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

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  Speaker 1: Chapter twenty, in which Fix comes face to face with
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  Speaker 1: Phileas Fogg. While these events were passing at the Opium House,
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  Speaker 1: mister Fogg, unconscious of the danger he was in of
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  Speaker 1: losing the steamer, was quietly escorting Aouda about the streets
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  Speaker 1: of the English Quarter, making the necessary purchases for the
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  Speaker 1: long voyage before them. It was all very well for
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  Speaker 1: an Englishman like mister Fogg to make the tour of
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  Speaker 1: the world with a carpet bag. A lady could not
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  Speaker 1: be expected to travel comfortably under such conditions. He acquitted
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  Speaker 1: his task with characteristic serenity, and invariably replied to the
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  Speaker 1: remonstrances of his fair companion, who was confused by his
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  Speaker 1: patience and generosity. It is in the interest of my journey,
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  Speaker 1: a part of my program. The purchases made, they returned
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  Speaker 1: to the hotel, where they dined at his sumptuously served
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  Speaker 1: table d'Hote, after which Aouda, shaking hands with her protector
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  Speaker 1: after the English fashion, retired to her room for rest.
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  Speaker 1: Mister Fogg absorbed himself throughout the evening in the perusal
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  Speaker 1: of the Times and illustrated London news. Had he been
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  Speaker 1: capable of being astonished at anything it would have been
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  Speaker 1: not to see his servant return at bedtime, but knowing
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  Speaker 1: that the steamer was not to leave for Yokohama until
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  Speaker 1: the next morning, he did not disturb himself about the matter.
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  Speaker 1: When Passepartout did not appear the next morning to answer
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  Speaker 1: his master's bill, mister Fogg, not betraying the least vexation,
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  Speaker 1: contented himself with taking his carpet bag, calling Aouda, and
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  Speaker 1: sending for a palanquin. It was then eight o'clock at
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  Speaker 1: half past nine, it being then high tide, the carnatic
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  Speaker 1: would leave the harbor. Mister Fogg and Aouda got into
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  Speaker 1: the palanquin, their luggage being brought after on a wheelbarrow,
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  Speaker 1: and half an hour later stepped upon the quay, whence
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  Speaker 1: they were to embark. Mister Fogg then learned that the
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  Speaker 1: carnatic had sailed the evening before. He had expected to
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  Speaker 1: find not only the steamer but his domestic, and was
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  Speaker 1: forced to give up both. But no sign of disappointment
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  Speaker 1: appeared on his face, and he merely remarked to Aouda,
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  Speaker 1: it is an accident, madam, nothing more. At this moment,
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  Speaker 1: a man who had been observing him attentively approached. It
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  Speaker 1: was Fix, who, bowing, addressed mister Fogg. Were you not,
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  Speaker 1: like me, sir, a passenger by the Rangoon which arrived yesterday?
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  Speaker 1: I was, Sir, replied mister Fogg coldly. But I have
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  Speaker 1: not the honor pardon me. I thought I should find
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  Speaker 1: your servant here. Do you know where he is, Sir?
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  Speaker 1: Asked Aouda anxiously, what responded Fix, feigning surprise? Is he
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  Speaker 1: not with you? No, said Aouda. He has not made
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  Speaker 1: his appearance since yesterday. Could he have gone on board
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  Speaker 1: the Carnatic without us? Without you? Madam, answered the detective.
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  Speaker 1: Excuse me? Did you intend to sail in the Carnatic? Yes, sir,
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  Speaker 1: so did I, madam, and I am excessively disappointed. The Carnatic,
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  Speaker 1: its repairs being completed, left Hong Kong twelve hours before
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  Speaker 1: the stated time, without any notice being given. And we
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  Speaker 1: must now wait a week for another steamer. As he said,
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  Speaker 1: a week, Fix felt his harp leap for joy. Fogg
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  Speaker 1: detained at Hong Kong for a week there would be
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  Speaker 1: time for the warrant to arrive, and Fortunate at last
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  Speaker 1: favored the representative of the law. His horror may be
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  Speaker 1: imagined when he heard mister Fogg say in his placid voice,
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  Speaker 1: but there are other vessels besides the Carnatic, it seems
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  Speaker 1: to me in the harbor of Hong Kong, and offering
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  Speaker 1: his arm to aouda, he directed his steps toward the
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  Speaker 1: docks in search of some craft about to start. Fix
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  Speaker 1: stupefied followed. It seemed as if he were attached to
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  Speaker 1: mister Fogg by an invisible thread. Chance, however, appeared really
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  Speaker 1: to have abandoned the man it had hitherto served so well.
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  Speaker 1: For three hours, Phileas Fogg wandered about the docks, with
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  Speaker 1: the determination, if necessary, to charter a vessel to carry
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  Speaker 1: him to Yokohama. But he could only find vessels which
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  Speaker 1: were loading or unloading, and which could not therefore set sail.
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  Speaker 1: Fix began to hope again, but mister Fogg, far from
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  Speaker 1: being discouraged, was continuing his search, resolved not to stop
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  Speaker 1: if he had to resort to Macao. When he was
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  Speaker 1: accosted by a sailor on one of the whars, Is
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  Speaker 1: your honor looking for a boat? Have you a boat
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  Speaker 1: ready to sail? Yes, your honor, a pilot boat for
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  Speaker 1: number forty three, the best in the harbor. Does she
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  Speaker 1: go fast between eight and nine knots the hour? Will
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  Speaker 1: you look at her? Yes, your honor will be satisfied
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  Speaker 1: with her. Is it a sea excursion? No? For a voyage?
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  Speaker 1: A voyage? Yes? Will you agree to take me to Yokohama?
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  Speaker 1: The sailor leaned on the railing, opened his eyes wide,
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  Speaker 1: and said, is your honor joking? No? I have missed
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  Speaker 1: the Carnatic, and I must get to Yokohama by the
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  Speaker 1: fourteenth at the latest to take the boat for San Francisco.
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  Speaker 1: I am sorry, said the sailor, but it is impossible.
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  Speaker 1: I offer you a hundred pounds per day and an
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  Speaker 1: additional reward of two hundred pounds if I reach Yokohama
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  Speaker 1: in time. Are you in earnest? Very much so? The
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  Speaker 1: pilot walked away a little distance and gazed out to see,
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  Speaker 1: evidently struggling between the anxiety to gain a large sum
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  Speaker 1: and the fear of venturing so far. Fix was in
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  Speaker 1: mortal suspense. Mister Fogg turned to Aouda and asked her
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  Speaker 1: you would not be afraid, would you? Madam? Not with you,
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  Speaker 1: mister Fogg, was her answer. The pilot now returned, shuffling
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  Speaker 1: his hat in his hands. Well, pilot, said mister Fogg. Well,
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  Speaker 1: your honor, replied he. I could not risk myself, my men,
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  Speaker 1: or my little boat of scarcely twenty tons on so
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  Speaker 1: long a voyage at this time of year. Besides, we
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  Speaker 1: could not reach Yokohama in time, for it is sixteen
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  Speaker 1: hundred and sixty miles from Hong Kong. Only sixteen hundred,
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  Speaker 1: said mister Fogg. It's the same thing. Fix breathed more freely,
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  Speaker 1: but added the pilot it might be arranged another way.
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  Speaker 1: Fix ceased to breathe at all, How, asked mister Fogg,
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  Speaker 1: by going to Nagasaki, at the extreme south of Japan,
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  Speaker 1: or even to Shanghai, which is only eight hundred miles
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  Speaker 1: from here. In going to Shanghai, we should not be
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  Speaker 1: forced to sail wide of the Chinese coast, which would
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  Speaker 1: be a great advantage, as the currents run northeast and
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  Speaker 1: would aid us. Pilot said mister Fogg, I must take
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  Speaker 1: the American steamer at Yokohama and not at Shanghai or Nagasaki.
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  Speaker 1: Why not, returned the pilot. The San Francisco Steamer does
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  Speaker 1: not start from Yokohama. It puts in at Yokohama and Nagasaki,
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  Speaker 1: but it starts from Shanghai. You are sure of that perfectly.
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  Speaker 1: And when does the boat leave Shanghai on the eleventh
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  Speaker 1: at seven in the evening. We have therefore four days
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  Speaker 1: before us, that is ninety six hours. And in that time,
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  Speaker 1: if we had good luck and the southwest wind and
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  Speaker 1: the sea was calm, we could make those eight hundred
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  Speaker 1: miles to Shanghai. And you could go in an hour,
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  Speaker 1: as soon as provisions could be got aboard and the
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  Speaker 1: sales put up. It is a bargain. Are you the
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  Speaker 1: master of the boat? Yes, John Bunsby, master of the
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  Speaker 1: tankadare would you like some earnest money if it would
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  Speaker 1: not put your honor out? Here are two hundred pounds
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  Speaker 1: on account, Sir, added Phileas Fogg, turning to fix if
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  Speaker 1: you would like to take advantage, Thanks, Sir, I was
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  Speaker 1: about to ask the favor very well. In half an
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  Speaker 1: hour we shall go on board. But poor passepart two,
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  Speaker 1: urged Aouda, who was much disturbed by the servant's disappearance.
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  Speaker 1: I shall do all I can to find him, replied
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  Speaker 1: Phileas Fogg, while fix in a feverish nervous state, repaired
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  Speaker 1: to the pilot boat. The others directed their course to
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  Speaker 1: the police station at Hong Kong, Phileas Fogg there gave
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  Speaker 1: Passepartout's description and left a sum of money to be
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  Speaker 1: spent in the search for him, the same formalities having
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  Speaker 1: been gone through at the French consulate, and the palanquin
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  Speaker 1: having stopped at the hotel for the luggage which had
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  Speaker 1: been sent back there, they returned to the wharf. It
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  Speaker 1: was now three o'clock and pilot boat number forty three,
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  Speaker 1: with its crew on board and its provisions stored away,
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  Speaker 1: was ready for departure. The Takadare was a neat little
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  Speaker 1: craft of twenty tons, as gracefully built as if she
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  Speaker 1: were a racing yacht. Her shining copper sheathing, her galvanized
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  Speaker 1: iron work, her deck white as ivory, betrayed the pride
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  Speaker 1: taken by John Bunsby in making her presentable. Her two
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  Speaker 1: masts leaned a trifle backward. She carried brigantine foresail, storm
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  Speaker 1: jib and standing jib, and was well rigged for running
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  Speaker 1: before the wind, and she seemed capable of brisk speed,
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  Speaker 1: which indeed she had already proved by gaining several prizes
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  Speaker 1: in pilot boat races. The crew of the Takadare was
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  Speaker 1: composed of John Bunsby, the master, and four hardy mariners
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  Speaker 1: who were familiar with the Chinese seas. John Bunsby himself,
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  Speaker 1: a man of forty five or thereabouts, vigorous, sun burnt,
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  Speaker 1: with a sprightly expression of the eye. An energetic and
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  Speaker 1: self reliant countenance would have inspired confidence in the most
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  Speaker 1: timid phileas. Fogg and Aouda went on board, where they
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  Speaker 1: found Fix already installed. Below deck was a square cabin
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  Speaker 1: of which the walls bulged out in the form of cots,
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  Speaker 1: above a circular divan. In the center was a table
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  Speaker 1: provided with the swinging lamp. The accommodation was confined. But
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  Speaker 1: neat I am sorry to have nothing better to offer you,
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  Speaker 1: said mister Fogg to Fix, who bowed without responding. The
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  Speaker 1: detective had a feeling akin to humiliation in profiting by
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  Speaker 1: the kindness of mister Fogg. It's certain thought he though
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  Speaker 1: rascal as he is, he is a polite one. The
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  Speaker 1: sails and the English flag were hoisted at ten minutes
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  Speaker 1: past three. Mister Fogg and Aouda, who were seated on deck,
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  Speaker 1: cast a last glance at the quay, in the hope
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  Speaker 1: of his spying. Passepartout Fix was not without his fears
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  Speaker 1: lest chance should direct the steps of the unfortunate servant,
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  Speaker 1: whom he had so badly treated, in this direction, in
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  Speaker 1: which case an explanation the reverse of satisfactory to the
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  Speaker 1: detective must have ensued. But the Frenchman did not appear,
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  Speaker 1: and without doubt was still lying under the stupefying influence
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  Speaker 1: of the opium. John Bunsby Master at length gave the
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  Speaker 1: order to start, and the Takadare taking the wind, and
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  Speaker 1: under her brigantine foresail and standing jib bounded briskly forward
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  Speaker 1: over the waves. End of chapter