which they were now
detained at Calcutta, may be imagined.
Fix the detective, had foreseen the advantage which
Passepartout's escapade gave him, and, delaying his
departure for twelve hours, had consulted the priests of
Malabar Hill. Knowing that the English authorities dealt
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very severely with this kind of misdemeanour, he
promised them a goodly sum in damages, and sent them
forward to Calcutta by the next train. Owing to the delay
caused by the rescue of the young widow, Fix and the
priests reached the Indian capital before Mr. Fogg and his
servant, the magistrates having been already warned by a
dispatch to arrest them should they arrive. Fix's
disappointment when he learned that Phileas Fogg had not
made his appearance in Calcutta may be imagined. He
made up his mind that the robber had stopped somewhere
on the route and taken refuge in the southern provinces.
For twenty-four hours Fix watched the station with
feverish anxiety; at last he was rewarded by seeing Mr.
Fogg and Passepartout arrive, accompanied by a young
woman, whose presence he was wholly at a loss to
explain. He hastened for a policeman; and this was how
the party came to be arrested and brought before Judge
Obadiah.
Had Passepartout been a little less preoccupied, he
would have espied the detective ensconced in a corner of
the court-room, watching the proceedings with an interest
easily understood; for the warrant had failed to reach him
at Calcutta, as it had done at Bombay and Suez.
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Judge Obadiah had unfortunately caught Passepartout's
rash exclamation, which the poor fellow would have given
the world to recall.
'The facts are admitted?' asked the judge.
'Admitted,' replied Mr. Fogg, coldly.
'Inasmuch,' resumed the judge, 'as the English law
protects equally and sternly the religions of the Indian
people, and as the man Passepartout has admitted that he
violated the sacred pagoda of Malabar Hill, at Bombay, on
the 20th of October, I condemn the said Passepartout to
imprisonment for fifteen days and a fine of three hundred
pounds.'
'Three hundred pounds!' cried Passepartout, startled at
the largeness of the sum.
'Silence!' shouted the constable.
'And inasmuch,' continued the judge, 'as it is not
proved that the act was not done by the connivance of the
master with the servant, and as the master in any case must
be held responsible for the acts of his paid servant, I
condemn Phileas Fogg to a week's imprisonment and a
fine of one hundred and fifty pounds.'
Fix rubbed his hands softly with satisfaction; if Phileas
Fogg could be detained in Calcutta a week, it would be
more than time for the warrant to arrive. Passepartout was
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stupefied. This sentence ruined his master. A wager of
twenty thousand pounds lost, because he, like a precious
fool, had gone into that abominable pagoda!
Phileas Fogg, as self-composed as if the judgment did
not in the least concern him, did not even lift his
eyebrows while it was being pronounced. Just as the clerk
was calling the next case, he rose, and said, 'I offer bail.'
'You have that right,' returned the judge.
Fix's blood ran cold, but he resumed his composure
when he heard the judge announce that the bail required
for each prisoner would be one thousand pounds.
'I will pay it at once,' said Mr. Fogg, taking a roll of
bank-bills from the carpet-bag, which Passepartout had by
him, and placing them on the clerk's desk.
'This sum will be restored to you upon your release
from prison,' said the judge. 'Meanwhile, you are liberated
on bail.'
'Come!' said Phileas Fogg to his servant.
'But let them at least give me back my shoes!' cried
Passepartout angrily.
'Ah, these are pretty dear shoes!' he muttered, as they
were handed to him. 'More than a thousand pounds
apiece; besides, they pinch my feet.'
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Mr. Fogg, offering his arm to Aouda, then departed,
followed by the crestfallen Passepartout. Fix still nourished
hopes that the robber would not, after all, leave the two
thousand pounds behind him, but would decide to serve
out his week in jail, and issued forth on Mr. Fogg's traces.
That gentleman took a carriage, and the party were soon
landed on one of the quays.
The Rangoon was moored half a mile off in the
harbour, its signal of departure hoisted at the mast-head.
Eleven o'clock was striking; Mr. Fogg was an hour in
advance of time. Fix saw them leave the carriage and push
off in a boat for the steamer, and stamped his feet with
disappointment.
'The rascal is off, after all!' he exclaimed. 'Two
thousand pounds sacrificed! He's as prodigal as a thief! I'll
follow him to the end of the world if necessary; but, at the
rate he is going on, the stolen money will soon be
exhausted.'
The detective was not far wrong in making this
conjecture. Since leaving London, what with travelling
expenses, bribes, the purchase of the elephant, bails, and
fines, Mr. Fogg had already spent more than five thousand
pounds on the way, and the percentage of the sum
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recovered from the bank robber promised to the
detectives, was rapidly diminishing.
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Chapter XVI
IN WHICH FIX DOES NOT
SEEM TO UNDERSTAND IN
THE LEAST WHAT IS SAID TO
HIM
The Rangoon—one of the Peninsular and Oriental
Company's boats plying in the Chinese and Japanese
seas—was a screw steamer, built of iron, weighing about
seventeen hundred and seventy tons, and with engines of
four hundred horse-power. She was as fast, but not as well
fitted up, as the Mongolia, and Aouda was not as
comfortably provided for on board of her as Phileas Fogg
could have wished. However, the trip from Calcutta to
Hong Kong only comprised some three thousand five
hundred miles, occupying from ten to twelve days, and
the young woman was not difficult to please.
During the first days of the journey Aouda became
better acquainted with her protector, and constantly gave
evidence of her deep gratitude for what he had done. The
phlegmatic gentleman listened to her, apparently at least,
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with coldness, neither his voice nor his manner betraying
the slightest emotion; but he seemed to be always on the
watch that nothing should be wanting to Aouda's comfort.
He visited her regularly each day at certain hours, not so
much to talk himself, as to sit and hear her talk. He treated
her with the strictest politeness, but with the precision of
an automaton, the movements of which had been
arranged for this purpose. Aouda did not quite know what
to make of him, though Passepartout had given her some
hints of his master's eccentricity, and made her smile by
telling her of the wager which was sending him round the
world. After all, she owed Phileas Fogg her life, and she
always regarded him through the exalting medium of her
gratitude.
Aouda confirmed the Parsee guide's narrative of her
touching history. She did, indeed, belong to the highest of
the native races of India. Many of the Parsee merchants
have made great fortunes there by dealing in cotton; and
one of them, Sir Jametsee Jeejeebhoy, was made a baronet
by the English government. Aouda was a relative of this
great man, and it was his cousin, Jeejeeh, whom she hoped
to join at Hong Kong. Whether she would find a
protector in him she could not tell; but Mr. Fogg essayed
to calm her anxieties, and to assure her that everything
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would be mathematically—he used the very word—
arranged. Aouda fastened her great eyes, 'clear as the
sacred lakes of the Himalaya,' upon him; but the
intractable Fogg, as reserved as ever, did not seem at all
inclined to throw himself into this lake.
The first few days of the voyage passed prosperously,
amid favourable weather and propitious winds, and they
soon came in sight of the great Andaman, the principal of
the islands in the Bay of Bengal, with its picturesque
Saddle Peak, two thousand four hundred feet high,
looming above the waters. The steamer passed along near
the shores, but the savage Papuans, who are in the lowest
scale of humanity, but are not, as has been asserted,
cannibals, did not make their appearance.
The panorama of the islands, as they steamed by them,
was superb. Vast forests of palms, arecs, bamboo,
teakwood, of the gigantic mimosa, and tree-like ferns
covered the foreground, while behind, the graceful
outlines of the mountains were traced against the sky; and
along the coasts swarmed by thousands the precious
swallows whose nests furnish a luxurious dish to the tables
of the Celestial Empire. The varied landscape afforded by
the Andaman Islands was soon passed, however, and the
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Rangoon rapidly approached the Straits of Malacca, which
gave access to the China seas.
What was detective Fix, so unluckily drawn on from
country to country, doing all this while? He had managed
to embark on the Rangoon at Calcutta without being seen
by Passepartout, after leaving orders that, if the warrant
should arrive, it should be forwarded to him at Hong
Kong; and he hoped to conceal his presence to the end of
the voyage. It would have been difficult to explain why he
was on board without awakening Passepartout's suspicions,
who thought him still at Bombay. But necessity impelled
him, nevertheless, to renew his acquaintance with the
worthy servant, as will be seen.
All the detective's hopes and wishes were now centred
on Hong Kong; for the steamer's stay at Singapore would
be too brief to enable him to take any steps there. The
arrest must be made at Hong Kong, or the robber would
probably escape him for ever. Hong Kong was the last
English ground on which he would set foot; beyond,
China, Japan, America offered to Fogg an almost certain
refuge. If the warrant should at last make its appearance at
Hong Kong, Fix could arrest him and give him into the
hands of the local police, and there would be no further
trouble. But beyond Hong Kong, a simple warrant would
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be of no avail; an extradition warrant would be necessary,
and that would result in delays and obstacles, of which the
rascal would take advantage to elude justice.
Fix thought over these probabilities during the long
hours which he spent in his cabin, and kept repeating to
himself, 'Now, either the warrant will be at Hong Kong,
in which case I shall arrest my man, or it will not be there;
and this time it is absolutely necessary that I should delay
his departure. I have failed at Bombay, and I have failed at
Calcutta; if I fail at Hong Kong, my reputation is lost:
Cost what it may, I must succeed! But how shall I prevent
his departure, if that should turn out to be my last
resource?'
Fix made up his mind that, if worst came to worst, he
would make a confidant of Passepartout, and tell him what
kind of a fellow his master really was. That Passepartout
was not Fogg's accomplice, he was very certain. The
servant, enlightened by his disclosure, and afraid of being
himself implicated in the crime, would doubtless become
an ally of the detective. But this method was a dangerous
one, only to be employed when everything else had failed.
A word from Passepartout to his master would ruin all.
The detective was therefore in a sore strait. But suddenly a
new idea struck him. The presence of Aouda on the
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Rangoon, in company with Phileas Fogg, gave him new
material for reflection.
Who was this woman? What combination of events
had made her Fogg's travelling companion? They had
evidently met somewhere between Bombay and Calcutta;
but where? Had they met accidentally, or had Fogg gone
into the interior purposely in quest of this charming
damsel? Fix was fairly puzzled. He asked himself whether
there had not been a wicked elopement; and this idea so
impressed itself upon his mind that he determined to make
use of the supposed intrigue. Whether the young woman
were married or not, he would be able to create such
difficulties for Mr. Fogg at Hong Kong that he could not
escape by paying any amount of money.
But could he even wait till they reached Hong Kong?
Fogg had an abominable way of jumping from one boat to
another, and, before anything could be effected, might get
full under way again for Yokohama.
Fix decided that he must warn the English authorities,
and signal the Rangoon before her arrival. This was easy
to do, since the steamer stopped at Singapore, whence
there is a telegraphic wire to Hong Kong. He finally
resolved, moreover, before acting more positively, to
question Passepartout. It would not be difficult to make
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him talk; and, as there was no time to lose, Fix prepared to
make himself known.
It was now the 30th of October, and on the following
day the Rangoon was due at Singapore.
Fix emerged from his cabin and went on deck.
Passepartout was promenading up and down in the
forward part of the steamer. The detective rushed forward
with every appearance of extreme surprise, and exclaimed,
'You here, on the Rangoon?'
'What, Monsieur Fix, are you on board?' returned the
really astonished Passepartout, recognising his crony of the
Mongolia. 'Why, I left you at Bombay, and here you are,
on the way to Hong Kong! Are you going round the
world too?'
'No, no,' replied Fix; 'I shall stop at Hong Kong—at
least for some days.'
'Hum!' said Passepartout, who seemed for an instant
perplexed. 'But how is it I have not seen you on board
since we left Calcutta?'
'Oh, a trifle of sea-sickness—I've been staying in my
berth. The Gulf of Bengal does not agree with me as well
as the Indian Ocean. And how is Mr. Fogg?'
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'As well and as punctual as ever, not a day behind time!
But, Monsieur Fix, you don't know that we have a young
lady with us.'
'A young lady?' replied the detective, not seeming to
comprehend what was said.
Passepartout thereupon recounted Aouda's history, the
affair at the Bombay pagoda, the purchase of the elephant
for two thousand pounds, the rescue, the arrest, and
sentence of the Calcutta court, and the restoration of Mr.
Fogg and himself to liberty on bail. Fix, who was familiar
with the last events, seemed to be equally ignorant of all
that Passepartout related; and the later was charmed to find
so interested a listener.
'But does your master propose to carry this young
woman to Europe?'
'Not at all. We are simply going to place her under the
protection of one of her relatives, a rich merchant at Hong
Kong.'
'Nothing to be done there,' said Fix to himself,
concealing his disappointment. 'A glass of gin, Mr.
Passepartout?'
'Willingly, Monsieur Fix. We must at least have a
friendly glass on board the Rangoon.'
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Chapter XVII
SHOWING WHAT
HAPPENED ON THE VOYAGE
FROM SINGAPORE TO HONG
KONG
The detective and Passepartout met often on deck after
this interview, though Fix was reserved, and did not
attempt to induce his companion to divulge any more
facts concerning Mr. Fogg. He caught a glimpse of that
mysterious gentleman once or twice; but Mr. Fogg usually
confined himself to the cabin, where he kept Aouda
company, or, according to his inveterate habit, took a
hand at whist.
Passepartout began very seriously to conjecture what
strange chance kept Fix still on the route that his master
was pursuing. It was really worth considering why this
certainly very amiable and complacent person, whom he
had first met at Suez, had then encountered on board the
Mongolia, who disembarked at Bombay, which he
announced as his destination, and now turned up so
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unexpectedly on the Rangoon, was following Mr. Fogg's
tracks step by step. What was Fix's object? Passepartout
was ready to wager his Indian shoes—which he religiously
preserved—that Fix would also leave Hong Kong at the
same time with them, and probably on the same steamer.
Passepartout might have cudgelled his brain for a
century without hitting upon the real object which the
detective had in view. He never could have imagined that
Phileas Fogg was being tracked as a robber around the
globe. But, as it is in human nature to attempt the solution
of every mystery, Passepartout suddenly discovered an
explanation of Fix's movements, which was in truth far
from unreasonable. Fix, he thought, could only be an
agent of Mr. Fogg's friends at the Reform Club, sent to
follow him up, and to ascertain that he really went round
the world as had been agreed upon.
'It's clear!' repeated the worthy servant to himself,
proud of his shrewdness. 'He's a spy sent to keep us in
view! That isn't quite the thing, either, to be spying Mr.
Fogg, who is so honourable a man! Ah, gentlemen of the
Reform, this shall cost you dear!'
Passepartout, enchanted with his discovery, resolved to
say nothing to his master, lest he should be justly offended
at this mistrust on the part of his adversaries. But he
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determined to chaff Fix, when he had the chance, with
mysterious allusions, which, however, need not betray his
real suspicions.
During the afternoon of Wednesday, 30th October, the
Rangoon entered the Strait of Malacca, which separates
the peninsula of that name from Sumatra. The
mountainous and craggy islets intercepted the beauties of
this noble island from the view of the travellers. The
Rangoon weighed anchor at Singapore the next day at
four a.m., to receive coal, having gained half a day on the
prescribed time of her arrival. Phileas Fogg noted this gain
in his journal, and then, accompanied by Aouda, who
betrayed a desire for a walk on shore, disembarked.
Fix, who suspected Mr. Fogg's every movement,
followed them cautiously, without being himself
perceived; while Passepartout, laughing in his sleeve at
Fix's manoeuvres, went about his usual errands.
The island of Singapore is not imposing in aspect, for
there are no mountains; yet its appearance is not without
attractions. It is a park checkered by pleasant highways and
avenues. A handsome carriage, drawn by a sleek pair of
New Holland horses, carried Phileas Fogg and Aouda into
the midst of rows of palms with brilliant foliage, and of
clove-trees, whereof the cloves form the heart of a half-
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open flower. Pepper plants replaced the prickly hedges of
European fields; sago-bushes, large ferns with gorgeous
branches, varied the aspect of this tropical clime; while
nutmeg-trees in full foliage filled the air with a penetrating
perfume. Agile and grinning bands of monkeys skipped
about in the trees, nor were tigers wanting in the jungles.
After a drive of two hours through the country, Aouda
and Mr. Fogg returned to the town, which is a vast
collection of heavy-looking, irregular houses, surrounded
by charming gardens rich in tropical fruits and plants; and
at ten o'clock they re-embarked, closely followed by the
detective, who had kept them constantly in sight.
Passepartout, who had been purchasing several dozen
mangoes— a fruit as large as good-sized apples, of a dark-
brown colour outside and a bright red within, and whose
white pulp, melting in the mouth, affords gourmands a
delicious sensation—was waiting for them on deck. He
was only too glad to offer some mangoes to Aouda, who
thanked him very gracefully for them.
At eleven o'clock the Rangoon rode out of Singapore
harbour, and in a few hours the high mountains of
Malacca, with their forests, inhabited by the most
beautifully-furred tigers in the world, were lost to view.
Singapore is distant some thirteen hundred miles from the
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island of Hong Kong, which is a little English colony near
the Chinese coast. Phileas Fogg hoped to accomplish the
journey in six days, so as to be in time for the steamer
which would leave on the 6th of November for
Yokohama, the principal Japanese port.
The Rangoon had a large quota of passengers, many of
whom disembarked at Singapore, among them a number
of Indians, Ceylonese, Chinamen, Malays, and
Portuguese, mostly second-class travellers.
The weather, which had hitherto been fine, changed
with the last quarter of the moon. The sea rolled heavily,
and the wind at intervals rose almost to a storm, but
happily blew from the south-west, and thus aided the
steamer's progress. The captain as often as possible put up
his sails, and under the double action of steam and sail the
vessel made rapid progress along the coasts of Anam and
Cochin China. Owing to the defective construction of the
Rangoon, however, unusual precautions became necessary
in unfavourable weather; but the loss of time which
resulted from this cause, while it nearly drove Passepartout
out of his senses, did not seem to affect his master in the
least. Passepartout blamed the captain, the engineer, and
the crew, and consigned all who were connected with the
ship to the land where the pepper grows. Perhaps the
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thought of the gas, which was remorselessly burning at his
expense in Saville Row, had something to do with his hot
impatience.
'You are in a great hurry, then,' said Fix to him one
day, 'to reach Hong Kong?'
'A very great hurry!'
'Mr. Fogg, I suppose, is anxious to catch the steamer
for Yokohama?'
'Terribly anxious.'
'You believe in this journey around the world, then?'
'Absolutely. Don't you, Mr. Fix?'
'I? I don't believe a word of it.'
'You're a sly dog!' said Passepartout, winking at him.
This expression rather disturbed Fix, without his
knowing why. Had the Frenchman guessed his real
purpose? He knew not what to think. But how could
Passepartout have discovered that he was a detective? Yet,
in speaking as he did, the man evidently meant more than
he expressed.
Passepartout went still further the next day; he could
not hold his tongue.
'Mr. Fix,' said he, in a bantering tone, 'shall we be so
unfortunate as to lose you when we get to Hong Kong?'
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'Why,' responded Fix, a little embarrassed, 'I don't
know; perhaps—'
'Ah, if you would only go on with us! An agent of the
Peninsular Company, you know, can't stop on the way!
You were only going to Bombay, and here you are in
China. America is not far off, and from America to Europe
is only a step.'
Fix looked intently at his companion, whose
countenance was as serene as possible, and laughed with
him. But Passepartout persisted in chaffing him by asking
him if he made much by his present occupation.
'Yes, and no,' returned Fix; 'there is good and bad luck
in such things. But you must understand that I don't travel
at my own expense.'
'Oh, I am quite sure of that!' cried Passepartout,
laughing heartily.
Fix, fairly puzzled, descended to his cabin and gave
himself up to his reflections. He was evidently suspected;
somehow or other the Frenchman had found out that he
was a detective. But had he told his master? What part was
he playing in all this: was he an accomplice or not? Was
the game, then, up? Fix spent several hours turning these
things over in his mind, sometimes thinking that all was
lost, then persuading himself that Fogg was ignorant of his
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presence, and then undecided what course it was best to
take.
Nevertheless, he preserved his coolness of mind, and at
last resolved to deal plainly with Passepartout. If he did not
find it practicable to arrest Fogg at Hong Kong, and if
Fogg made preparations to leave that last foothold of
English territory, he, Fix, would tell Passepartout all.
Either the servant was the accomplice of his master, and in
this case the master knew of his operations, and he should
fail; or else the servant knew nothing about the robbery,
and then his interest would be to abandon the robber.
Such was the situation between Fix and Passepartout.
Meanwhile Phileas Fogg moved about above them in the
most majestic and unconscious indifference. He was
passing methodically in his orbit around the world,
regardless of the lesser stars which gravitated around him.
Yet there was near by what the astronomers would call a
disturbing star, which might have produced an agitation in
this gentleman's heart. But no! the charms of Aouda failed
to act, to Passepartout's great surprise; and the
disturbances, if they existed, would have been more
difficult to calculate than those of Uranus which led to the
discovery of Neptune.
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It was every day an increasing wonder to Passepartout,
who read in Aouda's eyes the depths of her gratitude to his
master. Phileas Fogg, though brave and gallant, must be,
he thought, quite heartless. As to the sentiment which this
journey might have awakened in him, there was clearly no
trace of such a thing; while poor Passepartout existed in
perpetual reveries.
One day he was leaning on the railing of the engine-
room, and was observing the engine, when a sudden pitch
of the steamer threw the screw out of the water. The
steam came hissing out of the valves; and this made
Passepartout indignant.
'The valves are not sufficiently charged!' he exclaimed.
'We are not going. Oh, these English! If this was an
American craft, we should blow up, perhaps, but we
should at all events go faster!'
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Chapter XVIII
IN WHICH PHILEAS FOGG,
PASSEPARTOUT, AND FIX GO
EACH ABOUT HIS BUSINESS
The weather was bad during the latter days of the
voyage. The wind, obstinately remaining in the north-
west, blew a gale, and retarded the steamer. The Rangoon
rolled heavily and the passengers became impatient of the
long, monstrous waves which the wind raised before their
path. A sort of tempest arose on the 3rd of November, the
squall knocking the vessel about with fury, and the waves
running high. The Rangoon reefed all her sails, and even
the rigging proved too much, whistling and shaking amid
the squall. The steamer was forced to proceed slowly, and
the captain estimated that she would reach Hong Kong
twenty hours behind time, and more if the storm lasted.
Phileas Fogg gazed at the tempestuous sea, which
seemed to be struggling especially to delay him, with his
habitual tranquillity. He never changed countenance for
an instant, though a delay of twenty hours, by making him
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