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Around the World in Eighty Days
Chapter 24. DURING WHICH MR. FOGG AND PARTY CROSS THE PACIFIC OCEAN
What happened when the pilot-boat came in sight of Shanghai will be easily guessed.
The signals made by the "Tankadere"
Had been seen by the captain of the Yokohama steamer, who, espying the flag at half-mast, had directed his course towards the little craft.
Phileas Fogg paid John Busby the stipulated price of his passage and rewarded him with an additional five hundred and fifty pounds.
He ascended the steamer with Aouda and Fix, and they started at once for Nagasaki and Yokohama.
They reached their destination on the morning of the 14th of November.
Phileas Fogg lost no time in going on board the "Carnatic."
There he learned, to Aouda's great delight, though he showed no emotion, that Passepartout, a Frenchman, had arrived the day before.
The San Francisco steamer was announced to leave that very evening, and it became necessary to find Passepartout, if possible, without delay.
Mr. Fogg applied to the French and English consuls in vain, and, wandering streets, began to despair of finding his missing servant.
Chance, or perhaps a kind of presentiment, at last led him into the Honourable Mr. Batulcar's theatre.
He certainly wouldn't have recognised Passepartout in the eccentric mountebank's costume, but the latter, lying on his back, perceived his master in the gallery.
He couldn't help starting, which so changed the position of his nose as to bring the "pyramid" pell-mell upon the stage.
All this Passepartout learned from Aouda, who recounted to him what had taken place on the voyage from Hong Kong to Shanghai on the "Tankadere,"
In company with one Mr. Fix.
Passepartout didn't change countenance on hearing this name.
He thought the time hadn't yet arrived to divulge to his master what had taken place between the detective and himself.
He excused his absence by saying he was drunk from smoking opium at a tavern in Hong Kong.
Mr. Fogg heard the tale coldly and then gave his man money to buy clothes fit for his position.
Within an hour the Frenchman had cut off his nose, removed his wings, and retained nothing recalling the sectary of god Tingou.
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.
At the other end a connecting-rod converted the rectilinear motion to a circular one and 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'd cross the ocean in twenty-one days.
Phileas Fogg was therefore justified in hoping that he'd reach San Francisco by the 2nd of December and New York by the 11th.
He expected to arrive in 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 and many Americans.
Many coolies were on their way to California, and East Indian officers were touring the world on vacation.
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.
She almost unconsciously yielded to emotions which didn't 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 didn't fail to perceive the state of the lady's heart.
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.
He told her the most difficult part had passed.
They were now beyond the fantastic countries of Japan and China and fairly on their way to civilised places again.
A railway train from San Francisco to New York would doubtless bring them nearer to the end of this impossible journey round the world.
A transatlantic steamer from New York to Liverpool would complete it 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's 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.
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.
By the indirect route he had to travel 26,000 miles, of which he had done 17,500 by 23 November.
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 stubborn fellow had insisted on keeping his famous family watch at London time.
He saw the watches in the countries he had passed through as false and unreliable.
Now, on this day, though he hadn't changed the hands, he found that his watch exactly agreed with the ship's chronometers.
His triumph was hilarious, he'd 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 did not know that if his watch used twenty-four hours like Italian clocks, he would have no reason to be happy.
The hands of his watch would then, instead of indicating nine o'clock in the morning, indicate nine o'clock in the evening.
That's 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 wouldn't have admitted, even if he had comprehended it.
If the detective had been on board then, Passepartout would have argued with him about a different subject in a different way.
Where was Fix at that moment?
He was actually on board the "General Grant."
On reaching Yokohama, the detective left Mr. Fogg, expecting to meet him again that day, and went straight to the English consulate.
There 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 good in England."
"The rogue clearly plans to go back to his country, thinking he lost the police."
"Good! I will follow him across the Atlantic, and I hope there is some money left."
"But he has already spent more than five thousand pounds on travel, rewards, trials, bail, elephants, and other charges, yet 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 hid in his cabin to avoid an explanation and hoped, with so many passengers, to remain unseen 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 and grasped him by the throat.
A group of Americans, much amused, immediately began to bet on him.
He then administered to the detective a perfect volley of blows, proving 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'm now in his game."
"Aha!" cried Passepartout, "you're convinced he's 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, ready to strike if needed.
"Now," resumed Fix, "Mr. Fogg seems to be going back to England."
"Well, I'll follow him there."
"But from now on I'll try to remove problems from his way as I used to put them in his path."
"I've changed my plan because it was best for me, and your interest is the same, for only in England will you learn the truth."
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.