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Page 44
Mr. Fogg, bolder than his servant, did not hesitate to approach the pilot,
and tranquilly ask him if he knew when a steamer would leave Hong Kong
for Yokohama.
"At high tide to-morrow morning," answered the pilot.
"Ah!" said Mr. Fogg, without betraying any astonishment.
Passepartout, who heard what passed, would willingly have embraced the pilot,
while Fix would have been glad to twist his neck.
"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 her departure was postponed till to-morrow."
"Thank you," returned Mr. Fogg, descending mathematically to the saloon.
Passepartout clasped the pilot's hand and shook it heartily in his delight,
exclaiming, "Pilot, you are the best of good fellows!"
The pilot probably does not know to this day why his responses
won him this enthusiastic greeting. He remounted the bridge,
and guided the steamer through the flotilla of junks,
tankas, and fishing boats which crowd the harbour of Hong Kong.
At one o'clock the Rangoon was at the quay, and the passengers
were going ashore.
Chance had strangely favoured Phileas Fogg, for had not the
Carnatic been forced to lie over for repairing her boilers,
she would have left on the 6th of November, and the passengers
for Japan would have been obliged to await for a week the sailing
of the next steamer. Mr. Fogg was, it is true, twenty-four hours
behind his time; but this could not seriously imperil the
remainder of his tour.
The steamer which crossed the Pacific from Yokohama to San Francisco
made a direct connection with that from Hong Kong, and it could not sail
until the latter reached Yokohama; and if Mr. Fogg was twenty-four hours
late on reaching Yokohama, this time would no doubt be easily regained
in the voyage of twenty-two days across the Pacific. He found himself,
then, about twenty-four hours behind-hand, thirty-five days
after leaving London.
The Carnatic was announced to leave Hong Kong at five the next morning.
Mr. Fogg had sixteen hours in which to attend to his business there,
which was to deposit Aouda safely with her wealthy relative.
On landing, he conducted her to a palanquin, in which they
repaired to the Club Hotel. A room was engaged for the young woman,
and Mr. Fogg, after seeing that she wanted for nothing, set out in search
of her cousin Jeejeeh. He instructed Passepartout to remain at the hotel
until his return, that Aouda might not be left entirely alone.
Mr. Fogg repaired to the Exchange, where, he did not doubt,
every one would know so wealthy and considerable a personage
as the Parsee merchant. Meeting a broker, he made the inquiry,
to learn that Jeejeeh had left China two years before, and, retiring
from business with an immense fortune, had taken up his residence
in Europe--in Holland the broker thought, with the merchants
of which country he had principally traded. Phileas Fogg returned
to the hotel, begged a moment's conversation with Aouda, and without
more ado, apprised her that Jeejeeh was no longer at Hong Kong,
but probably in Holland.
Aouda at first said nothing. She passed her hand across her forehead,
and reflected a few moments. Then, in her sweet, soft voice, she said:
"What ought I to do, Mr. Fogg?"
"It is very simple," responded the gentleman. "Go on to Europe."
"But I cannot intrude--"
"You do not intrude, nor do you in the least embarrass my project.
Passepartout!"
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