Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne (top novels to read TXT) 📖

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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 of December, New York by the 11th,

and London on the 20th—thus gaining several hours on the fatal date

of the 21st of 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

in making the 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 civilised 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

of 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 supposed 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 recognised 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 I—”

 

“In your master’s interests.”

 

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.