Chapter XVIII

IN WHICH PHILEAS FOGG, PASSEPARTOUT, AND FIX GO EACH ABOUT HIS BUSINESS


The weather was bad during the latter days of the voyage.

The wind, obstinately remaining in the north-west, blew a gale,

and retarded the steamer. The Rangoon rolled heavily and the

passengers became impatient of the long, monstrous waves which

the wind raised before their path. A sort of tempest arose on

the 3rd of November, the squall knocking the vessel about with fury,

and the waves running high. The Rangoon reefed all her sails, and even

the rigging proved too much, whistling and shaking amid the squall.

The steamer was forced to proceed slowly, and the captain estimated

that she would reach Hong Kong twenty hours behind time, and more

if the storm lasted.



Phileas Fogg gazed at the tempestuous sea, which seemed to be struggling

especially to delay him, with his habitual tranquillity. He never changed

countenance for an instant, though a delay of twenty hours, by making him

too late for the Yokohama boat, would almost inevitably cause the loss

of the wager. But this man of nerve manifested neither impatience

nor annoyance; it seemed as if the storm were a part of his programme,

and had been foreseen. Aouda was amazed to find him as calm as he had been

from the first time she saw him.



Fix did not look at the state of things in the same light.

The storm greatly pleased him. His satisfaction would have

been complete had the Rangoon been forced to retreat before

the violence of wind and waves. Each delay filled him with hope,

for it became more and more probable that Fogg would be obliged

to remain some days at Hong Kong; and now the heavens themselves

became his allies, with the gusts and squalls. It mattered not

that they made him sea-sick--he made no account of this inconvenience;

and, whilst his body was writhing under their effects, his spirit bounded

with hopeful exultation.



Passepartout was enraged beyond expression by the unpropitious weather.

Everything had gone so well till now! Earth and sea had seemed to be

at his master's service; steamers and railways obeyed him; wind and steam

united to speed his journey. Had the hour of adversity come?

Passepartout was as much excited as if the twenty thousand pounds

were to come from his own pocket. The storm exasperated him,

the gale made him furious, and he longed to lash the obstinate sea

into obedience. Poor fellow! Fix carefully concealed from him

his own satisfaction, for, had he betrayed it, Passepartout could

scarcely have restrained himself from personal violence.



Passepartout remained on deck as long as the tempest lasted,

being unable to remain quiet below, and taking it into his head

to aid the progress of the ship by lending a hand with the crew.

He overwhelmed the captain, officers, and sailors, who could not

help laughing at his impatience, with all sorts of questions.

He wanted to know exactly how long the storm was going to last;

whereupon he was referred to the barometer, which seemed to have

no intention of rising. Passepartout shook it, but with no

perceptible effect; for neither shaking nor maledictions

could prevail upon it to change its mind.



On the 4th, however, the sea became more calm, and the storm

lessened its violence; the wind veered southward, and was once

more favourable. Passepartout cleared up with the weather.

Some of the sails were unfurled, and the Rangoon resumed its

most rapid speed. The time lost could not, however, be regained.

Land was not signalled until five o'clock on the morning of the 6th;

the steamer was due on the 5th. Phileas Fogg was twenty-four hours

behind-hand, and the Yokohama steamer would, of course, be missed.



The pilot went on board at six, and took his place on the bridge,

to guide the Rangoon through the channels to the port of Hong Kong.

Passepartout longed to ask him if the steamer had left for Yokohama;

but he dared not, for he wished to preserve the spark of hope,

which still remained till the last moment. He had confided

his anxiety to Fix who--the sly rascal!--tried to console him

by saying that Mr. Fogg would be in time if he took the next boat;

but this only put Passepartout in a passion.



Mr. Fogg, bolder than his servant, did not hesitate to approach the pilot,

and tranquilly ask him if he knew when a steamer would leave Hong Kong

for Yokohama.



"At high tide to-morrow morning," answered the pilot.



"Ah!" said Mr. Fogg, without betraying any astonishment.



Passepartout, who heard what passed, would willingly have embraced the pilot,

while Fix would have been glad to twist his neck.



"What is the steamer's name?" asked Mr. Fogg.



"The Carnatic."



"Ought she not to have gone yesterday?"



"Yes, sir; but they had to repair one of her boilers,

and so her departure was postponed till to-morrow."



"Thank you," returned Mr. Fogg, descending mathematically to the saloon.



Passepartout clasped the pilot's hand and shook it heartily in his delight,

exclaiming, "Pilot, you are the best of good fellows!"



The pilot probably does not know to this day why his responses

won him this enthusiastic greeting. He remounted the bridge,

and guided the steamer through the flotilla of junks,

tankas, and fishing boats which crowd the harbour of Hong Kong.



At one o'clock the Rangoon was at the quay, and the passengers

were going ashore.



Chance had strangely favoured Phileas Fogg, for had not the

Carnatic been forced to lie over for repairing her boilers,

she would have left on the 6th of November, and the passengers

for Japan would have been obliged to await for a week the sailing

of the next steamer. Mr. Fogg was, it is true, twenty-four hours

behind his time; but this could not seriously imperil the

remainder of his tour.



The steamer which crossed the Pacific from Yokohama to San Francisco

made a direct connection with that from Hong Kong, and it could not sail

until the latter reached Yokohama; and if Mr. Fogg was twenty-four hours

late on reaching Yokohama, this time would no doubt be easily regained

in the voyage of twenty-two days across the Pacific. He found himself,

then, about twenty-four hours behind-hand, thirty-five days

after leaving London.



The Carnatic was announced to leave Hong Kong at five the next morning.

Mr. Fogg had sixteen hours in which to attend to his business there,

which was to deposit Aouda safely with her wealthy relative.



On landing, he conducted her to a palanquin, in which they

repaired to the Club Hotel. A room was engaged for the young woman,

and Mr. Fogg, after seeing that she wanted for nothing, set out in search

of her cousin Jeejeeh. He instructed Passepartout to remain at the hotel

until his return, that Aouda might not be left entirely alone.



Mr. Fogg repaired to the Exchange, where, he did not doubt,

every one would know so wealthy and considerable a personage

as the Parsee merchant. Meeting a broker, he made the inquiry,

to learn that Jeejeeh had left China two years before, and, retiring

from business with an immense fortune, had taken up his residence

in Europe--in Holland the broker thought, with the merchants

of which country he had principally traded. Phileas Fogg returned

to the hotel, begged a moment's conversation with Aouda, and without

more ado, apprised her that Jeejeeh was no longer at Hong Kong,

but probably in Holland.



Aouda at first said nothing. She passed her hand across her forehead,

and reflected a few moments. Then, in her sweet, soft voice, she said:

"What ought I to do, Mr. Fogg?"



"It is very simple," responded the gentleman. "Go on to Europe."



"But I cannot intrude--"



"You do not intrude, nor do you in the least embarrass my project.

Passepartout!"



"Monsieur."



"Go to the Carnatic, and engage three cabins."



Passepartout, delighted that the young woman, who was very gracious to him,

was going to continue the journey with them, went off at a brisk gait

to obey his master's order.

****

Top of Page

< BACK    NEXT > 

  | Home | Reading Room | Around the World In Eighty Days