Latest / Daily Classic Sci Fi Books / 19 - Around The World in Eighty Days - Jules Verne

Transcript

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

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Chapter nineteen, in which Passepartout takes a too great interest
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: in his master and what comes of it. Hong Kong
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: is an island which came into the possession of the
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: English by the Treaty of Nankin after the War of
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: eighteen forty two, and the colonizing genius of the English
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: has created upon it an important city and an excellent port.
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: The island is situated at the mouth of the Canton
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: River and is separated by about sixty miles from the
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: Portuguese town of Macao on the opposite coast. Hong Kong
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: has beaten Macao in the struggle for the Chinese trade,
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: and now the greater part of the transportation of Chinese
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: goods finds its depot at the former place. Docks, hospitals, wharves,
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: a Gothic cathedral, a government house, macadamized streets give to
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: Hong Kong the appearance of a town in Kent or Surrey,
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: transformed by some strange magic to the antipodes. Passepartout wandered
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: with his hands in his pockets towards the Victoria Port,
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: gazing as he went at the curious palanquins and other
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: modes of conveyance, and the groups of Chinese, Japanese and
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: Europeans who passed to and fro in the streets. Hong
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: Kong seemed to him not unlike Bombay, Calcutta and Singapore,
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: since like them, it betrayed everywhere the evidence of English supremacy.
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: At the Victoria Port, he found a confused mass of
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: ships of all nations, English, French, American and Dutch men
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: of war and trading vessels, Japanese and Chinese junks, sempas,
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: tankas and flower boats, which formed so many floating parterres.
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: Passepartout noticed in the crowd a number of the natives
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: who seemed very old and were dressed in yellow. On
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: going into a barber's to get shaved, he learned that
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: these ancient men were all at least eighty years old,
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: at which age they are permitted to wear yellow, which
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: is the imperial color. Passepartout, without exactly knowing why, thought
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: this very funny. On reaching the key where they were
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: to embark on the Carnatic, he was not astonished to
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: find fix Walking up and down, the detective seemed very
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: much disturbed and disappointed. This is bad, muttered passepartout for
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: the gentleman of the Reform Club. He accosted Fix with
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: a merry smile, as if he had not perceived that
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: gentleman's chagrin. The detective had indeed good reasons to inveigh
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: against the bad luck which pursued him. The warrant had
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: not come. It was certainly on the way, but as
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: certainly it could not now reach Hong Kong for several days,
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: and this being the last English territory on mister Fogg's route,
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: the robber would escape unless he could manage to detain him. Well,
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: Monsieur Fix, said passepartout, Have you decided to go with
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: us so far as America? Yes, returned Fix through his
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: set teeth. Good, exclaimed Passepartout, laughing heartily. I knew you
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: could not persuade yourself to separate from us. Come and
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: engage your berth. They entered the steamer office and secured
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: cabins for four persons. The clerk, as he gave them
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: the tickets, informed them that the repairs on the Carnatic
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: having been completed, the steamer would leave that very evening
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: and not next morning as had been announced. That will
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: suit my master all the better, said Passepartout, I will
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: go and let him know. Fix now decided to make
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: a bold move. He resolved to tell Passepartout all. It
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: seemed to be the only possible way to keep phileas
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: Fogg several days longer at Hong Kong, He accordingly invited
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: his companion into a tavern which caught his eye on
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: the quay. On entering, they found themselves in a large room,
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: handsomely decorated, at the end of which was a large
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: camp bed furnished with cushions. Several persons lay upon this
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: bed in a deep sleep. At the small tables which
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: were arranged about the room, some thirty customers were drinking
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: English beer, porter gin and brandy, smoking the while long
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: red clay pipes stuffed with little balls of opium mingled
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: with the essence of rose. From time to time, one
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: of the smokers, overcome with a narcotic, would slip under
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: the table, where upon the waiters, taking him by the
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: head and feet, carried and laid him upon the bed.
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: The bed already supported twenty of these stupefied sots. Fix
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: and Passepartout saw that they were in a smoking house,
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: haunted by those wretched cadaverous idiotic creatures, to whom the
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: English merchants sell every year the miserable drug called opium,
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: to the amount of one million, four hundred thousand pounds
• 4:59
  Speaker 1: thousands of Devoted to one of the most despicable vices
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: which afflict humanity, the Chinese government has in vain attempted
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: to deal with the evil by stringent laws. It passed
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: gradually from the rich to whom it was at first
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: exclusively reserved to the lower classes, and then its ravages
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: could not be arrested. Opium is smoked everywhere, at all
• 5:22
  Speaker 1: times by men and women in the Celestial Empire, and
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: once accustomed to it, the victims cannot dispense with it,
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: except by suffering horrible bodily contortions and agonies. A great
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: smoker can smoke as many as eight pipes a day,
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: but he dies in five years. It was in one
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: of these dens that Fix and Passepartout, in search of
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: a friendly glass, found themselves. Passepartout had no money, but
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: willingly accepted Fix's invitation in the hope of returning the
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: obligation at some future time. They ordered two bottles of port,
• 5:58
  Speaker 1: to which the Frenchmen did an ample justice, whilst Fix
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: observed him with close attention. They chatted about the journey,
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: and Passepartout was especially merry at the idea that Fix
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: was going to continue it with them. When the bottles
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: were empty. However, he rose to go and tell his
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: master of the change in the time of the sailing
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: of the Carnatic. Fix caught him by the arm and said,
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: wait a moment, what for, mister Fix. I want to
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: have a serious talk with you, A serious talk, cried Passepartout,
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: drinking up the little wine that was left in the
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: bottom of his glass. Well we'll talk about it tomorrow.
• 6:40
  Speaker 1: I haven't time now. Stay. What I have to say
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: concerns your master. Passepartout at this, looked attentively at his companion.
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: Fix's face seemed to have a singular expression. He resumed
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: his seat. What is it that you have to say?
• 7:00
  Speaker 1: Fix placed his hand upon Passepartout's arm and, lowering his voice,
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: said you have guessed who I am, Parbleu, said Passepartout, smiling.
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: Then I'm going to tell you everything. Now that I
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: know everything, my friend. Ah, that's very good, ha ha.
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: But go on go on. First, though, let me tell
• 7:23
  Speaker 1: you that those gentlemen have put themselves to a useless expense. Useless,
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: said Fix, you speak confidently. It's clear that you don't
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: know how large the sum is. Of course I do,
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: returned Passepartout, twenty thousand pounds fifty five thousand, answered Fix,
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: pressing his companion's hand. What cried the frenchman, has monsieur
• 7:50
  Speaker 1: Fog dared fifty five thousand pounds? Well, there's all the
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: more reason for not losing an instant, he continued, getting
• 7:59
  Speaker 1: out hastily. Fix pushed Pastpartout back in his chair and
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: resumed fifty five thousand pounds. And if I succeed, I
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: get two thousand pounds. If you'll help me, I'll let
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: you have five hundred of them. Help you, cried Passepartout,
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: whose eyes were standing wide open. Yes, help me keep
• 8:22
  Speaker 1: mister Fogg here for two or three days. Why what
• 8:26
  Speaker 1: are you saying? Those gentlemen are not satisfied with following
• 8:30
  Speaker 1: my master and suspecting his honor, but they must try
• 8:34
  Speaker 1: to put obstacles in his way. I blush for them.
• 8:38
  Speaker 1: What do you mean? I mean that it is a
• 8:41
  Speaker 1: piece of shameful trickery. They might as well waylay mister
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: Fogg and put his money in their pockets. That's just
• 8:48
  Speaker 1: what we count on doing. It's a conspiracy, then cried Passepartout,
• 8:54
  Speaker 1: who became more and more excited as the liquor mounted
• 8:57
  Speaker 1: in his head. For he drank without pursuit. It a
• 9:01
  Speaker 1: real conspiracy, and gentleman too, Bah Fix began to be puzzled.
• 9:09
  Speaker 1: Members of the Reform Club continued Passepartout. You must know,
• 9:14
  Speaker 1: monsieur Fix, that my master is an honest man, and
• 9:18
  Speaker 1: that when he makes a wager, he tries to win
• 9:20
  Speaker 1: it fairly. But who do you think I am, asked Fix,
• 9:26
  Speaker 1: looking at him intently. Par Bleu, an agent at the
• 9:31
  Speaker 1: members of the Reform Club, sent out here to interrupt
• 9:34
  Speaker 1: my master's journey. But though I found you out some
• 9:37
  Speaker 1: time ago, I've taken good care to say nothing about it.
• 9:40
  Speaker 1: To mister Fogg. He knows nothing. Then nothing, replied Passepartout, again,
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: emptying his glass. The detective passed his hand across his forehead,
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: hesitating before he spoke again, what should he do? Passepartout's
• 9:58
  Speaker 1: mistake seemed sincere, but it made his design more difficult.
• 10:02
  Speaker 1: It was evident that the servant was not the master's accomplice.
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: As Fix had been inclined to suspect Well, said the
• 10:11
  Speaker 1: detective to himself. As he is not an accomplice, he
• 10:15
  Speaker 1: will help me. He had no time to lose. Fogg
• 10:19
  Speaker 1: must be detained at Hong Kong, and he resolved to
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: make a clean breast of it. Listen to me, said
• 10:25
  Speaker 1: Fix abruptly. I am not, as you think, an agent
• 10:29
  Speaker 1: of the members of the Reform Club. Bah retorted Passepartout
• 10:34
  Speaker 1: with an ale of raillery. I am a police detective
• 10:38
  Speaker 1: sent out here by the London Office. You a detective.
• 10:43
  Speaker 1: I will prove it. Here is my commission. Passepartout was
• 10:47
  Speaker 1: speechless with astonishment when Fix displayed this document, the genuineness
• 10:52
  Speaker 1: of which could not be doubted. Mister Fogg's wager resumed,
• 10:57
  Speaker 1: Fix is only a pretext of which you and the
• 11:00
  Speaker 1: gentlemen of the Reform are dupes. He had a motive
• 11:04
  Speaker 1: for securing your innocent complicity, but why listen. On the
• 11:10
  Speaker 1: twenty eighth of last September, a robbery of fifty five
• 11:13
  Speaker 1: thousand pounds was committed at the Bank of England by
• 11:17
  Speaker 1: a person whose description was fortunately secured. Here is his description.
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: It answers exactly to that of mister Phileas Fogg. What nonsense,
• 11:28
  Speaker 1: cried Passepartout, striking the table with his fist. My master
• 11:32
  Speaker 1: is the most honorable of men. How can you tell
• 11:36
  Speaker 1: you know scarcely anything about him? You went into his
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: service the day he came away, and he came away
• 11:42
  Speaker 1: on a foolish pretext, without trunks, and carrying a large
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: amount in bank notes. And yet you are bold enough
• 11:49
  Speaker 1: to assert that he is an honest man. Yes, yes,
• 11:54
  Speaker 1: repeated the poor fellow mechanically. Would you like to be
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: arrested as his accompli? Passpartout, Overcome by what he had heard,
• 12:04
  Speaker 1: held his head between his hands, and did not dare
• 12:07
  Speaker 1: to look at the detective Phileas Fogg, the savior of Aouda,
• 12:12
  Speaker 1: that brave and generous man, a robber, And yet how
• 12:16
  Speaker 1: many presumptions there were against him? Passepartout essayed to reject
• 12:21
  Speaker 1: the suspicions which forced themselves upon his mind. He did
• 12:25
  Speaker 1: not wish to believe that his master was guilty. Well,
• 12:30
  Speaker 1: what do you want of me? Said he at last,
• 12:33
  Speaker 1: with an effort see here, replied fix, I have tracked
• 12:38
  Speaker 1: mister Fogg to this place. But as yet I have
• 12:40
  Speaker 1: failed to receive the warrant of arrest for which I
• 12:43
  Speaker 1: sent to London. You must help me to keep him
• 12:46
  Speaker 1: here in Hong Kong. I but I I will share
• 12:50
  Speaker 1: with you the two thousand pounds reward offered by the
• 12:53
  Speaker 1: Bank of England. Never replied Passepartout, who tried to rise
• 12:59
  Speaker 1: but fell back, exhausted in mind and body. Mister Fix,
• 13:05
  Speaker 1: he stammered, Even should what you say be true? If
• 13:09
  Speaker 1: my master is really the robber you are seeking, for
• 13:12
  Speaker 1: which I deny, I have been am in his service.
• 13:17
  Speaker 1: I have seen his generosity and goodness, and I will
• 13:21
  Speaker 1: never betray him, not for all the gold in the world.
• 13:25
  Speaker 1: I come from a village where they don't eat that
• 13:28
  Speaker 1: kind of bread. You refuse, I refuse. Consider that I've
• 13:35
  Speaker 1: said nothing, said Fix, and let us drink. Yes, let
• 13:41
  Speaker 1: us drink. Passepartout felt himself yielding more and more to
• 13:45
  Speaker 1: the effects of the liquor, Fix, saying that he must,
• 13:49
  Speaker 1: at all hazards be separated from his master, wish to
• 13:53
  Speaker 1: entirely overcome him. Some pipes full of opium lay upon
• 13:56
  Speaker 1: the table. Fix slipped one into passepartout hand. He took it,
• 14:02
  Speaker 1: put it between his lips lit it drew several puffs,
• 14:06
  Speaker 1: and his head, becoming heavy under the influence of the narcotic,
• 14:10
  Speaker 1: fell upon the table. At last, said Fix, singing passepartout unconscious.
• 14:17
  Speaker 1: Mister Fogg will not be involved of the carnatic's departure,
• 14:21
  Speaker 1: and if he is, he will have to go without
• 14:23
  Speaker 1: this cursed Frenchman. And after paying his bill, Fix left
• 14:28
  Speaker 1: the tavern. End of chapter