Around the World in Eighty Days. Junior Deluxe Edition by Jules Verne
Chapter 16
In Which Fix Does Not Seem to Understandin the Least What is Said to Him
The Rangoon--one of the Peninsular and Oriental Company's boatsplying 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 horsepower. She was as fast, butnot as well fitted up, as the Mongolia, and Aouda was not ascomfortably provided for on board her as Phileas Fogg could havewished. However, the trip from Calcutta to Hong Kong onlycomprised some three thousand five hundred miles, occupying fromten to twelve days, and the young woman was not difficult toplease.
During the first days of the journey Aouda became betteracquainted with her protector, and constantly gave evidence ofher deep gratitude for what he had done. The phlegmatic gentlemanlistened to her, apparently at least, with coldness, neither hisvoice nor his manner betraying the slightest emotion; but heseemed to be always on the watch that nothing should be wantingto Aouda's comfort. He visited her regularly each day at certainhours, not so much to talk himself, as to sit and hear her talk.He treated her with the strictest politeness, but with theprecision of an automaton, the movements of which had beenarranged for this purpose. Aouda did not quite know what to makeof him, though Passepartout had given her some hints of hismaster's eccentricity, and made her smile by telling her of thewager which was sending him round the world. After all, she owedPhileas Fogg her life, and she always regarded him through theexalting medium of her gratitude.
Aouda confirmed the Parsee guide's narrative of her touchinghistory. She did, indeed, belong to the highest of the nativeraces of India. Many of the Parsee merchants have made greatfortunes there by dealing in cotton. One of them, Sir JametseeJeejeebhoy, was made a baronet by the English government. Aoudawas a relative of this great man, and it was his cousin, Jeejeeh,whom she hoped to join at Hong Kong. Whether she would find aprotector in him she could not tell; but Mr. Fogg tried to calmher anxieties, and to assure her that everything would bemathematically--he used the very word--arranged. Aouda fastenedher great eyes, "clear as the sacred lakes of the Himalaya," uponhim; but the intractable Fogg, as reserved as ever, did not seemat all inclined to throw himself into this lake.
The first few days of the voyage passed happily, amid favorableweather and propitious winds, and the ship soon came in sight ofthe great Andaman, the principal of the islands in the Bay ofBengal, with its picturesque Saddle Peak, two thousand fourhundred feet high, looming above the waters. The steamer passedalong near the shores, but the savage Papuans, who are in thelowest 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, arecs, bamboo, teakwood, of the giganticmimosa and tree-like ferns covered the foreground. Behind, thegraceful outlines of the mountains were traced against the sky;and along the coasts swarmed thousands of the precious swallowswhose nests furnish a luxurious dish to the tables of theCelestial Empire. The varied landscape afforded by the AndamanIslands was soon passed, however, and the Rangoon rapidlyapproached the Straits of Malacca, which give access to the Chinaseas.
What was detective Fix, so unluckily drawn on from country tocountry, doing all this while? He had managed to embark on theRangoon at Calcutta without being seen by Passepartout, afterleaving orders that, if the warrant should arrive, it should beforwarded to him at Hong Kong; and he hoped to conceal hispresence to the end of the voyage. It would have been difficultto explain why he was on board without awakening Passepartout'ssuspicions, who thought him still at Bombay. But necessityimpelled him, nevertheless, to renew his acquaintance with theworthy servant, as will be seen.
All the detective's hopes and wishes were now centered on HongKong; for the steamer's stay at Singapore would be too brief toenable him to take any steps there. The arrest must be made atHong Kong, or the robber would probably escape him forever. HongKong was the last English ground on which he would set foot.Beyond, China, Japan, America offered to Fogg an almost certainrefuge. If the warrant should at last make its appearance at HongKong, Fix could arrest him and be no further trouble. But beyondHong Kong? a simple warrant would be of no avail. An extraditionwarrant would be necessary, and that would result in delays andobstacles, of which the rascal would take advantage to eludejustice.
Fix thought over these probabilities during the long hours whichhe spent in his cabin, and kept repeating to himself, "Now,either the warrant will be at Hong Kong, in which case I shallarrest my man, or it will not be there. This time it isabsolutely necessary that I should delay his departure. I havefailed at Bombay, and I have failed at Calcutta. If I fail atHong Kong, my reputation is lost. Cost what it may, I mustsucceed! But how shall I prevent his departure, if that shouldturn out to be my last resource?"
Fix made up his mind that, if worst came to worst, he would makea confidant of Passepartout, and tell him what kind of a fellowhis master really was. That Passepartout was not Fogg'saccomplice, he was very certain. The servant, enlightened by hisdisclosure, and afraid of being himself implicated in the crime,would doubtless become an ally of the detective. But this methodwas a dangerous one, only to be employed when everything else hadfailed. A word from Passepartout to his master would ruin all.The detective was therefore in a sore strait. But suddenly a newidea struck him. The presence of Aouda on the Rangoon, in companywith Phileas Fogg, gave him new material for reflection.
Who was this woman? What combination of events had made herFogg's traveling companion? They had evidently met somewherebetween Bombay and Calcutta; but where? Had they metaccidentally, or had Fogg gone into the interior purposely inquest of this charming damsel? Fix was fairly puzzled. He askedhimself whether there had not been a wicked elopement. This ideaso impressed itself upon his mind that he determined to make useof the supposed intrigue. Whether the young woman were married ornot, he would be able to create such difficulties for Mr. Fogg atHong Kong that he could not escape by paying any amount of money.But could he even wait till they reached Hong Kong? Fogg had anabominable way of jumping from one boat to another, and, beforeanything could be effected, might get full under weigh again forYokohama.
Fix decided that he must warn the English authorities, and signalthe Rangoon before her arrival. This was easy to do, since thesteamer stopped at Singapore, where there is a telegraphic wireto Hong Kong. He finally resolved, moreover, before acting morepositively, to question Passepartout. It would not be difficultto make him talk. As there was no time to lose, Fix prepared tomake himself known.
It was now the 30th of October, and on the following day theRangoon was due at Singapore.
Fix emerged from his cabin and went on deck. Passepartout waspromenading up and down in the forward part of the steamer. Thedetective rushed forward with every appearance of extremesurprise, and exclaimed, "You here, on the Rangoon?"
"What, Monsieur Fix, are you on board?" returned the reallyastonished Passepartout, recognizing his crony of the Mongolia."Why, I left you at Bombay, and here you are on the way to HongKong! Are you going round the world too?"
"No, no," replied Fix. "I shall stop at Hong Kong--at least forsome days."
"Hum!" said Passepartout, who seemed for an instant perplexed."But how is it I have not seen you on board since we leftCalcutta?"
"Oh, a trifle of seasickness--I've been staying in my berth. TheGulf of Bengal does not agree with me as well as the IndianOcean. And how is Mr. 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 comprehendwhat was said.
Passepartout thereupon recounted Aouda's history, the affair atthe Bombay pagoda, the purchase of the elephant for two thousandpounds, the rescue, the arrest and sentence of the Calcuttacourt, and the restoration of Mr. Fogg and himself to liberty onbail. Fix, who was familiar with the last events, seemed to beequally igno
"But does your master propose to carry this young woman toEurope?"
"Not at all. We are simply going to place her under theprotection of one of her relatives, a rich merchant at HongKong."
"Nothing to be done there," said Fix to himself, concealing hisdisappointment. "A glass of gin, Mr. Passepartout?"
"Willingly, Monsieur Fix. We must at least have a friendly glasson board the Rangoon."