XIX. In which Passepartout Takes a Too Great Interest in His Master, and What Comes of It

by Jules Verne

　　Hong Kong is an island which came into the possession of theEnglish by the Treaty of Nankin, after the war of 1842;and the colonising genius of the English has created upon itan important city and an excellent port. The island is situatedat the mouth of the Canton River, and is separated by about sixty milesfrom the Portuguese town of Macao, on the opposite coast. Hong Konghas beaten Macao in the struggle for the Chinese trade, and nowthe greater part of the transportation of Chinese goods findsits depot at the former place. Docks, hospitals, wharves,a Gothic cathedral, a government house, macadamised streets,give to Hong Kong the appearance of a town in Kent or Surreytransferred by some strange magic to the antipodes.Passepartout wandered, with his hands in his pockets, towards theVictoria port, gazing as he went at the curious palanquinsand other modes of conveyance, and the groups of Chinese, Japanese,and Europeans who passed to and fro in the streets. Hong Kong seemedto him not unlike Bombay, Calcutta, and Singapore, since, like them,it betrayed everywhere the evidence of English supremacy.At the Victoria port he found a confused mass of ships of all nations:English, French, American, and Dutch, men-of-war and trading vessels,Japanese and Chinese junks, sempas, tankas, and flower-boats,which formed so many floating parterres. Passepartout noticedin the crowd a number of the natives who seemed very oldand were dressed in yellow. On going into a barber'sto get shaved he learned that these ancient men were allat least eighty years old, at which age they are permittedto wear yellow, which is the Imperial colour. Passepartout,without exactly knowing why, thought this very funny.On reaching the quay where they were to embark on the Carnatic,he was not astonished to find Fix walking up and down.The detective seemed very much disturbed and disappointed."This is bad," muttered Passepartout, "for the gentlemen ofthe Reform Club!" He accosted Fix with a merry smile, as if hehad not perceived that gentleman's chagrin. The detective had, indeed,good reasons to inveigh against the bad luck which pursued him.The warrant had not come! It was certainly on the way,but as certainly it could not now reach Hong Kong for several days;and, this being the last English territory on Mr. Fogg's route,the robber would escape, unless he could manage to detain him."Well, Monsieur Fix," said Passepartout, "have you decided to go with usso far as America?""Yes," returned Fix, through his set teeth."Good!" exclaimed Passepartout, laughing heartily."I knew you could not persuade yourself to separate from us.Come and engage your berth."They entered the steamer office and secured cabins for four persons.The clerk, as he gave them the tickets, informed them that,the repairs on the Carnatic having been completed, the steamerwould leave that very evening, and not next morning, as had been announced."That will suit my master all the better," said Passepartout."I will go and let him know."Fix now decided to make a bold move; he resolved to tell Passepartout all.It seemed to be the only possible means of keeping Phileas Fogg several dayslonger at Hong Kong. He accordingly invited his companion into a tavernwhich caught his eye on the quay. On entering, they found themselvesin a large room handsomely decorated, at the end of which was a largecamp-bed furnished with cushions. Several persons lay upon this bedin a deep sleep. At the small tables which were arranged about the roomsome thirty customers were drinking English beer, porter, gin, and brandy;smoking, the while, long red clay pipes stuffed with little balls of opiummingled with essence of rose. From time to time one of the smokers,overcome with the narcotic, would slip under the table, whereupon the waiters,taking him by the head and feet, carried and laid him upon the bed.The bed already supported twenty of these stupefied sots.Fix and Passepartout saw that they were in a smoking-house hauntedby those wretched, cadaverous, idiotic creatures to whom the Englishmerchants sell every year the miserable drug called opium,to the amount of one million four hundred thousand pounds--thousands devoted to one of the most despicable viceswhich afflict humanity! The Chinese government has in vainattempted to deal with the evil by stringent laws. It passedgradually from the rich, to whom it was at first exclusively reserved,to the lower classes, and then its ravages could not be arrested.Opium is smoked everywhere, at all times, by men and women,in the Celestial Empire; and, once accustomed to it, the victimscannot dispense with it, except by suffering horrible bodily contortionsand agonies. A great smoker can smoke as many as eight pipes a day;but he dies in five years. It was in one of these dens that Fixand Passepartout, in search of a friendly glass, found themselves.Passepartout had no money, but willingly accepted Fix's invitationin the hope of returning the obligation at some future time.They ordered two bottles of port, to which the Frenchman did ample justice,whilst Fix observed him with close attention. They chatted about the journey,and Passepartout was especially merry at the idea that Fix was going tocontinue it with them. When the bottles were empty, however,he rose to go and tell his master of the change in the timeof the sailing of the Carnatic.Fix caught him by the arm, and said, "Wait a moment.""What for, Mr. Fix?""I want to have a serious talk with you.""A serious talk!" cried Passepartout, drinking up the little winethat was left in the bottom of his glass. "Well, we'll talkabout it to-morrow; I haven't time now.""Stay! What I have to say concerns your master."Passepartout, at this, looked attentively at his companion.Fix's face seemed to have a singular expression. He resumed his seat."What is it that you have to say?"Fix placed his hand upon Passepartout's arm, and,lowering his voice, said, "You have guessed who I am?""Parbleu!" said Passepartout, smiling."Then I'm going to tell you everything--""Now that I know everything, my friend! Ah! that's very good.But go on, go on. First, though, let me tell you that thosegentlemen have put themselves to a useless expense.""Useless!" said Fix. "You speak confidently. It's clear thatyou don't know how large the sum is.""Of course I do," returned Passepartout. "Twenty thousand pounds.""Fifty-five thousand!" answered Fix, pressing his companion's hand."What!" cried the Frenchman. "Has Monsieur Fogg dared--fifty-five thousand pounds! Well, there's all the more reasonfor not losing an instant," he continued, getting up hastily.Fix pushed Passepartout back in his chair, and resumed:"Fifty-five thousand pounds; and if I succeed, I get two thousand pounds.If you'll help me, I'll let you have five hundred of them.""Help you?" cried Passepartout, whose eyes were standing wide open."Yes; help me keep Mr. Fogg here for two or three days.""Why, what are you saying? Those gentlemen are not satisfiedwith following my master and suspecting his honour, but they musttry to put obstacles in his way! I blush for them!""What do you mean?""I mean that it is a piece of shameful trickery. They mightas well waylay Mr. Fogg and put his money in their pockets!""That's just what we count on doing.""It's a conspiracy, then," cried Passepartout, who became moreand more excited as the liquor mounted in his head, for he drankwithout perceiving it. "A real conspiracy! And gentlemen, too. Bah!"Fix began to be puzzled."Members of the Reform Club!" continued Passepartout. "You must know,Monsieur Fix, that my master is an honest man, and that,when he makes a wager, he tries to win it fairly!""But who do you think I am?" asked Fix, looking at him intently."Parbleu! An agent of the members of the Reform Club, sent out hereto interrupt my master's journey. But, though I found you out some time ago,I've taken good care to say nothing about it to Mr. Fogg.""He knows nothing, then?""Nothing," replied Passepartout, again emptying his glass.The detective passed his hand across his forehead, hesitating beforehe spoke again. What should he do? Passepartout's mistake seemed sincere,but it made his design more difficult. It was evident that the servantwas not the master's accomplice, as Fix had been inclined to suspect."Well," said the detective to himself, "as he is not an accomplice,he will help me."He had no time to lose: Fogg must be detained at Hong Kong,so he resolved to make a clean breast of it."Listen to me," said Fix abruptly. "I am not, as you think,an agent of the members of the Reform Club--""Bah!" retorted Passepartout, with an air of raillery."I am a police detective, sent out here by the London office.""You, a detective?""I will prove it. Here is my commission."Passepartout was speechless with astonishment when Fix displayedthis document, the genuineness of which could not be doubted."Mr. Fogg's wager," resumed Fix, "is only a pretext, of which youand the gentlemen of the Reform are dupes. He had a motivefor securing your innocent complicity.""But why?""Listen. On the 28th of last September a robbery of fifty-five thousand poundswas committed at the Bank of England by a person whose descriptionwas fortunately secured. Here is his description; it answers exactlyto that of Mr. Phileas Fogg.""What nonsense!" cried Passepartout, striking the table with his fist."My master is the most honourable of men!""How can you tell? You know scarcely anything about him. You went intohis service the day he came away; and he came away on a foolish pretext,without trunks, and carrying a large amount in banknotes. And yet youare bold enough to assert that he is an honest man!""Yes, yes," repeated the poor fellow, mechanically."Would you like to be arrested as his accomplice?"Passepartout, overcome by what he had heard, held his headbetween his hands, and did not dare to look at the detective.Phileas Fogg, the saviour of Aouda, that brave and generous man,a robber! And yet how many presumptions there were against him!Passepartout essayed to reject the suspicions which forced themselvesupon his mind; he did not wish to believe that his master was guilty."Well, what do you want of me?" said he, at last, with an effort."See here," replied Fix; "I have tracked Mr. Fogg to this place,but as yet I have failed to receive the warrant of arrest for whichI sent to London. You must help me to keep him here in Hong Kong--""I! But I--""I will share with you the two thousand pounds reward offeredby the Bank of England.""Never!" replied Passepartout, who tried to rise, but fell back,exhausted in mind and body."Mr. Fix," he stammered, "even should what you say be true--if my master is really the robber you are seeking for--which I deny--I have been, am, in his service; I have seen his generosity and goodness;and I will never betray him--not for all the gold in the world.I come from a village where they don't eat that kind of bread!""You refuse?""I refuse.""Consider that I've said nothing," said Fix; "and let us drink.""Yes; let us drink!"Passepartout felt himself yielding more and more to the effectsof the liquor. Fix, seeing that he must, at all hazards, be separatedfrom his master, wished to entirely overcome him. Some pipes full of opiumlay upon the table. Fix slipped one into Passepartout's hand.He took it, put it between his lips, lit it, drew several puffs,and his head, becoming heavy under the influence of the narcotic,fell upon the table."At last!" said Fix, seeing Passepartout unconscious."Mr. Fogg will not be informed of the Carnatic's departure; and,if he is, he will have to go without this cursed Frenchman!"And, after paying his bill, Fix left the tavern.