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 too
late for the Yokohama boat, would
almost inevitably cause the loss
of the wager. But this man of
nerve manifested neither impatience
nor annoyance; it seemed as if
the storm were a part of his
programme, and had been foreseen.
Aouda was amazed to find him
as calm as he had been from the
first time she saw him.
Fix did not look at the state
of things in the same light.
The storm greatly pleased him.
His satisfaction would have been
complete had the Rangoon been
forced to retreat before the
violence of wind and waves. Each
delay filled him with hope, for
it became more and more probable
that Fogg would be obliged to
remain some days at Hong Kong;
and now the heavens themselves
became his allies, with the gusts
and squalls. It mattered not
that they made him sea-sick--he
made no account of this inconvenience;
and, whilst his body was writhing
under their effects, his spirit
bounded with hopeful exultation.
Passepartout was enraged beyond
expression by the unpropitious
weather. Everything had gone
so well till now! Earth and sea
had seemed to be at his master's
service; steamers and railways
obeyed him; wind and steam united
to speed his journey. Had the
hour of adversity come? Passepartout
was as much excited as if the
twenty thousand pounds were to
come from his own pocket. The
storm exasperated him, the gale
made him furious, and he longed
to lash the obstinate sea into
obedience. Poor fellow! Fix carefully
concealed from him his own satisfaction,
for, had he betrayed it, Passepartout
could scarcely have restrained
himself from personal violence.
Passepartout remained on deck
as long as the tempest lasted,
being unable to remain quiet
below, and taking it into his
head to aid the progress of the
ship by lending a hand with the
crew. He overwhelmed the captain,
officers, and sailors, who could
not help laughing at his impatience,
with all sorts of questions.
He wanted to know exactly how
long the storm was going to last;
whereupon he was referred to
the barometer, which seemed to
have no intention of rising.
Passepartout shook it, but with
no perceptible effect; for neither
shaking nor maledictions could
prevail upon it to change its
mind.
On the 4th, however, the sea
became more calm, and the storm
lessened its violence; the wind
veered southward, and was once
more favourable. Passepartout
cleared up with the weather.
Some of the sails were unfurled,
and the Rangoon resumed its most
rapid speed. The time lost could
not, however, be regained. Land
was not signalled until five
o'clock on the morning of the
6th; the steamer was due on the
5th. Phileas Fogg was twenty-four
hours behind-hand, and the Yokohama
steamer would, of course, be
missed.
The pilot went on board at
six, and took his place on the
bridge, to guide the Rangoon
through the channels to the port
of Hong Kong. Passepartout longed
to ask him if the steamer had
left for Yokohama; but he dared
not, for he wished to preserve
the spark of hope, which still
remained till the last moment.
He had confided his anxiety to
Fix who--the sly rascal!--tried
to console him by saying that
Mr. Fogg would be in time if
he took the next boat; but this
only put Passepartout in a passion.
Mr. Fogg, bolder than his servant,
did not hesitate to approach
the pilot, and tranquilly ask
him if he knew when a steamer
would leave Hong Kong for Yokohama.
"At high tide to-morrow morning," answered
the pilot.
"Ah!" said
Mr. Fogg, without betraying
any astonishment.
Passepartout, who heard what
passed, would willingly have
embraced the pilot, while Fix
would have been glad to twist
his neck.
"What is the steamer's name?" asked
Mr. Fogg.
"The Carnatic."
"Ought she
not to have gone yesterday?"
"Yes, sir;
but they had to repair one
of her boilers, and
so her departure was postponed
till to-morrow."
"Thank you," returned
Mr. Fogg, descending mathematically
to
the saloon.
Passepartout
clasped the pilot's hand and
shook it heartily in
his delight, exclaiming, "Pilot,
you are the best of good fellows!"
The pilot probably does not
know to this day why his responses
won him this enthusiastic greeting.
He remounted the bridge, and
guided the steamer through the
flotilla of junks, tankas, and
fishing boats which crowd the
harbour of Hong Kong.
At one o'clock the Rangoon
was at the quay, and the passengers
were going ashore.
Chance had strangely favoured
Phileas Fogg, for had not the
Carnatic been forced to lie over
for repairing her boilers, she
would have left on the 6th of
November, and the passengers
for Japan would have been obliged
to await for a week the sailing
of the next steamer. Mr. Fogg
was, it is true, twenty-four
hours behind his time; but this
could not seriously imperil the
remainder of his tour.
The steamer which crossed the
Pacific from Yokohama to San
Francisco made a direct connection
with that from Hong Kong, and
it could not sail until the latter
reached Yokohama; and if Mr.
Fogg was twenty-four hours late
on reaching Yokohama, this time
would no doubt be easily regained
in the voyage of twenty-two days
across the Pacific. He found
himself, then, about twenty-four
hours behind-hand, thirty-five
days after leaving London.
The Carnatic was announced
to leave Hong Kong at five the
next morning. Mr. Fogg had sixteen
hours in which to attend to his
business there, which was to
deposit Aouda safely with her
wealthy relative.
On landing, he conducted her
to a palanquin, in which they
repaired to the Club Hotel. A
room was engaged for the young
woman, and Mr. Fogg, after seeing
that she wanted for nothing,
set out in search of her cousin
Jeejeeh. He instructed Passepartout
to remain at the hotel until
his return, that Aouda might
not be left entirely alone.
Mr. Fogg repaired to the Exchange,
where, he did not doubt, every
one would know so wealthy and
considerable a personage as the
Parsee merchant. Meeting a broker,
he made the inquiry, to learn
that Jeejeeh had left China two
years before, and, retiring from
business with an immense fortune,
had taken up his residence in
Europe--in Holland the broker
thought, with the merchants of
which country he had principally
traded. Phileas Fogg returned
to the hotel, begged a moment's
conversation with Aouda, and
without more ado, apprised her
that Jeejeeh was no longer at
Hong Kong, but probably in Holland.
Aouda at first
said nothing. She passed her
hand across her
forehead, and reflected a few
moments. Then, in her sweet,
soft voice, she said: "What ought
I to do, Mr. Fogg?"
"It is very simple," responded
the gentleman. "Go on to Europe."
"But I cannot
intrude--"
"You do not
intrude, nor do you in the
least embarrass my
project. Passepartout!"
"Monsieur."
"Go to the
Carnatic, and engage three
cabins."
Passepartout, delighted that
the young woman, who was very
gracious to him, was going to
continue the journey with them,
went off at a brisk gait to obey
his master's order.
|