Part 15 (1/2)
”Why,” responded Fix, a little embarrassed, ”I don't know; perhaps--”
”Ah, if you would only go on with us! An agent of the Peninsular Co to Bombay, and here you are in China America is not far off, and from America to Europe is only a step”
Fix looked intently at his cohed with hi him if he made much by his present occupation
”Yes, and no,” returned Fix; ”there is good and bad luck in such things But you must understand that I don't travel at my own expense”
”Oh, I a heartily
Fix, fairly puzzled, descended to his cabin and gave himself up to his reflections He was evidently suspected; somehow or other the Frenchman had found out that he was a detective But had he told hisin all this: was he an accoas over in hishinorant of his presence, and then undecided what course it was best to take
Nevertheless, he preserved his coolness of mind, and at last resolved to deal plainly with Passepartout If he did not find it practicable to arrest Fogg at Hong Kong, and if Fogg lish territory, he, Fix, would tell Passepartout all Either the servant was the accomplice of his master, and in this case the master knew of his operations, and he should fail; or else the servant knew nothing about the robbery, and then his interest would be to abandon the robber
Such was the situation between Fix and Passepartout Meanwhile Phileas Fogg moved about above them in theardless of the lesser stars which gravitated around him Yet there was near by what the astronoht have produced an agitation in this gentleman's heart But no! the charreat surprise; and the disturbances, if they existed, would have been more difficult to calculate than those of Uranus which led to the discovery of Neptune
It was every day an increasing wonder to Passepartout, who read in Aouda's eyes the depths of her gratitude to his allant, ht, quite heartless As to the sentiht have awakened in hi; while poor Passepartout existed in perpetual reveries
One day he was leaning on the railing of the engine-rooine, when a sudden pitch of the stea out of the valves; and this nant
”The valves are not sufficiently charged!” he exclailish!+ If this was an American craft, we should blow up, perhaps, but we should at all events go faster!”
Chapter XVIII
IN WHICH PHILEAS FOGG, PassEPARTOUT, AND FIX GO EACH ABOUT HIS BUSINESS
The weather was bad during the latter days of the voyage The wind, obstinately reale, and retarded the steaers beca, monstrous waves which the wind raised before their path A sort of te the vessel about with fury, and the waves running high The Rangoon reefed all her sails, and even the rigging proved tooamid the squall The steamer was forced to proceed slowly, and the captain esti twenty hours behind tiazed at the te especially to delay hied countenance for an instant, though a delay of twenty hours, byhim too late for the Yokohaer But this man of nerve manifested neither impatience nor annoyance; it seeramme, and had been foreseen Aouda was amazed to find him as calm as he had been from the first tis in the sareatly pleased hioon been forced to retreat before the violence of wind and waves
Each delay filled hi would be obliged to re; and now the heavens theusts and squalls
It mattered not that they made him sea-sick--he made no account of this inconvenience; and, whilst his body rithing under their effects, his spirit bounded with hopeful exultation
Passepartout was enraged beyond expression by the unpropitious weather
Everything had gone so well till now! Earth and sea had seemed to be at his master's service; steamers and railways obeyed him; wind and steam united to speed his journey Had the hour of adversity come?
Passepartout was as much excited as if the twenty thousand pounds were to coale ed to lash the obstinate sea into obedience
Poor fellow! Fix carefully concealed from him his own satisfaction, for, had he betrayed it, Passepartout could scarcely have restrained himself from personal violence
Passepartout re unable to reress of the shi+p by lending a hand with the crew He overwhelmed the captain, officers, and sailors, who could not help laughing at his impatience, with all sorts of questions He wanted to know exactly how long the stor to last; whereupon he was referred to the baro Passepartout shook it, but with no perceptible effect; for neither shaking nor e its mind
On the 4th, however, the sea became more calm, and the storm lessened its violence; the wind veered southward, and was once more favourable
Passepartout cleared up with the weather Sooon resumed its ained Land was not signalled until five o'clock on theof the 6th; the stea enty-four hours behind-hand, and the Yokohama steamer would, of course, be missed