10 TheVoyage from India to Hong Kong

CHAPTER 10 The Voyage from India to Hong Kong The three travelers boarded the Rangoon just in time. The steamer was just about to set off for Hong Kong. During the first few days of the trip, Aouda spent much of her

time getting to know Phileas and Passepartout. She told them her life story. Her father had been a very wealthy merchant who dealt in cotton. They had lived a wonderful life until he ran into trouble with the bandits. Then she told them about her cousin, Jeejah Jeejeebhoy, who lived in Hong Kong. As on the Mongolia, Passepartout often spent his afternoons walking around on deck. One day as he strolled along, he was shocked to see Mr. Fix! "Why, sir!" Passepartout said, "what on Earth are you doing here? I left you in Bombay, saw you briefly in Calcutta, and now here you are on the way to Hong Kong. Are you making a tour of the world, too?" "No, no. I shall be stopping in Hong Kong," Fix said. Indeed, Fix had sent another telegram to London asking for the arrest warrant to

follow him there. It was his last chance to catch Phileas Fogg, the bank robber. Once he left Hong Kong and entered America, he would no longer be on British soil. That meant Fix would no longer be able to arrest him. Fix was frustrated with his progress so far. He was tired of chasing Phileas around the world. "How is it that I haven't seen you since we left Calcutta?" Passepartout asked. "Oh, I've been seasick," Fix said. "How is Mr. Fogg?" "Quite well. And he's not a day behind time! We now have a young woman traveling with us, too!" Fix pretended to look surprised. Passepartout told him the story of how they had rescued Aouda from the bandits in India. "Will Aouda be traveling back to Europe with you?" Fix asked. "Oh no, she's going to stay with her cousin

in Hong Kong. She'll be safe there." As they had done just about every afternoon on board the Mongolia, the two shared a drink of lemonade and a walk around the deck. As the days passed, Passepartout began to think it was quite strange that he should keep running into Mr. Fix. At once, Passepartout had a chilling thought. He must be following us! That's it! Passepartout thought. He must be a spy sent from the Reform Club. And my monsieur is such an honest man—that's just terrible! He decided not to tell Phileas. He didn't want him to think poorly of his friends from the club, so he kept it to himself. He also didn't want Mr. Fix to realize that he knew. That might cause problems between Phileas Fogg and the Reform Club, and the last thing Passepartout wanted to do was cause the monsieur more trouble!

The Rangoon landed in Singapore a half- day before schedule. As usual, Phileas noted this in his journal. He also sent Passepartout off on his usual errands. Aouda wanted to see a bit of the island, so she and Phileas took a carriage ride. They rode through the country smelling clove and nutmeg trees. They saw full, green ferns, and row upon row of palm trees. They toured the city as well, passing by interesting houses with charming gardens. By late morning they were back on board the Rangoon, ready to set sail again. Passepartout had finished his errands and bought some fresh fruit, which he shared with Aouda once she was back on board. All three bid goodbye to Singapore as the ship moved out of the harbor and set its course for Hong Kong.

The first few days of the journey were uneventful. They had good weather and fair winds. About halfway through the twelve- day trip, the weather turned. The sea started to roll heavily as a storm brewed. The ship fell behind schedule. This upset Passepartout, but Phileas Fogg remained calm. He spent his days with Aouda and his nights making notes. One day Fix found Passepartout pacing around the top deck of the ship. "You're in a great hurry today!" he said. "A great hurry," Passepartout said. "The weather is slowing us down and this ship is not going fast enough." "So you now believe in this around the world tour?" Fix asked. "Absolutely, Mr. Fix. Don't you believe in it?" Passepartout winked at him and then walked away. The wink confused Fix. Did it mean that