《Around the World In 80 Days》 CHAPTER19
by Jules Verne
Hong Kong is an island which came into the pas session of the English
by the treaty of Nankin, after the war of 1842; and the colonizing genius
of the English has created upon it an important city and an excellent
port. The island is situated at the mouth of the Canton River, and is
separated by about sixty miles from the Portuguese town of Macao, on
the opposite coast. Hong Kong has beaten Macao in the struggle for the
Chinese trade, and now the greater part of the transportation of Chinese
goods finds its depot at the former place. Docks, hospitals, wharves,
a Gothic cathedral, a government house, macadamized streets give to
Hong Kong the appearance of a town in Kent or Surrey transferred by
some strange magic to the antipodes.
Passepartout wandered, with his hands in his pockets, towards the Victoria
port, gazing as he went at the curious palanquins and other modes of
conveyance, and the groups of Chinese, Japanese and Europeans who passed
to and fro in the streets. Hong Kong seemed to him not unlike Bombay,
Calcutta and Singapore, since, like them, it betrayed everywhere the
evidence of English supremacy. At the Victoria port he found a confused
mass of ships of all nations: English, French, American and Dutch, men-of-war
and trading vessels, Japanese and Chinese junks, sempas, tankas and
flower-boats, which formed so many floating parterres. Passepartout
noticed in the crowd a number of the natives who seemed very old and
were dressed in yellow. On going into a barber's to get shaved he learned
that these ancient men were all at least eighty years old, at which
age they are permitted to wear yellow, which is the Imperial colour.
Passepartout, without exactly knowing why, thought this very funny.
On reaching the quay where they were to embark on the `Carnatic', he
was not astonished to find Fix walking up and down. The detective seemed
very much disturbed and disappointed.
`This is bad,' muttered Passepartout, `for the gentlemen of the Reform
Club!' He accosted Fix with a merry smile, as if he had not perceived
that gentleman's chagrin. The detective had, indeed, good reasons to
inveigh against the bad luck which pursued him. The warrant had not
come! It was certainly on the way, but as certainly it could not now
reach Hong Kong for several days; and this being the last English territory
on Mr Fogg's route, the robber would escape, unless he could manage
to detain him.
`Well, Monsieur Fix,' said Passepartout, `have you decided to go on
with us as far as America?'
`Yes,' returned Fix, through his set teeth. `Good!' exclaimed Passepartout,
laughing heartily. `I knew you could not persuade yourself to separate
from us. Come and engage your berth.'
They entered the steamer office and secured cabins for four persons.
The clerk, as he gave them the tickets, informed them that, the repairs
on the `Carnatic' having been completed, the steamer would leave that
very evening, and not next morning as had been announced.
`That will suit my master all the better,' said Passepartout. `I will
go and let him know.'
Fix now decided to make a bold move; he resolved to tell Passepartout
all. It seemed to be the only possible means of keeping Phileas Fogg
several days longer at Hong Kong. He accordingly invited his companion
into a tavern which caught his eye on the quay. On entering, they found
themselves in a large room handsomely decorated, at the end of which
was a large campbed furnished with cushions. Several persons lay upon
this bed in a deep sleep. At the same tables which were arranged about
the room some thirty customers were drinking English beer, porter, gin
and brandy; smoking, the while, long red clay pipes stuffed with little
balls of opium mingled with essence of rose. From time to time one of
the smokers, overcome with the narcotic, would slip under the table,
whereupon the waiters, taking him by the head and feet, carried and
laid him upon the bed. The bed already supported twenty of these stupefied
sots.
Fix and Passepartout saw that they were in a smoking-house haunted
by those wretched, cadaverous, idiotic creatures, to whom the English
merchants sell every year the miserable drug called opium, to the amount
of one million four hundred thousand pounds - thousands devoted to one
of the most despicable vices which afflict humanity! The Chinese government
has in vain attempted to deal with the evil by stringent laws. It passed
gradually from the rich, to whom it was at first exclusively reserved,
to the lower classes, and then its ravages could not be arrested. Opium
is smoked everywhere, at all times, by men and women, in the Celestial
Empire; and, once accustomed to it, the victims cannot dispense with
it, except by suffering horrible bodily contortions and agonies. A great
smoker can smoke as many as eight pipes a day; but he dies in five years.
It was in one of these dens that Fix and Passepartout, in search of
a friendly glass, found themselves. Passepartout had no money, but willingly
accepted Fix's invitation in the hope of returning the obligation at
some future time.
They ordered two bottles of port, to which the Frenchman did ample
justice, whilst Fix observed him with close attention. They chatted
about the journey, and Passepartout was especially merry at the idea
that Fix was going to continue it with them. When the bottles were empty,
however, he rose to go and tell his master of the change in the time
of the sailing of the `Carnatic'.
Fix caught him by the arm, and said, `Wait a moment.'
`What for, Mr Fix?'
`I want to have a serious talk with you.'
`A serious talk!' cried Passepartout, drinking up the little wine that
was left in the bottom of his glass. `Well, we'll talk about it to-morrow;
I haven't time now.'
`Stay! What I have to say concerns your master.'
Passepartout, at this, looked attentively at his companion. Fix's face
seemed to have a singular expression. He resumed his seat.
`What is it that you have to say?'
Fix placed his hand upon Passepartout's arm, and, lowering his voice,
said, `You have guessed who I am?'
`Parbleu!' said Passepartout, smiling. `Then I'm going to tell you
everything--'
`Now that I know everything, my friend! Ah! that's very good. But go
on, go on. First, though, let me tell you that those gentlemen have
put themselves to a useless expense.'
`Useless!' said Fix. `You speak confidently. It's clear that you don't
know how large the sum is.'
`Of course I do,' returned Passepartout. `Twenty thousand pounds.'
`Fifty-five thousand!' answered Fix, pressing his companion's hand.
`What!' cried the Frenchman. `Has Monsieur Fogg dared - fifty-five
thousand pounds! Well, there's all the more reason for not losing an
instant,' he continued, getting up hastily.
Fix pushed Passepartout back in his chair, and resumed: `Fifty-five
thousand pounds; and if I succeed, I get two thousand pounds. If you'll
help me, I'll let you have five hundred of them.'
`Help you?' cried Passepartout, whose eyes were standing wide open.
`Yes; help me keep Mr Fogg here for two or three days.'
`Why, what are you saying? Those gentlemen are not satisfied with following
my master and suspecting his honour, but they must try to put obstacles
in his way! I blush for them!'
`What do you mean?'
`I mean that it is a piece of shameful trickery. They might as well
waylay Mr Fogg and put his money in their pockets!'
`That's just what we count on doing.'
`It's a conspiracy, then,' cried Passepartout, who became more and
more excited as the liquor mounted in his head, for he drank without
perceiving it. `A real conspiracy! And gentlemen, too. Bah!'
Fix began to be puzzled.
`Members of the Reform Club!' continued Passepartout. `You must know,
Monsieur Fix, that my master is an honest man, and that, when he makes
a wager, he tries to win it fairly!'
`But who do you think I am?' asked Fix, looking at him intently.
`Parbleu! An agent of the members of the Reform Club, sent out here
to interrupt my master's journey. But, though I found you out some time
ago, I've taken good care to say nothing about it to Mr Fogg.'
`He knows nothing, then?'
`Nothing,' replied Passepartout, again emptying his glass.
The detective passed his hand across his forehead, hesitating before
he spoke again. What should he do? Passepartout's mistake seemed sincere,
but it made his design more difficult. It was evident that the servant
was not the master's accomplice, as Fix had been inclined to suspect.
`Well,' said the detective to himself, `as he is not an accomplice,
he will help me.'
He had no time to lose: Fogg must be detained at Hong Kong, so he resolved
to make a clean breast of it.
`Listen to me,' said Fix abruptly. `I am not, as you think, an agent
of the members of the Reform Club--'
`Bah!' retorted Passepartout, with an air of raillery.
`I am a police detective, sent out here by the London office.'
`You, a detective?'
`I will prove it. Here is my commission.'
Passepartout was speechless with astonishment when Fix displayed this
document, the genuineness of which could not be doubted.
`Mr Fogg's wager,' resumed Fix, `is only a pretext, of which you and
the gentlemen of the Reform are dupes. He had a motive for securing
your innocent complicity.'
`But why?'
`Listen. On the 28th of last September a robbery of fifty-five thousand
pounds was committed at the Bank of England by a person whose description
was fortunately secured. Here is this description; it answers exactly
to that of Mr Phileas Fogg.'
`What nonsense!' cried Passepartout, striking the table with his fist.
`My master is the most honourable of men!'
`How can you tell? You know scarcely anything about him. You went into
his service the day he came away; and he came away on a foolish pretext,
without trunks, and carrying a large amount in bank-notes. And yet you
are bold enough to assert that he is an honest man!'
`Yes, yes,' repeated the poor fellow, mechanically. `Would you like
to be arrested as his accomplice?' Passepartout, overcome by what he
had heard, held his head between his hands, and did not dare to look
at the detective. Phileas Fogg, the saviour of Aouda, that brave and
generous man, a robber! And yet how many presumptions there were against
him! Passepartout essayed to reject the suspicions which forced themselves
upon his mind; he did not wish to believe that his master was guilty.
`Well, what do you want of me?' said he, at last, with an effort.
`See here,' replied Fix; `I have tracked Mr Fogg to this place, but
as yet I have failed to receive the warrant of arrest for which I sent
to London. You must help me to keep him here in Hong Kong--'
`I! But I--'
`I will share with you the two thousand pounds reward offered by the
Bank of England.'
`Never!' replied Passepartout, who tried to rise, but fell back, exhausted
in mind and body.
`Mr Fix,' he stammered; `even should what you say be true - if my master
is really the robber you are seeking for - which I deny - I have been,
am, in his service; I have seen his generosity and goodness; and I will
never betray him - not for all the gold in the world. I come from a
village where they don't eat that kind of bread!'
`You refuse?'
`I refuse.'
`Consider that I've said nothing,' said Fix; `and let us drink.'
`Yes; let us drink!'
Passepartout felt himself yielding more and more to the effects of
the liquor. Fix, seeing that he must, at all hazards, be separated from
his master, wished to entirely overcome him. Some pipes full of opium
lay upon the table. Fix slipped one into Passepartout's hand. He took
it put it between his lips, lit it, drew several puffs, and his head,
becoming heavy under the influence of the narcotic, fell upon the table.
`At last!' said Fix, seeing Passepartout unconscious. `Mr Fogg will
not be informed of the "Carnatic's" departure; and, if he
is, he will have to go without this cursed Frenchman!'
And, after paying his bill, Fix left the tavern.
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