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 northwest, 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 program, 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 seasick--he made nothing of this
inconvenience; and, while his body was writhing under their
effects, his spirit bounded with hopeful joy.
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. 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 if 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 favorable. 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 signaled until five o'clock on the morning of the 6th. The
steamer was due on the 5th. Phileas Fogg was twenty-four hours
behind, 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. 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 tomorrow 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 tomorrow."
"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 crowded the harbor of Hong Kong.
At one o'clock the Rangoon was at the quay, and the passengers
were going ashore.
Chance had strangely favored Phileas Fogg, for if the Carnatic
had not been forced to lie over for repairing her boiler, she
would have left on the 6th of November, and the passengers for
Japan would have been obliged to wait a week for 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. 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 time, 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,
everyone would know so wealthy and considerable a person 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, told 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. "Co 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.