During which Mr. Fogg and party
cross the Pacific ocean
What happened when the pilot-boat
came in sight of Shanghai will
be easily guessed. The signals
made by the Tankadere had been
seen by the captain of the Yokohama
steamer, who, espying the flag
at half-mast, had directed his
course towards the little craft.
Phileas Fogg, after paying the
stipulated price of his passage
to John Busby, and rewarding
that worthy with the additional
sum of five hundred and fifty
pounds, ascended the steamer
with Aouda and Fix; and they
started at once for Nagasaki
and Yokohama.
They reached their destination
on the morning of the 14th of
November. Phileas Fogg lost no
time in going on board the Carnatic,
where he learned, to Aouda's
great delight--and perhaps to
his own, though he betrayed no
emotion--that Passepartout, a
Frenchman, had really arrived
on her the day before.
The San Francisco
steamer was announced to leave
that very
evening, and it became necessary
to find Passepartout, if possible,
without delay. Mr. Fogg applied
in vain to the French and English
consuls, and, after wandering
through the streets a long time,
began to despair of finding his
missing servant. Chance, or perhaps
a kind of presentiment, at last
led him into the Honourable Mr.
Batulcar's theatre. He certainly
would not have recognised Passepartout
in the eccentric mountebank's
costume; but the latter, lying
on his back, perceived his master
in the gallery. He could not
help starting, which so changed
the position of his nose as to
bring the "pyramid" pell-mell
upon the stage.
All this Passepartout learned
from Aouda, who recounted to
him what had taken place on the
voyage from Hong Kong to Shanghai
on the Tankadere, in company
with one Mr. Fix.
Passepartout did not change
countenance on hearing this name.
He thought that the time had
not yet arrived to divulge to
his master what had taken place
between the detective and himself;
and, in the account he gave of
his absence, he simply excused
himself for having been overtaken
by drunkenness, in smoking opium
at a tavern in Hong Kong.
Mr. Fogg heard this narrative
coldly, without a word; and then
furnished his man with funds
necessary to obtain clothing
more in harmony with his position.
Within an hour the Frenchman
had cut off his nose and parted
with his wings, and retained
nothing about him which recalled
the sectary of the god Tingou.
The steamer which was about
to depart from Yokohama to San
Francisco belonged to the Pacific
Mail Steamship Company, and was
named the General Grant. She
was a large paddle-wheel steamer
of two thousand five hundred
tons; well equipped and very
fast. The massive walking-beam
rose and fell above the deck;
at one end a piston-rod worked
up and down; and at the other
was a connecting-rod which, in
changing the rectilinear motion
to a circular one, was directly
connected with the shaft of the
paddles. The General Grant was
rigged with three masts, giving
a large capacity for sails, and
thus materially aiding the steam
power. By making twelve miles
an hour, she would cross the
ocean in twenty-one days. Phileas
Fogg was therefore justified
in hoping that he would reach
San Francisco by the 2nd of December,
New York by the 11th, and London
on the 20th--thus gaining several
hours on the fatal date of the
21st of December.
There was a full complement
of passengers on board, among
them English, many Americans,
a large number of coolies on
their way to California, and
several East Indian officers,
who were spending their vacation
in making the tour of the world.
Nothing of moment happened on
the voyage; the steamer, sustained
on its large paddles, rolled
but little, and the Pacific almost
justified its name. Mr. Fogg
was as calm and taciturn as ever.
His young companion felt herself
more and more attached to him
by other ties than gratitude;
his silent but generous nature
impressed her more than she thought;
and it was almost unconsciously
that she yielded to emotions
which did not seem to have the
least effect upon her protector.
Aouda took the keenest interest
in his plans, and became impatient
at any incident which seemed
likely to retard his journey.
She often chatted with Passepartout,
who did not fail to perceive
the state of the lady's heart;
and, being the most faithful
of domestics, he never exhausted
his eulogies of Phileas Fogg's
honesty, generosity, and devotion.
He took pains to calm Aouda's
doubts of a successful termination
of the journey, telling her that
the most difficult part of it
had passed, that now they were
beyond the fantastic countries
of Japan and China, and were
fairly on their way to civilised
places again. A railway train
from San Francisco to New York,
and a transatlantic steamer from
New York to Liverpool, would
doubtless bring them to the end
of this impossible journey round
the world within the period agreed
upon.
On the ninth day after leaving
Yokohama, Phileas Fogg had traversed
exactly one half of the terrestrial
globe. The General Grant passed,
on the 23rd of November, the
one hundred and eightieth meridian,
and was at the very antipodes
of London. Mr. Fogg had, it is
true, exhausted fifty-two of
the eighty days in which he was
to complete the tour, and there
were only twenty-eight left.
But, though he was only half-way
by the difference of meridians,
he had really gone over two-thirds
of the whole journey; for he
had been obliged to make long
circuits from London to Aden,
from Aden to Bombay, from Calcutta
to Singapore, and from Singapore
to Yokohama. Could he have followed
without deviation the fiftieth
parallel, which is that of London,
the whole distance would only
have been about twelve thousand
miles; whereas he would be forced,
by the irregular methods of locomotion,
to traverse twenty-six thousand,
of which he had, on the 23rd
of November, accomplished seventeen
thousand five hundred. And now
the course was a straight one,
and Fix was no longer there to
put obstacles in their way!
It happened also, on the 23rd
of November, that Passepartout
made a joyful discovery. It will
be remembered that the obstinate
fellow had insisted on keeping
his famous family watch at London
time, and on regarding that of
the countries he had passed through
as quite false and unreliable.
Now, on this day, though he had
not changed the hands, he found
that his watch exactly agreed
with the ship's chronometers.
His triumph was hilarious. He
would have liked to know what
Fix would say if he were aboard!
"The rogue told me a lot of
stories," repeated Passepartout, "about
the meridians, the sun, and the
moon! Moon, indeed! moonshine
more likely! If one listened
to that sort of people, a pretty
sort of time one would keep!
I was sure that the sun would
some day regulate itself by my
watch!"
Passepartout was ignorant that,
if the face of his watch had
been divided into twenty-four
hours, like the Italian clocks,
he would have no reason for exultation;
for the hands of his watch would
then, instead of as now indicating
nine o'clock in the morning,
indicate nine o'clock in the
evening, that is, the twenty-first
hour after midnight precisely
the difference between London
time and that of the one hundred
and eightieth meridian. But if
Fix had been able to explain
this purely physical effect,
Passepartout would not have admitted,
even if he had comprehended it.
Moreover, if the detective had
been on board at that moment,
Passepartout would have joined
issue with him on a quite different
subject, and in an entirely different
manner.
Where was Fix at that moment?
He was actually on board the
General Grant.
On reaching Yokohama, the detective,
leaving Mr. Fogg, whom he expected
to meet again during the day,
had repaired at once to the English
consulate, where he at last found
the warrant of arrest. It had
followed him from Bombay, and
had come by the Carnatic, on
which steamer he himself was
supposed to be. Fix's disappointment
may be imagined when he reflected
that the warrant was now useless.
Mr. Fogg had left English ground,
and it was now necessary to procure
his extradition!
"Well," thought Fix, after
a moment of anger, "my warrant
is not good here, but it will
be in England. The rogue evidently
intends to return to his own
country, thinking he has thrown
the police off his track. Good!
I will follow him across the
Atlantic. As for the money, heaven
grant there may be some left!
But the fellow has already spent
in travelling, rewards, trials,
bail, elephants, and all sorts
of charges, more than five thousand
pounds. Yet, after all, the Bank
is rich!"
His course decided on, he went
on board the General Grant, and
was there when Mr. Fogg and Aouda
arrived. To his utter amazement,
he recognised Passepartout, despite
his theatrical disguise. He quickly
concealed himself in his cabin,
to avoid an awkward explanation,
and hoped--thanks to the number
of passengers--to remain unperceived
by Mr. Fogg's servant.
On that very day, however,
he met Passepartout face to face
on the forward deck. The latter,
without a word, made a rush for
him, grasped him by the throat,
and, much to the amusement of
a group of Americans, who immediately
began to bet on him, administered
to the detective a perfect volley
of blows, which proved the great
superiority of French over English
pugilistic skill.
When Passepartout
had finished, he found himself
relieved and
comforted. Fix got up in a somewhat
rumpled condition, and, looking
at his adversary, coldly said, "Have
you done?"
"For this time--yes."
"Then let me
have a word with you."
"But I--"
"In your master's
interests."
Passepartout seemed to be vanquished
by Fix's coolness, for he quietly
followed him, and they sat down
aside from the rest of the passengers.
"You have given me a thrashing," said
Fix. "Good, I expected it. Now,
listen to me. Up to this time
I have been Mr. Fogg's adversary.
I am now in his game."
"Aha!" cried Passepartout; "you
are convinced he is an honest
man?"
"No," replied Fix coldly, "I
think him a rascal. Sh! don't
budge, and let me speak. As long
as Mr. Fogg was on English ground,
it was for my interest to detain
him there until my warrant of
arrest arrived. I did everything
I could to keep him back. I sent
the Bombay priests after him,
I got you intoxicated at Hong
Kong, I separated you from him,
and I made him miss the Yokohama
steamer."
Passepartout listened, with
closed fists.
"Now," resumed Fix, "Mr.
Fogg seems to be going back
to England.
Well, I will follow him there.
But hereafter I will do as much
to keep obstacles out of his
way as I have done up to this
time to put them in his path.
I've changed my game, you see,
and simply because it was for
my interest to change it. Your
interest is the same as mine;
for it is only in England that
you will ascertain whether you
are in the service of a criminal
or an honest man."
Passepartout listened very
attentively to Fix, and was convinced
that he spoke with entire good
faith.
"Are we friends?" asked
the detective.
"Friends?--no," replied Passepartout; "but
allies, perhaps. At the least
sign of treason, however, I'll
twist your neck for you."
"Agreed," said
the detective quietly.
Eleven days later, on the 3rd
of December, the General Grant
entered the bay of the Golden
Gate, and reached San Francisco.
Mr. Fogg had neither gained
nor lost a single day.
|