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19 - Around The World in Eighty Days - Jules Verne · Adventure Books Library

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  Chapter nineteen, in which Passepartout takes a too great interest in his master and
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  what comes of it. Hong Kong is an island which came into the possession
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  of the English by the Treaty of Nankin after the War of eighteen forty two,
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  and the colonizing genius of the English has created upon it an important city
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  and an excellent port. The island is situated at the mouth of the Canton
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  River and is separated by about sixty miles from the Portuguese town of Macao on
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  the opposite coast. Hong Kong has beaten Macao in the struggle for the Chinese
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  trade, and now the greater part of the transportation of Chinese goods finds its
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  depot at the former place. Docks, hospitals, wharves, a Gothic cathedral,
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  a government house, macadamized streets give to Hong Kong the appearance of a
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  town in Kent or Surrey, transformed by some strange magic to the antipodes.
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  Passepartout wandered with his hands in his pockets towards the Victoria Port, gazing as
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  he went at the curious palanquins and other modes of conveyance, and the groups
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  of Chinese, Japanese and Europeans who passed to and fro in the streets.
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  Hong Kong seemed to him not unlike Bombay, Calcutta and Singapore, since like
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  them, it betrayed everywhere the evidence of English supremacy. At the Victoria Port,
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  he found a confused mass of ships of all nations, English, French,
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  American and Dutch men of war and trading vessels, Japanese and Chinese junks,
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  sempas, tankas and flower boats, which formed so many floating parterres.
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  Passepartout noticed in the crowd a number of the natives who seemed very old and
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  were dressed in yellow. On going into a barber's to get shaved, he
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  learned that these ancient men were all at least eighty years old, at which
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  age they are permitted to wear yellow, which is the imperial color. Passepartout,
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  without exactly knowing why, thought this very funny. On reaching the key
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  where they were to embark on the Carnatic, he was not astonished to find
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  fix Walking up and down, the detective seemed very much disturbed and disappointed.
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  This is bad, muttered passepartout for the gentleman of the Reform Club. He
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  accosted Fix with a merry smile, as if he had not perceived that gentleman's
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  chagrin. The detective had indeed good reasons to inveigh against the bad luck which
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  pursued him. The warrant had not come. It was certainly on the way,
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  but as certainly it could not now reach Hong Kong for several days,
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  and this being the last English territory on mister Fogg's route, the robber would
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  escape unless he could manage to detain him. Well, Monsieur Fix, said
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  passepartout, Have you decided to go with us so far as America? Yes,
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  returned Fix through his set teeth. Good, exclaimed Passepartout, laughing heartily.
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  I knew you could not persuade yourself to separate from us. Come and
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  engage your berth. They entered the steamer office and secured cabins for four persons.
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  The clerk, as he gave them the tickets, informed them that the
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  repairs on the Carnatic having been completed, the steamer would leave that very evening
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  and not next morning as had been announced. That will suit my master all
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  the better, said Passepartout, I will go and let him know. Fix
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  now decided to make a bold move. He resolved to tell Passepartout all.
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  It seemed to be the only possible way to keep phileas Fogg several days longer
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  at Hong Kong, He accordingly invited his companion into a tavern which caught his
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  eye on the quay. On entering, they found themselves in a large room,
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  handsomely decorated, at the end of which was a large camp bed furnished
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  with cushions. Several persons lay upon this bed in a deep sleep. At
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  the small tables which were arranged about the room, some thirty customers were drinking
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  English beer, porter gin and brandy, smoking the while long red clay pipes
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  stuffed with little balls of opium mingled with the essence of rose. From time
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  to time, one of the smokers, overcome with a narcotic, would slip
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  under the table, where upon the waiters, taking him by the head and
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  feet, carried and laid him upon the bed. The bed already supported twenty
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  of these stupefied sots. Fix and Passepartout saw that they were in a smoking
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  house, haunted by those wretched cadaverous idiotic creatures, to whom the English merchants
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  sell every year the miserable drug called opium, to the amount of one million,
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  four hundred thousand pounds thousands of Devoted to one of the most despicable vices
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  which afflict humanity, the Chinese government has in vain attempted to deal with the
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  evil by stringent laws. It passed gradually from the rich to whom it was
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  at first exclusively reserved to the lower classes, and then its ravages could not
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  be arrested. Opium is smoked everywhere, at all times by men and women
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  in the Celestial Empire, and once accustomed to it, the victims cannot dispense
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  with it, except by suffering horrible bodily contortions and agonies. A great smoker
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  can smoke as many as eight pipes a day, but he dies in five
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  years. It was in one of these dens that Fix and Passepartout, in
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  search of a friendly glass, found themselves. Passepartout had no money, but
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  willingly accepted Fix's invitation in the hope of returning the obligation at some future time.
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  They ordered two bottles of port, to which the Frenchmen did an ample
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  justice, whilst Fix observed him with close attention. They chatted about the journey,
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  and Passepartout was especially merry at the idea that Fix was going to continue
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  it with them. When the bottles were empty. However, he rose to
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  go and tell his master of the change in the time of the sailing of
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  the Carnatic. Fix caught him by the arm and said, wait a moment,
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  what for, mister Fix. I want to have a serious talk with
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  you, A serious talk, cried Passepartout, drinking up the little wine that
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  was left in the bottom of his glass. Well we'll talk about it tomorrow.
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  I haven't time now. Stay. What I have to say concerns your
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  master. Passepartout at this, looked attentively at his companion. Fix's face seemed
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  to have a singular expression. He resumed his seat. What is it that
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  you have to say? Fix placed his hand upon Passepartout's arm and, lowering
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  his voice, said you have guessed who I am, Parbleu, said Passepartout,
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  smiling. Then I'm going to tell you everything. Now that I know
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  everything, my friend. Ah, that's very good, ha ha. But
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  go on go on. First, though, let me tell you that those
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  gentlemen have put themselves to a useless expense. Useless, said Fix, you
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  speak confidently. It's clear that you don't know how large the sum is.
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  Of course I do, returned Passepartout, twenty thousand pounds fifty five thousand,
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  answered Fix, pressing his companion's hand. What cried the frenchman, has monsieur
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  Fog dared fifty five thousand pounds? Well, there's all the more reason for
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  not losing an instant, he continued, getting out hastily. Fix pushed Pastpartout
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  back in his chair and resumed fifty five thousand pounds. And if I succeed,
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  I get two thousand pounds. If you'll help me, I'll let you
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  have five hundred of them. Help you, cried Passepartout, whose eyes were
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  standing wide open. Yes, help me keep mister Fogg here for two or
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  three days. Why what are you saying? Those gentlemen are not satisfied with
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  following my master and suspecting his honor, but they must try to put obstacles
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  in his way. I blush for them. What do you mean? I
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  mean that it is a piece of shameful trickery. They might as well waylay
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  mister Fogg and put his money in their pockets. That's just what we count
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  on doing. It's a conspiracy, then cried Passepartout, who became more and
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  more excited as the liquor mounted in his head. For he drank without pursuit.
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  It a real conspiracy, and gentleman too, Bah Fix began to be
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  puzzled. Members of the Reform Club continued Passepartout. You must know, monsieur
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  Fix, that my master is an honest man, and that when he makes
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  a wager, he tries to win it fairly. But who do you think
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  I am, asked Fix, looking at him intently. Par Bleu, an
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  agent at the members of the Reform Club, sent out here to interrupt my
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  master's journey. But though I found you out some time ago, I've taken
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  good care to say nothing about it. To mister Fogg. He knows nothing.
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  Then nothing, replied Passepartout, again, emptying his glass. The detective
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  passed his hand across his forehead, hesitating before he spoke again, what should
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  he do? Passepartout's mistake seemed sincere, but it made his design more difficult.
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  It was evident that the servant was not the master's accomplice. As Fix
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  had been inclined to suspect Well, said the detective to himself. As he
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  is not an accomplice, he will help me. He had no time to
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  lose. Fogg must be detained at Hong Kong, and he resolved to make
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  a clean breast of it. Listen to me, said Fix abruptly. I
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  am not, as you think, an agent of the members of the Reform
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  Club. Bah retorted Passepartout with an ale of raillery. I am a police
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  detective sent out here by the London Office. You a detective. I will
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  prove it. Here is my commission. Passepartout was speechless with astonishment when Fix
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  displayed this document, the genuineness of which could not be doubted. Mister Fogg's
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  wager resumed, Fix is only a pretext of which you and the gentlemen of
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  the Reform are dupes. He had a motive for securing your innocent complicity,
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  but why listen. On the twenty eighth of last September, a robbery of
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  fifty five thousand pounds was committed at the Bank of England by a person whose
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  description was fortunately secured. Here is his description. It answers exactly to that
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  of mister Phileas Fogg. What nonsense, cried Passepartout, striking the table with
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  his fist. My master is the most honorable of men. How can you
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  tell you know scarcely anything about him? You went into his service the day
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  he came away, and he came away on a foolish pretext, without trunks,
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  and carrying a large amount in bank notes. And yet you are bold
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  enough to assert that he is an honest man. Yes, yes, repeated
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  the poor fellow mechanically. Would you like to be arrested as his accompli?
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  Passpartout, Overcome by what he had heard, held his head between his hands,
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  and did not dare to look at the detective Phileas Fogg, the savior
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  of Aouda, that brave and generous man, a robber, And yet how
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  many presumptions there were against him? Passepartout essayed to reject the suspicions which forced
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  themselves upon his mind. He did not wish to believe that his master was
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  guilty. Well, what do you want of me? Said he at last,
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  with an effort see here, replied fix, I have tracked mister Fogg
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  to this place. But as yet I have failed to receive the warrant of
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  arrest for which I sent to London. You must help me to keep him
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  here in Hong Kong. I but I I will share with you the two
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  thousand pounds reward offered by the Bank of England. Never replied Passepartout, who
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  tried to rise but fell back, exhausted in mind and body. Mister Fix,
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  he stammered, Even should what you say be true? If my master
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  is really the robber you are seeking, for which I deny, I have
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  been am in his service. I have seen his generosity and goodness, and
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  I will never betray him, not for all the gold in the world.
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  I come from a village where they don't eat that kind of bread. You
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  refuse, I refuse. Consider that I've said nothing, said Fix, and
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  let us drink. Yes, let us drink. Passepartout felt himself yielding more
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  and more to the effects of the liquor, Fix, saying that he must,
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  at all hazards be separated from his master, wish to entirely overcome him.
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  Some pipes full of opium lay upon the table. Fix slipped one into
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  passepartout hand. He took it, put it between his lips lit it drew
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  several puffs, and his head, becoming heavy under the influence of the narcotic,
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  fell upon the table. At last, said Fix, singing passepartout unconscious.
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  Mister Fogg will not be involved of the carnatic's departure, and if he
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  is, he will have to go without this cursed Frenchman. And after paying
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  his bill, Fix left the tavern. End of chapter