Around the World in Eighty Days (Oxford World’s Classics) by Jules Verne

Author:Jules Verne
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 1999-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

22

Where Passepartout Realizes That Even at the

Antipodes, It Is Wise To Have Some Money

in One’s Pocket

THE Carnatic had left Hong Kong at 6.30 p.m. on 7 November, and was heading at full steam towards Japan. It was carrying a full load of merchandise and passengers. Only two cabins at the stern remained empty: those reserved for Mr Phileas Fogg.

The following morning the men at the bow were rather surprised to notice a passenger with eyes half-dazed, a shaky walk, and tousled hair. He emerged from the second-class companionway and went to sit down on a pile of gear, tottering all the while.

This passenger was Passepartout. The following is what had happened.

Shortly after Fix left the opium den, two attendants had lifted Passepartout up as he slept, and laid him down on the bunks reserved for the smokers. But three hours later, haunted by a fixed idea even in his nightmares, Passepartout woke up again and began to fight against the stupefying effect of the narcotic. The thought of duty undone cut through his torpor. He left the addicts’ bed, and, stumbling, leaning against the walls, falling down and getting up again, always and irresistibly pushed on by a sort of instinct, he left the den, shouting all the while as if in a dream, ‘The Carnatic! Carnatic!’

The steamship was ready with her steam up. Passepartout had only a few steps left to take. He threw himself on the gangway, managed to work his way up it, and fell down insensible on the foredeck just as the ship cast off.

The sailors were used to this sort of scene and carried the poor fellow down into a second-class cabin. Which is where he woke up the following morning, on board the Carnatic, 150 miles off the Chinese coast.

Thus Passepartout discovered himself on deck that morning, breathing in mouthfuls of the fresh sea breeze. The pure air sobered him up, and he began to put his thoughts together, not without a certain difficulty. At last he remembered the scenes of the day before: Fix’s secrets, the smoking den, etc.

‘I must have been abominably drunk. Whatever will Mr Fogg say? But at least I didn’t miss the boat, and that’s the main thing.’

Then he thought about Fix.

‘Let’s hope we’ve said good riddance to that fellow, and let’s hope he hasn’t dared follow us on to the Carnatic, after that proposition he made me. A police inspector, a detective, shadowing my master and claiming that he is suspected of stealing from the Bank of England. What a load of rubbish! If Mr Fogg’s a thief then I’m a murderer!’

But should he tell his master the tale? Should he describe the part that Fix had played in the affair? Wouldn’t he be better waiting until London, and then telling him that a policeman from Scotland Yard had tailed him right round the world, and laugh about it with him then? That might perhaps be best. In any case, he would think it over. What needed doing first was to go and find Mr Fogg and offer apologies for his inexcusable behaviour.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.