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24 - Around The World in Eighty Days - Jules Verne · Classic Sci Fi Books - Daily

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  Speaker 1: Chapter twenty four, during which mister Fogg and party crossed
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: the Pacific Ocean. What happened when the pilot boat came
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  Speaker 1: in sight of Shanghai will be easily guessed. The signals
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  Speaker 1: made by the tankadere had been seen by the captain
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  Speaker 1: of the Yokohama steamer, who, espying the flag at half mast,
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  Speaker 1: had directed his course towards the little craft. Phileas Fogg,
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  Speaker 1: after paying the stipulated price of his passage to John
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  Speaker 1: Busby and rewarding that worthy with the additional sum of
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  Speaker 1: five hundred and fifty pounds, ascended the steamer with Aouda
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  Speaker 1: and fix, and they started at once for Nagasaki and Yokohama.
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  Speaker 1: They reached their destination on the morning of the fourteenth
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  Speaker 1: of November. Phileas Fogg lost no time in going on
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  Speaker 1: board the Carnatic, where he learned to Owdea's great delight
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  Speaker 1: and perhaps to his own, though he betrayed no emotion
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  Speaker 1: that Passepartout, a Frenchman, had really arrived done her the
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  Speaker 1: day before. The San Francisco steamer was announced to leave
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  Speaker 1: that very evening, and it became necessary to find Passepartout,
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  Speaker 1: if possible without delay, mister Fogg applied in vain to
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  Speaker 1: the French and English consuls, and after wandering through the
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  Speaker 1: streets a long time, began to despair of finding his
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  Speaker 1: missing servant. Chance, or perhaps a kind of presentiment, at
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  Speaker 1: last led him into the honorable mister Battlecr's theater. He
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  Speaker 1: certainly would not have recognized Passepartout in the eccentric Mountebank's costume,
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  Speaker 1: but the latter, lying on his back, perceived his master
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  Speaker 1: in the gallery. He could not help starting, which so
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  Speaker 1: changed the position of his nose as to bring the
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  Speaker 1: pyramid Pellmell upon the stage. All this Passpartout learned from Aouda,
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  Speaker 1: who recounted to him what had taken place on the
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  Speaker 1: voyage from Hong Kong to Shanghai on the Takadare in
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  Speaker 1: company with one mister Fix. Passepartout did not change countenance
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: on hearing this name. He thought that the time had
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  Speaker 1: not yet arrived to divulge to his master what had
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  Speaker 1: taken place between the detective and himself, And in the
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  Speaker 1: account he gave of his absence, he simply excused himself
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  Speaker 1: for having been overtaken by drunkenness in smoking opiumta tavern
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  Speaker 1: in Hong Kong. Mister Fogg heard this narrative coldly, without
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  Speaker 1: a word, and then furnished his man with funds necessary
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  Speaker 1: to obtain clothing more in harmony with his position. Within
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  Speaker 1: an hour, the Frenchman had cut off his nose and
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  Speaker 1: parted with his wings, and retained nothing about him, which
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  Speaker 1: recalled the sectary of the god Tingou. The steamer which
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  Speaker 1: was about to depart from Yokohama to San Francisco, belonged
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  Speaker 1: to the Pacific Mail Steamship Company and was named the
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  Speaker 1: General Grant. She was a large paddlewheel steamer of twas
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  Speaker 1: two thousand, five hundred tons, well equipped and very fast.
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  Speaker 1: The massive walking beam rose and fell above the deck.
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  Speaker 1: At one end a piston rod worked up and down,
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  Speaker 1: and at the other was a connecting rod, which, in
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  Speaker 1: changing the rectilinear motion to a circular one, was directly
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  Speaker 1: connected with the shaft of the paddles. The General Grant
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  Speaker 1: was rigged with three masts, giving a large capacity for
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  Speaker 1: sales and thus materially aiding the steam power. By making
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  Speaker 1: twelve miles an hour, she would cross the ocean in
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  Speaker 1: twenty one days. Phileas Fogg was therefore justified in hoping
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  Speaker 1: that he would reach San Francisco by the second of December,
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  Speaker 1: New York by the eleventh, and London on the twentieth,
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  Speaker 1: thus gaining several hours. On the fatal date of the
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  Speaker 1: twenty first of December, there was a full complement of
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  Speaker 1: passengers on board, among them English, many Americans, a large
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  Speaker 1: number of coolies on their way to California, and several
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  Speaker 1: East Indian officers who were spending their vacation in making
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  Speaker 1: the tour of the world. Nothing of moment happened on
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  Speaker 1: the voyage. The steamer sustained on its large paddles, rolled
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  Speaker 1: but little, and the Pacific almost justified its name. Mister
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  Speaker 1: Fogg was as calm and taciturn as ever. His young
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  Speaker 1: companion felt herself more and more attached to him by
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  Speaker 1: other ties than gratitude. His silent but generous nature impressed
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  Speaker 1: her more than she thought, and it was almost unconsciously
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  Speaker 1: that she yielded to emotions which did not seem to
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  Speaker 1: have the least effect upon her. Protector. Aouta took the
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  Speaker 1: keenest interest in his plans, and became impatient at any
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  Speaker 1: instant which seemed likely to retard his journey. She often
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  Speaker 1: chatted with Passepartout, who did not fail to perceive the
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  Speaker 1: state of the lady's heart, and being the most faithful
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  Speaker 1: of domestics, he never exhausted his youth eulogies of Phileas
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  Speaker 1: Fogg's honesty, generosity, and devotion. He took pains to call
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  Speaker 1: Maouda's doubts of a successful termination of the journey, telling
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  Speaker 1: her that the most difficult part of it had passed,
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  Speaker 1: that now they were beyond the fantastic countries of Japan
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  Speaker 1: and China and were fairly on their way to civilize
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  Speaker 1: places again. A railway train from San Francisco to New
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  Speaker 1: York and a Transatlantic steamer from New York to Liverpool
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  Speaker 1: would doubtless bring them to the end of this impossible
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  Speaker 1: journey round the world within the period agreed upon. On
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  Speaker 1: the ninth day after leaving Yokohama, Phileas Fogg had traversed
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  Speaker 1: exactly one half of the terrestrial globe. The general Grant
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  Speaker 1: passed on the twenty third of November the one hundred
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  Speaker 1: and eightieth meridian, and was at the very antipodes of London.
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  Speaker 1: Mister Fogg had, it is true, exhausted fifty two of
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  Speaker 1: the eighty days in which he was to complete the tour,
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  Speaker 1: and there were only twenty eight left. But though he
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  Speaker 1: was only half way, by the difference of Meridians, he
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  Speaker 1: had really gone over two thirds of the whole journey,
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  Speaker 1: for he had been obliged to make long circuits from
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  Speaker 1: London to Aiden, from Aiden to Bombay, from Calcutta to Singapore,
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  Speaker 1: and from Singapore to Yokohama. Could he have followed without
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  Speaker 1: deviation the fiftieth parallel, which is that of London, the
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  Speaker 1: whole distance would only have been about twelve thousand miles,
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  Speaker 1: whereas he would be forced by the irregular methods of
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  Speaker 1: locomotion to traverse twenty six thousand, of which he had
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  Speaker 1: on the twenty third of November accomplished seventeen thousand, five hundred.
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  Speaker 1: And now the course was a straight one, and fix
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  Speaker 1: was no longer there to put obstacles in their way.
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  Speaker 1: It happened also on the twenty third of November that
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  Speaker 1: Passpartu made a joyful discovery. It will be remembered that
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  Speaker 1: the obstinate fellow had insisted on keeping his famous family
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  Speaker 1: watch at London time, and on regarding that of the
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  Speaker 1: countries he had passed through as quite false and unreliable. Now,
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  Speaker 1: on this day, though he had not changed the hands,
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  Speaker 1: he found that his watch exactly agreed with the ship's chronometers.
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  Speaker 1: His triumph was hilarious. He would have liked to know
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  Speaker 1: what Fix would say if he were aboard. Zabogue told
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  Speaker 1: me a lot of stories, repeated Passepartout, about the Meridians,
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  Speaker 1: the sun and the moon moon. Indeed, moonshine more likely
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  Speaker 1: if one listened to that sort of people, a pretty
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  Speaker 1: sort of time one would keep. I am sure that
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  Speaker 1: the sun would some day regulate itself by my watch.
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  Speaker 1: Passepartout was ignorant that if the face of his watch
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  Speaker 1: had been divided into twenty four hours, like the Italian clocks,
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  Speaker 1: he would have no reason for exultation, for the hands
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  Speaker 1: of his watch would, then, instead of as now recording
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  Speaker 1: nine o'clock in the morning, indicate nine o'clock in the evening,
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  Speaker 1: that is, the twenty first hour after midnight, precisely the
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  Speaker 1: difference between London time and that of the one hundred
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  Speaker 1: and eightieth Meridian. But if Fix had been able to
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  Speaker 1: explain this purely physical effect, pass Partout would not have admitted.
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  Speaker 1: Even if he had comprehended it. Moreover, if the detective
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  Speaker 1: had been on board at that moment, Passpartout would have
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  Speaker 1: joined issue with him on a quite different subject and
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  Speaker 1: in an entirely different manner. Where was Fix at that moment?
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  Speaker 1: He was actually on board the general grant. On reaching Yokohama,
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  Speaker 1: the detective, leaving mister Fogg, whom he expected to meet
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  Speaker 1: again during the day, had repaired it once to the
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  Speaker 1: English consulate, where he at last found the warrant of arrest.
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  Speaker 1: It had followed him from Bombay and had come by
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  Speaker 1: the Carnatic, on which steamer he himself was supposed to be.
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  Speaker 1: Fix's disappointment may be imagined when he reflected that the
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  Speaker 1: warrant was now useless. Mister Fogg had left English ground
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  Speaker 1: and it was now necessary to procure his extradition. Well
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  Speaker 1: thought Fix, after a moment of anger. My warrant is
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  Speaker 1: not good here, but it will be in England. The
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  Speaker 1: rogue evidently intends to return to his own country, thinking
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  Speaker 1: he has thrown the police office track good. I will
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  Speaker 1: follow him across the Atlantic. As for the money, havn't grant.
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  Speaker 1: There may be some left, but the fellow has already
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  Speaker 1: spent in traveling, rewards, trials, bail elephants, and all sorts
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  Speaker 1: of charges more than five thousand pounds. Yet, after all,
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  Speaker 1: the bank is rich. His course decided on, he went
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  Speaker 1: on board the General Grant and was there when mister
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  Speaker 1: Fogg and Aouda arrived. To his utter amazement, he recognized
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  Speaker 1: Passepartout despite his theatrical disguise. He quickly concealed himself in
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  Speaker 1: his cabin to avoid an awkward explanation, and hoped, thanks
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  Speaker 1: to the number of passengers, to remain unperceived by mister
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  Speaker 1: Fogg's servant. On that very day, however, he met Passepartout
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  Speaker 1: face to face on the forward deck. The latter, without
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  Speaker 1: a word, made a rush for him, grasped him by
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  Speaker 1: the throat, and, much to the amusement of a group
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  Speaker 1: of Americans, who immediately began to bet on him, administered
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  Speaker 1: to the detective a perfect volley of blows which proved
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  Speaker 1: the great superiority of French over English pugilistic skill. When
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  Speaker 1: Passepartout had finished, he found himself relieved and comforted. Fix
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  Speaker 1: got up in a somewhat rumpled condition, and, looking at
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  Speaker 1: his adversary, coldly, said, have you done for this time. Yes,
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  Speaker 1: then let me have a word with you, But I
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  Speaker 1: in your master's interests. Passepartout seemed to be vanquished by
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  Speaker 1: Fix's coolness, for he quietly followed him and they sat
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  Speaker 1: down aside from the rest of the passengers. You have
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  Speaker 1: given me a thrashing, said Fix. Good I expected it.
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  Speaker 1: Now listen to me. Up to this time, I have
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  Speaker 1: been mister Fogg's adversary. I am now in his game.
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  Speaker 1: Ah ha, cried Passepartout. You are convinced he is an
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  Speaker 1: honest man, no, replied Fix coldly. I think him a rascal.
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  Speaker 1: Sh don't budge and let me speak. As long as
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  Speaker 1: mister Fogg was on English ground, it was for my
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  Speaker 1: interest to detain him there until my warrant of arrest arrived.
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  Speaker 1: I did everything I could to keep him back. I
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  Speaker 1: sent the Bombay priests after him. I got you intoxicated
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  Speaker 1: at Hong Kong, I separated you from him, and I
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  Speaker 1: made him miss the Yokohama steamer. Passepartout listened with closed
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  Speaker 1: fists now resumed. Fix, mister Fogg seems to be going
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  Speaker 1: back to England. Well, I will follow him there, but
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  Speaker 1: hereafter I will do as much to keep obstacles out
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  Speaker 1: of his way, as I have done up to this
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  Speaker 1: time to put them in his path. I've changed my game,
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  Speaker 1: you see, and simply because it was for my interest
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  Speaker 1: to change it. Your interest is the same as mine,
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  Speaker 1: For it is only in England that you will ascertain
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  Speaker 1: whether you are in the service of a criminal or
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  Speaker 1: an honest man. Passepartout listened very attentively to fix and
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  Speaker 1: was convinced that he spoke with entire good faith. Are
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  Speaker 1: we friends, asked the detective. Friends, no, replied Passepartout, But allies,
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  Speaker 1: perhaps at the least sign of treason. However, I'll twist
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  Speaker 1: your neck for you, agreed, said the detective quietly. Eleven
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  Speaker 1: days later, on the third of December, the General Grant
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  Speaker 1: entered the Bay of the Golden Gate and reached San Francisco.
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  Speaker 1: Mister Fogg had neither gained nor lost a single day.
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  Speaker 1: End of chapter