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CHAPTER 18
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.
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