《Around the World In 80 Days》 CHAPTER24
by Jules Verne
What happened when the pilot-boat came in sight of Shanghai will be
easily guessed. The signals made by the `Tankadere' had been seen by
the captain off Yokohama steamer, who, espying the flag at half-mast,
had directed his course towards the little craft. Phileas Fogg, after
paying the stipulated price of his passage to John Bunsby, and rewarding
that worthy with the additional sum of five hundred and fifty pounds,
ascended the steamer with Aouda and Fix; and they started at once for
Nagasaki and Yokohama.
They reached their destination on the morning of the 14th November.
Phileas Fogg lost no time in going on board the `Carnatic', where he
learned, to Aouda's great delight - and perhaps to his own, though he
betrayed no emotion - that Passepartout, a Frenchman, had really arrived
on her the day before.
The San Francisco steamer was announced to leave that very evening,
and it became necessary to find Passepartout, if possible, without delay.
Mr Fogg applied in vain to the French and English consuls, and, after
wandering through the streets a long time, began to despair of finding
his missing servant. Chance, or ber, that Passepartout made a joyful
discovery. It will be remembered that the obstinate fellow had insisted
on keeping his famous family watch at London time, and on regarding
that of the countries he had passed through as quite false and unreliable.
Now, on this day, though he had not changed the hands, he found that
his watch exactly agreed with the ship's chronometers. His triumph was
hilarious. He would have liked to know what Fix would say if he were
aboard!
`The rogue told me a lot of stories,' repeated Passepartout, `about
the meridians, the sun, and the moon! Moon, indeed! Moonshine, more
likely! If one listened to that sort of people, a pretty sort of time
one would keep! I was sure that the sun would some day regulate itself
by my watch!'
Passepartout was ignorant that, if the face of his watch had been divided
into twenty-four hours, like the Italian clocks, he would have no reason
for exultation; for the hao)áμàut a word; and then furnished his man
with funds necessary to obtain clothing more in harmony with his position.
Within an hour the Frenchman had cut off his nose and parted with his
wings, and retained nothing about him which recalled the sectary of
the god Tingou.
The steamer which was about to depart from Yokohama to San Francisco
belonged to the Pacific Mail Steamship Company, and was named the `General
Grant'. She was a large paddle-wheel steamer of two thousand five hundred
tons, well equipped and very fast. The massive walking-beam rose and
fell above the deck; at one end a piston-rod worked up and down; and
at the other was a connecting-rod which, in changing the rectilinear
motion to a circular one, was directly connected with the shaft of the
paddles. The `General Grant' was rigged with three masts, giving a large
capacity for sails, and thus materially aiding the steam power. By making
twelve miles an hour, she would cross the ocean in twenty-one days.
Phileas Fogg was therefore justified in hoping that he would reach San
Francisco by the 2nd December, New York by the 11th, and London on the
20th, - thus gaining several hours on the fatal date of the 21st December.
There was a full complement of passengers on board, among them English,
many Americans, a large number of Coolies on their way to California,
and several East Indian officers, who were spending their vacation making
a tour of the world. Nothing of moment happened on the voyage; the steamer,
sustained on its large paddles, rolled but little, and the `Pacific'
almost justified its name. Mr Fogg was as calm and taciturn as ever.
His young companion felt herself more and more attached to him by other
ties than gratitude; his silent but generous nature impressed her more
than she thought; and it was almost unconsciously that she yielded to
emotions which did not seem to have the least effect upon her protector.
Aouda took the keenest interest in his plans, and became impatient at
any incident which seemed likely to retard his journey.
She often chatted with Passepartout, who did not fail to perceive the
state of the lady's heart; and, being the most faithful of domestics,
he never exhausted his eulogies of Phileas Fogg's honesty, generosity
and devotion. He took pains to calm Aouda's doubts of a successful termination
of the journey, telling her that the most difficult part of it had passed,
that now they were beyond the fantastic countries of Japan and China,
and were fairly on their way to cited places again. A railway train
from San Francisco to New York, and a transatlantic steamer from New
York to Liverpool, would doubtless bring them to the end of this impossible
journey round the world within the period agreed upon.
On the ninth day after leaving Yokohama, Phileas Fogg had traversed
exactly one half of the terrestrial globe. The `General Grant' passed,
on the 23rd November, the one hundred and eightieth meridian, and was
at the very antipodes of London. Mr Fogg had, it is true, exhausted
fifty-two of the eighty days in which he was to complete the tour, and
there were only twenty-eight left. But, though he was only half-way
by the difference of meridians, he had really gone over two-thirds of
the whole journey; for he had been obliged to make long circuits from
London to Aden, from Aden to Bombay, from Calcutta to Singapore, and
from Singapore to Yokohama. Could he have followed without deviation
the fiftieth parallel, which is that of London, the whole distance would
only have been about twelve thousand miles; whereas he would be forced,
by the irregular methods of locomotion, to traverse twenty-six thousand,
of which he had, on the 23rd of November, accomplished seventeen thousand
five hundred. And now the course was a straight one, and Fix was no
longer there to put obstacles in their way!
It happened also, on the 23rd of November, that Passepartout made a
joyful discovery. It will be remembered that the obstinate fellow had
insisted on keeping his famous family watch at London time, and on regarding
that of the countries he had passed through as quite false and unreliable.
Now, on this day, though he had not changed the hands, he found that
his watch exactly agreed with the ship's chronometers. His triumph was
hilarious. He would have liked to know what Fix would say if he were
aboard!
`The rogue told me a lot of stories,' repeated Passepartout, `about
the meridians, the sun, and the moon! Moon, indeed! Moonshine, more
likely! If one listened to that sort of people, a pretty sort of time
one would keep! I was sure that the sun would some day regulate itself
by my watch!'
Passepartout was ignorant that, if the face of his watch had been divided
into twenty-four hours, like the Italian clocks, he would have no reason
for exultation; for the hands of his watch would then, instead of as
now indicating nine o'clock in the morning, indicate nine o'clock in
the evening, that is the twenty-first hour after midnight, precisely
the difference between London time and that of the one hundred and eightieth
meridian. But if Fix had been able to explain this purely physical effect,
Passepartout would not have admitted, even if he had comprehended it.
Moreover, if the detective had been on board at that moment, Passepartout
would have joined issue with him on a quite different subject, and in
an entirely different manner.
Where was Fix at that moment?
He was actually on board the `General Grant'.
On reaching Yokohama, the detective, leaving Mr Fogg, whom he expected
to meet again during the day, had repaired at once to the English consulate,
where he at last found the warrant of arrest. It had followed him from
Bombay, and had come by the `Carnatic', on which steamer he himself
was sub posed to be. Fix's disappointment may be imagined when he reflected
that the warrant was now useless.
Mr Fogg had left English ground, and it was now necessary to procure
his extradition!
`Well,' thought Fix, after a moment of anger, `my warrant is not good
here, but it will be in England. The rogue evidently intends to return
to his own country, thinking he has thrown the police off his track.
Good! I will follow him across the Atlantic. As for the money, Heaven
grant there may be some left! But the fellow has already spent in travelling,
rewards, trials, bail, elephants, and all sorts of charges, more than
five thousand pounds. Yet, after all, the Bank is rich!'
His course decided on, he went on board the `General Grant', and was
there when Mr Fogg and Aouda arrived. To his utter amazement, he recognized
Passepartout, despite his theatrical disguise. He quicKly concealed
himself in his cabin, to avoid an awkward explanation, and hoped - thanks
to the number of passengers - to remain unperceived by Mr Fogg's servant.
On that very day, however, he met Passepartout face to face on the
forward deck. The latter, without a word, made a rush for him, grasped
him by the throat, and, much to the amusement of a group of Americans,
who immediately began to bet on him, administered to the detective a
perfect volley of blows, which proved the great superiority of French
over English pugilistic skill.
When Passepartout had finished, he found himself relieved and comforted.
Fix got up in a somewhat rumpled condition, and, looking at his adversary,
coldly said, `Have you done?'
`For this time - yes.'
`Then let me have a word with you.'
`But!--'
`In your master's interest.'
Passepartout seemed to be vanquished by Fix's coolness, for he quietly
followed him, and they sat down aside from the rest of the passengers.
`You have given me a thrashing,' said Fix. `Good, I expected it. Now,
listen to me. Up to this time I have been Mr Fogg's adversary. I am
now in his game.'
`Aha!' cried Passepartout; `you are convinced he is an honest man?'
`No,' replied Fix coldly, `I think him a rascal. Sh! don't budge, and
let me speak. As long as Mr Fogg was on English ground, it was for my
interest to detain him there until my warrant of arrest arrived. I did
everything I could to keep him back. I sent the Bombay priests after
him, I got you intoxicated at Hong Kong, I separated you from him, and
I made him miss the Yokohama steamer.'
Passepartout listened, with closed fists.
`Now,' resumed Fix, `Mr Fogg seems to be going back to England. Well,
I will follow him there. But hereafter I will do as much to keep obstacles
out of his way as I have done up to this time to put them in his path.
I've changed my game, you see, and simply because it was for my interest
to change it. Your interest is the same as mine; for it is only in England
that you will ascertain whether you are in the service of a criminal
or an honest man.'
Passepartout listened very attentively to Fix, and was convinced that
he spoke with entire good faith.
`Are we friends?' asked the detective.
`Friends? - no,' replied Passepartout; `but allies, perhaps. At the
least sign of treason, however, I'll twist your neck for you.'
`Agreed,' said the detective quietly.
Eleven days later, on the 3rd of December, the `General Grant' entered
the bay of the Golden Gate, and reached San Francisco.
Mr Fogg had neither gained nor lost a single day.
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