Chapter 17
Showing What Happened on the Voyage from Singapore to Hong Kong
The detective and Passepartout met often on deck after thisinterview, though Fix was reserved, and did not attempt to inducehis companion to divulge any more facts concerning Mr. Fogg. Hecaught a glimpse of that mysterious gentleman once or twice. ButMr. Fogg usually confined himself to the cabin, where he keptAouda company, or, according to his inveterate habit, took a handat whist.
Passepartout began very seriously to conjecture what strangechance kept Fix still on the route that his master was pursuing.It was really worth considering why this certainly very amiableand complacent person, whom he had first met at Suez, had thenencountered on board the Mongolia, who disembarked at Bombay,which he announced as his destination, and now turned up sounexpectedly on the Rangoon, was following Mr. Fogg's tracksstep by step. What was Fix's object? Passepartout was ready towager his Indian shoes--which he religiously preserved--thatFix would also leave Hong Kong at the same time with them, andprobably on the same steamer.
Passepartout might have cudgeled his brain for a century withouthitting upon the real object which the detective had in view. Henever could have imagined that Phileas Fogg was being tracked asa robber around the globe. But, as it is in human nature toattempt the solution of every mystery, Passepartout suddenlydiscovered an explanation of Fix's movements, which was in truthfar from unreasonable. Fix, he thought, could only be an agent ofMr. Fogg's friends at the Reform Club, sent to follow him up, andto ascertain that he really went round the world as had beenagreed upon.
"It's clear!" repeated the worthy servant to himself, proud ofhis shrewdness. "He's a spy sent to keep us in view! That isn'tquite the thing, either, to be spying on Mr. Fogg, who is sohonorable a man! Ah, gentlemen of the Reform, this shall cost youdear!"
Passepartout, enchanted with his discovery, resolved to saynothing to his master, lest he should be justly offended at thismistrust on the part of his adversaries. But he determined tochaff Fix, when he had the chance, with mysterious allusions,which, however, need not betray his real suspicions.
During the afternoon of Wednesday, 30th October, the Rangoonentered the Strait of Malacca, which separates the peninsula ofthat name from Sumatra. The mountainous and craggy isletsintercepted the beauties of this noble island from the view ofthe travelers. The Rangoon weighed anchor at Singapore the nextday at four A.M., to receive coal, having gained half a day onthe prescribed time of her arrival. Phileas Fogg noted this gainin his journal, and then, accompanied by Aouda, who betrayed adesire for a walk on shore, disembarked.
Fix, who suspected Mr. Fogg's every movement, followed themcautiously, without being himself perceived; while Passepartout,laughing in his sleeve at Fix's maneuvers, went about his usualerrands.
The island of Singapore is not imposing in aspect, for there areno mountains; yet its appearance is not without attractions. Itis a park checkered by pleasant highways and avenues. A handsomecarriage, drawn by a sleek pair of New Holland horses, carriedPhileas Fogg and Aouda into the midst of rows of palms withbrilliant foliage, and of clover-trees, whereof the cloves formthe head of a half-open flower. Pepper plants replaced theprickly hedges of European fields. Sago-bushes, large ferns withgorgeous branches, varied the aspect of this tropical clime.Nutmeg trees in full foliage filled the air with a penetratingperfume. Agile and grinning bands of monkeys skipped about in thetrees, nor were tigers wanting in the jungles.
After a drive of two hours through the country, Aouda and Mr.Fogg returned to the town, which is a vast collection ofheavy-looking, irregular houses, surrounded by charming gardensrich in tropical fruits and plants. At ten o'clock theyre-embarked, closely followed by the detective, who had kept themconstantly in sight.
Passepartout, who had been purchasing several dozen mangoes--afruit as large as good-sized apples, of a dark brown coloroutside and a bright red within, and whose white pulp, melting inthe mouth, affords gourmands a delicious sensation--was waitingfor them on deck. He was only too glad to offer some mangoes toAouda, who thanked him very gracefully for them.
At eleven o'clock the Rangoon rode out of Singapore harbor, andin a few hours the high mountains of Malacca, with their forests,inhabited by the most beautifully furred tigers in the world,were lost to view. Singapore is distant some thirteen hundredmiles from the island of Hong Kong, which is a little Englishcolony near the Chinese coast. Phileas Fogg hoped to accomplishthe journey in six days, so as to be in time for the steamerwhich would leave on the 6th of November for Yokohama, theprincipal Japanese port.
The Rangoon had a large quota of passengers, many of whomdisembarked at Singapore, among them a number of Indians,Ceylonese, Chinamen, Malays and Portuguese, mostly second-classtravelers.
The weather, which had hitherto been fine, changed with the lastquarter of the moon. The sea rolled heavily, and the wind atintervals rose almost to a storm, but happily blew from thesouthwest, and thus aided the steamer's progress. The captain asoften as possible put up his sails, and under the double actionof steam and sail the vessel made rapid progress along the coastof Anam and Cochin China. Owing to the defective construction ofthe Rangoon, however, unusual precautions became necessary inunfavorable weather; but the loss of time which resulted fromthis cause, while it nearly drove Passepartout out of his senses,did not seem to affect his master in the least. Passepartoutblamed the captain, the engineer and the crew, andconsigned all who were connected with the ship to the land wherethe pepper grows. Perhaps the thought of the gas, which wasremorselessly burning at his expense in Saville Row, hadsomething to do with his hot impatience.
"You are in a great hurry, then," said Fix to him one day, "toreach Hong Kong?"
"A very great hurry!"
"Mr. Fogg, I suppose, is anxious to catch the steamer forYokohama?"
"Terribly anxious."
"You believe in this journey around the world, then?"
"Absolutely. Don't you, Mr. Fix?"
"I? I don't believe a word of it."
"You're a sly dog!" said Passepartout, winking at him.
This expression rather disturbed Fix, without his knowing why.Had the Frenchman guessed his real purpose? He knew not what tothink. But how could Passepartout have discovered that he was adetective? Yet, in speaking as he did, the man evidently meantmore than he expressed.
Passepartout went still further the next day. He could not holdhis tongue.
"Mr. Fix," said he, in a bantering tone, "shall we be sounfortunate as to lose you when we get to Hong Kong?"
"Why," responded Fix, a little embarrassed, "I don't know;perhaps--"
"Ah, if you would only go on with us! An agent of the PeninsularCompany, you know, can't stop on the way! You were only going toBombay, and here you are in China. America is not far off, andfrom America to Europe is only a step."
Fix looked intently at his companion, whose countenance was asserene as possible, and laughed with him. But Passepartoutpersisted in chaffing him by asking him if he made much by hispresent occupation.
"Yes, and no," returned Fix. "There is good and bad luck in suchthings. But you must understand that I don't travel at my ownexpense."
"Oh, I am quite sure of that!" cried Passepartout, laughingheartily.
Fix, fairly puzzled, descended to his cabin and gave himself upto his reflections. He was evidently suspected; somehow or otherthe Frenchman had found out that he was a detective. But had hetold his master? What part was he playing in all this. Was he anaccomplice or not? Was the game, then, up? Fix spent severalhours turning these things over in his mind, sometimes thinkingthat all was lost, then persuading himself that Fogg was ignorantof his presence, and then undecided what course it was best totake.
Nevertheless, he preserved his coolness of mind, and at lastresolved to deal plainly with Passepartout. If he did not find itpracticable to arrest Fogg at Hong Kong, and if Fogg madepreparations to leave that last foothold of English territory,he, Fix, would tell Passepartout all. Either th
e servant was theaccomplice of his master, and in this case the master knew of hisoperations, and he should fail; or else the servant knew nothingabout the robbery, and then his interest would be to abandon therobber.
Such was the situation between Fix and Passepartout. MeanwhilePhileas Fogg moved about above them in the most majestic andunconscious indifference. He was passing methodically in hisorbit around the world, regardless of the lesser stars whichgravitated around him. Yet there was near by what the astronomerswould call a disturbing star, which might have produced anagitation in this gentleman's heart. But no! The charms of Aoudafailed to act, to Passepartout's great surprise; and thedisturbances, if they existed, would have been more difficult tocalculate than those of Uranus which led to the discovery ofNeptune.
It was every day an increasing wonder to Passepartout, who readin Aouda's eyes the depths of her gratitude to his master.Phileas Fogg, though brave and gallant, must be, he thought,quite heartless. As to the sentiment which this journey mighthave awakened in him, there was clearly no trace of such a thing;while poor Passepartout existed in perpetual reveries.
One day he was leaning on the railing of the engine room, and wasobserving the engine, when a sudden pitch of the steamer threwthe screw out of the water. The steam came hissing out of thevalves; and this made Passepartout indignant.
"The valves are not sufficiently charged!" he exclaimed. "We arenot going. Oh, these English! If this was an American craft, weshould blow up, perhaps, but we should at all events go faster!"