Latest / Classic Adventure Books Library / 16 - Around The World in Eighty Days - Jules Verne
Transcript
- Chapter sixteen, in which Fix does not seem to understand in the least what is said to him. The Rangoon, one of the Peninsular and Oriental Company's boats plying in the Chinese and Japanese seas, was a screw steamer built of iron, weighing about seventeen hundred and seventy tons and with engines of four hundred horse power. She was as fast, but not as well fitted up as the Mongolia, and Aouda was not as comfortably provided for on board of her as phileas Fogg could have wished. However, the trip from Calcutta to Hong Kong only comprised some three thousand, five hundred miles, occupying from ten to twelve days, and the young woman was not difficult to please. During the first days of the journey, Aouda became better acquainted with her protector and constantly gave evidence of her deep gratitude for what he had done. The phlegmatic gentleman listened to her dartly, at least with coldness, neither his voice nor his manner betraying the slightest emotion, but he seemed to be always on the watch that nothing should be wanting to Oude his comfort. He visited her regularly each day at certain hours, not so much to talk himself as to sit and hear her talk. He treated her with the strictest politeness, but with the precision of an automaton, the movements of which had been arranged for this purpose. Aouda did not know quite what to make of him, though Passepartout had given her some hints of his master's eccentricity and made her smile by telling her of the wager which was sending him around the world. After all, she owed phileas fogg her life, and she always regarded him through the exalting medium of her gratitude. Aouda confirmed the Parsi Guide's narrative of her touching history. She did indeed belong to the highest of the native races of India. Many the Parsi merchants have made great fortunes there by dealing in cotton, and one of them, Sir Jamut c Jijibhoi, was made a baronet by the English government. Aouda was a relative of this great man, and it was her cousin Jiji, whom she hoped to join at Hong Kong. Whether she would find a protector in him, she could not tell. But mister fogg essayed to calm her anxieties and to assure her that everything would be Mathematically he used the very word arranged. Aouda fastened her great eyes clear as the sacred lakes of the Himalaya upon him, But the intractable fog, as reserved as ever, did not seem at all inclined to throw himself into this lake. The first few days of the voyage passed prosperously amid favorable weather and propitious winds, and they soon came in sight of the great Andaman, the principle of the islands in the Bay of Bengal, with its picturesque saddle peak two thousand, four hundred feet high looming above the waters. The steamer passed along near the shores, but the savage Papuans, who are in the lowest scale of humanity but are not, as has been asserted, cannibals, did not make their appearance. The panorama of the islands as they steamed by them was superb vast forests of palms, racks, bamboo, teak, wood of the giant mimosa and treelike ferns covered the foreground, while behind the graceful outlines of the mountains were traced against the sky, and along the coast swarmed by thousands the precious swallows, whose nests furnish a luxurious dish to the tables of the celestial Empire. The varied landscape afforded by the Andaman Islands was soon passed, however, and the Rangoon rapidly approached the Straits of Malacca, which gave access to the China Seas. What was Detective Fix so unluckily drawn on from country to country doing all this while he had managed to embark on the Rangoon at Calcutta without being seen by Passepartout, after leaving orders that if the warrant should arrive, it should be forwarded to him at Hong Kong, and he hoped to conceal his presence to the end of the voyage. It would have been difficult to explain why he was on board without awakening Passepartout's suspicions, who thought him still at Bombay. But necessity impelled him, nevertheless, to renew his acquaintance with a worthy servant. As will be seen, all the detectives, hopes and wishes were now centered on Hong Kong. For the steamer's stay at Singapore would be too brief to enable him to take any steps there. The arrest must be made at Hong Kong or the robber would probably escape him forever. Hong Kong was the last England fish ground on which he could set foot. Beyond China, Japan, America offered De fog an almost certain refuge. If the warrant should at last make its appearance at Hong Kong, Fix could arrest him and give him into the hands of the local police, and there would be no further trouble. But beyond Hong Kong, a simple warrant would be of no avail. An extradition warrant would be necessary, and that would result in delays and obstacles of which the rascal would take advantage to elude justice. Fix thought over these probabilities during the long hours which he spent in his cabin and kept repeating to himself. Now, either the warrant will be at Hong Kong, in which case I shall arrest my man, or it will not be there, and this time it is absolutely necessary that I should delay his departure. I have failed at Bombay, and I have failed at Calcutta. If I fail at home Hung Kong, my reputation is lost. Cost what it may, I must succeed. But how shall I prevent his departure? If that should turn out to be my last resource? Fix made up his mind that if worst came to worst, he would make a confidant of Passepartout and tell him what kind of a fellow his master really was. That Passepartout was not Fogg's accomplice. He was very certain the servant, enlightened by his disclosure and afraid of being himself implicated in the crime, would doubtless become an ally of the detective. But this method was a dangerous one, only to be employed when everything else had failed. A word from Passepartout to his master would ruin all. The detective was therefore in a sore strait. But suddenly a new idea struck him. The presence of Aouda on the rangoon in company with Phileas Fogg gave him new material for reflection. Who was this woman? What combination of events had made her Fogg's traveling companion. They had evidently met somewhere between Bombay and Calcutta. But where had they met accidentally or had Fogg gone into the interior purposely in quest of the charming damsel. Fix was fairly puzzled. He asked himself whether there had not been a wicked elopement. And this idea so impressed itself upon his mind that he determined to make use of the supposed intrigue. Whether the young woman was married or not, he would be able to create such difficulties for mister Fogg at Hong Kong that he could not escape by paying any amount of money. But could he even wait till they reached Hong Kong. Fogg had an abominable way of jumping from one boat to another, and before anything could be effected, might get full underway again for Yokohama. Fix decided that he must warn the English authorities and signal the rangoon before her arrival. This was easy to do since the steamer stopped at Singapore, whence there is a telegraphic wire to Hong Kong. He finally resolved. Moreover, before acting more positively to question passpartout, it would not be difficult to make him talk, and as there was no time to lose, Fix prepared to make himself known. It was now the thirtieth of October, and on the following day the rangoon was due at Singapore. Fix emerged from his cabin and went on deck. Passepartout was promenading up and down in the forward part of the steamer. The detective rushed forward with every appearance of extreme surprise and exclaimed, you here on the rangoon, What, monsieur Fix saw you on board? Returned the really doonished past Partout, recognizing his crony of the Mongolia. Why I left you at Bombay and here you are on the way to Hong Kong. Are you going round the world too? No, no, replied Fix. I shall stop at Hong Kong at least for some days. Hum said Passepartout, who seemed for an instant perplexed. But how is it that I have not seen you on board since we left Calcutta? Oh ah, a trifle of sea sickness. I've been staying in my berth. The Gulf of Bengal does not agree with me as well as the Indian Ocean. And how is mister Fogg as well and as punctual as ever? Not a day behind time. But Monsieur Fix, you don't know that we have a young lady with us, A young lady, replied the detective, not seeming to comprehend what was said. Pass Partout there thereupon recounted Aouda's history, the affair of the Bombay Pagoda, the purchase of the elephant for two thousand pounds, the rescue, the arrest and sentence of the Calcutta court, and the restoration of mister Fogg and himself to liberty on bail. Fix, who was familiar with the last events, seemed to be equally ignorant of all that Passepartout related, and the latter was charmed to find so interested a listener. But does your master propose to carry this young woman to Europe? Not at all. We are simply going to place her under the protection of one of her relatives, a rich merchant at Hong Kong. Nothing to be done, there, said Fix to himself, concealing his disappointment. A glass of gin, mister Paspartout willing me, Monsieur Fix, we must at least have a friendly glass on board the rangoon. End of chapter