by Jules Verne
Chapter 18
In Which Phileas Fogg, Passepartout and FixGo Each about His Business
The weather was bad during the latter days of the voyage. Thewind, obstinately remaining in the northwest, blew a gale, andretarded the steamer. The Rangoon rolled heavily and thepassengers became impatient of the long, monstrous waves whichthe wind raised before their path. A sort of tempest arose on the3rd of November, the squall knocking the vessel about with fury,and the waves running high. The Rangoon reefed all her sails, andeven the rigging proved too much, whistling and shaking amid thesquall. The steamer was forced to proceed slowly, and the captainestimated that she would reach Hong Kong twenty hours behindtime, and more if the storm lasted.
Phileas Fogg gazed at the tempestuous sea, which seemed to bestruggling especially to delay him, with his habitualtranquillity. He never changed countenance for an instant, thougha delay of twenty hours, by making him too late for the Yokohamaboat, would almost inevitably cause the loss of the wager. Butthis man of nerve manifested neither impatience nor annoyance. Itseemed as if the storm were a part of his program, and had beenforeseen. Aouda was amazed to find him as calm as he had beenfrom the first time she saw him.
Fix did not look at the state of things in the same light. Thestorm greatly pleased him. His satisfaction would have beencomplete had the Rangoon been forced to retreat before theviolence of wind and waves. Each delay filled him with hope, forit became more and more probable that Fogg would be obliged toremain some days at Hong Kong; and now the heavens themselvesbecame his allies, with the gusts and squalls. It mattered notthat they made him seasick--he made nothing of thisinconvenience; and, while his body was writhing under theireffects, his spirit bounded with hopeful joy.
Passepartout was enraged beyond expression by the unpropitiousweather. Everything had gone so well till now! Earth and sea hadseemed to be at his master's service. Steamers and railwaysobeyed him. Wind and steam united to speed his journey. Had thehour of adversity come? Passepartout was as much excited as ifthe twenty thousand pounds were to come from his own pocket. Thestorm exasperated him, the gale made him furious, and he longedto lash the obstinate sea into obedience. Poor fellow! Fixcarefully concealed from him his own satisfaction, for, had hebetrayed it, Passepartout could scarcely have restrained himselffrom personal violence.
Passepartout remained on deck as long as the tempest lasted,being unable to remain quiet below, and taking it into his headto aid the progress of the ship by lending a hand with the crew.He overwhelmed the captain, officers and sailors, who could nothelp laughing at his impatience, with all sorts of questions. Hewanted to know exactly how long the storm was going to last. Hewas referred to the barometer, which seemed to have no intentionof rising. Passepartout shook it, but with no perceptible effect;for neither shaking nor maledictions could prevail upon if tochange its mind.
On the 4th, however, the sea became more calm, and the stormlessened its violence. The wind veered southward, and was oncemore favorable. Passepartout cleared up with the weather. Some ofthe sails were unfurled, and the Rangoon resumed its most rapidspeed. The time lost could not, however, be regained. Land wasnot signaled until five o'clock on the morning of the 6th. Thesteamer was due on the 5th. Phileas Fogg was twenty-four hoursbehind, 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 HongKong. Passepartout longed to ask him if the steamer had left forYokohama; but he dared not, for he wished to preserve the sparkof hope, which still remained till the last moment. He hadconfided his anxiety to Fix who--the sly rascal--tried toconsole him by saying that Mr. Fogg would be in time if he tookthe next boat. This only put Passepartout in a passion.
Mr. Fogg, bolder than his servant, did not hesitate to approachthe pilot, and tranquilly ask him if he knew when a steamer wouldleave 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 haveembraced the pilot, while Fix would have been glad to twist hisneck.
"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 herdeparture was postponed till tomorrow."
"Thank you," returned Mr. Fogg, descending mathematically to thesaloon.
Passepartout clasped the pilot's hand and shook it heartily inhis delight, exclaiming, "Pilot, you are the best of goodfellows!"
The pilot probably does not know to this day why his responseswon him this enthusiastic greeting. He remounted the bridge, andguided the steamer through the flotilla of junks, tankas andfishing boats which crowded the harbor of Hong Kong.
At one o'clock the Rangoon was at the quay, and the passengerswere going ashore.
Chance had strangely favored Phileas Fogg, for if the Carnatichad not been forced to lie over for repairing her boiler, shewould have left on the 6th of November, and the passengers forJapan would have been obliged to wait a week for the sailing ofthe next steamer. Mr. Fogg was, it is true, twenty-four hoursbehind his time; but this could not seriously imperil theremainder of his tour.
The steamer which crossed the Pacific from Yokohama to SanFrancisco made a direct connection with that from Hong Kong, andit could not sail until the latter reached Yokohama. If Mr. Foggwas twenty-four hours late on reaching Yokohama, this time wouldno doubt be easily regained in the voyage of twenty-two daysacross the Pacific. He found himself, then, about twenty-fourhours behind time, thirty-five days after leaving London.
The Carnatic was announced to leave Hong Kong at five the nextmorning. Mr. Fogg had sixteen hours in which to attend to hisbusiness there, which was to deposit Aouda safely with herwealthy relative.
On landing, he conducted her to a palanquin, in which theyrepaired to the Club Hotel. A room was engaged for the youngwoman, and Mr. Fogg, after seeing that she wanted for nothing,set out in search of her cousin Jeejeeh. He instructedPassepartout to remain at the hotel until his return, that Aoudamight 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 theParsee merchant. Meeting a broker, he made the inquiry, to learnthat Jeejeeh had left China two years before, and, retiring frombusiness with an immense fortune, had taken up his residence inEurope--in--Holland the broker thought, with the merchants ofwhich country he had principally traded. Phileas Fogg returned tothe hotel, begged a moment's conversation with Aouda, and,without more ado, told her that Jeejeeh was no longer at HongKong, but probably in Holland.
Aouda at first said nothing. She passed her hand across herforehead, and reflected a few moments. Then, in her sweet, softvoice, 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 myproject. Passepartout!"
"Monsieur."
"Go to the Carnatic, and engage three cabins."
Passepartout, delighted that the young woman, who was verygracious to him, was going to continue the journey with them,went off at a brisk gait to obey his master's order.