به سمت ژاپن

CHAPTER 8 - TO JAPAN?

Phileas Fogg took Aouda to the best shops in Hong Kong.

They went from one shop to another shop. He pulled money out of his bag and bought her dresses and other clothes. Then they went back to the hotel.

Night came and there was no Passepartout. In the morning, too, Passepartout was not there. Phileas Fogg and Aouda went to the port. Perhaps Passepartout was at the ship. But the servant was not there and the Camatic was also not there.

An Englishman spoke to Phileas Fogg.’ Did you have tickets for the Camatic? ‘The man was Fix.’ I wanted to go to Yokohama on the Camatic too,’ the detective said. ‘ She left yesterday evening. We’ll have to wait a week for the next ship.’

Fix smiled. But the detective’s smile left him when Phileas Fogg said:’ But there are other ships in the port of Hong Kong.

The Camatic is not the only ship. Let’s go and find one.’

Phileas Fogg looked for a ship for a long time. Ships arrived and stayed. Ships left before he could speak to anybody on them.

‘Are you looking for a boat?’ asked a seaman.

‘Is your boat ready to leave ?’

‘Yes. It’s a small boat. Number 43. Do you know these small boats? They help the big ships when they arrive at the port. And this boat is the best in Hong Kong.’

‘Is she fast?

‘Oh yes! Eight or nine miles an hour.’

‘Will you take me to Yokohama? I had tickets for the Camatic but she left early. I have to be in Yokohama on 14th November. I have to catch the ship for San Francisco there. I can give you a hundred pounds a day, and two hundred pounds more in Yokohama on or before 14th November.’

‘But why Yokohama?’ said the seaman. ‘We can go to Shanghai, only 800 miles from Hong Kong. The ship for San Francisco starts from Shanghai. Then it goes to Yokohama before it goes to America.’

This was very interesting to Phileas Fogg. ‘That’s not in my Bradshau’s he said. ‘ Shanghai ? And when does the ship for San Francisco leave Shanghai ?’

‘On 11th November, at seven in the evening. So we have four days. With the wind in the south-east, we can get to Shanghai in four days.’

‘When can we start ?’ asked Phileas Fogg.

‘In an hour. We’ll get food and water first.’

‘Is she your boat? Or a company’s ?’

‘Oh, she’s my boat. My name’s Bunsby, and the Tankadere is mine.’

‘Here’s two hundred pounds,’ said Phileas Fogg. Then he turned to Fix.’ Do you want to come with us ?’

‘Er, well, I er …’

‘In half an hour then,’ said Phileas Fogg.

‘But “what about …’ Aouda said. And then she stopped. She was very unhappy about Passepartout but she understood about the bet.

‘I’m going to do everything possible for Passepartout,’ said Phileas Fogg.

He went with Aouda to the police in Hong Kong. He left a letter about Passepartout and money for his ticket back to Europe.

At 3 o’clock, Phileas Fogg, Aouda and Fix were on the Tankadere, and the little boat started her journey to Shanghai.

The wind helped, and the boat moved fast, to the north-east.

With the wind behind them, they cut through the sea, very near China.

But in the early morning of the second day, the seaman, Bunsby, came to Phileas Fogg.

‘There’s too much wind now,’ he said.’ We get these very high winds near China. They’re dangerous.’

Then it started to rain, too.

The weather was very bad. The Tankadere started to go high up and then down in the sea. Then left and right, up and down in the wind, under a black sky. With the wind behind them and the heavy rain, it was difficult for Bunsby. But the boat did not go down.

Fix was afraid and very unhappy. Aouda watched Phileas Fogg. His face didn’t change.

It was night. The wind was worse and the rain was worse.

Aouda fell before Phileas Fogg could catch her.

‘I’m fine,’ cried Aouda.’ Forget about me.’

Bunsby talked to his seamen, and then came to Phileas Fogg.

‘Mr. Fogg,’ he shouted above the noise of the wind and the rain. The seaman’s face was wet with rain.’ Mr. Fogg, I think that we’ll have to find a port in China. We’ll have to stop there.’

‘Yes,’ said Phileas Fogg.

‘But which port?’ said the seaman.

‘I only know one port,’ said Phileas Fogg. He spoke quietly, but Bunsby could hear him above the wind and rain. ‘Shanghai.’

The next day was better. The sky was blue again. The boat went through the sea faster. At 7 o’clock they were three miles from Shanghai. They saw a big American ship coming a little way out of the port.

‘Too late!’ cried the seaman. ‘Your ship is leaving.’ Phileas Fogg said, ‘Use your radio. Say there’s a problem. We want their help.’

When the Carnatic left Hong Kong for Japan on 7th November. Passepartout was on the ship.

When Fix walked out of the bar in Hong Kong, Passepartout was asleep in his chair. But then a waiter saw him and gave him some water. His head hurt very badly, and he couldn’t think. But one word went round and round in his head,’ Carnatic!

Carnatic!”

He walked very very slowly out of the bar. He could see the Carnatic from the bar door, and he walked to it. Then he fell down for the last time. The next morning he woke up and he was on the ship.

It was a sunny day, and Passepartout watched the blue sea.

He felt better. He went to the ship’s office and asked for Phileas Fogg.

But Phileas Fogg was not on the ship. Aouda was not on the ship. Passepartout sat down. ‘What happened?’ he thought.

And then he remembered. Mr. Fogg didn’t know the ship’new timetable.

Passepartout thought, ‘He will lose the bet because of me!

And because of Fix, too.’ Passepartout remembered the bar in Hong Kong. ‘I will kill Fix!’ he thought.

Passepartout was on his way to Japan. He could not change that. ‘What can I do when I arrive?’ he thought. ‘I have no money. I have a ticket, so I can eat on the ship — but after that ? I’ll eat a lot now,’ he thought,’ then I won’t have to eat in Japan.’

So he ate Phileas Fogg’s food, Aouda’s food and his food, too.

On the morning of 13th November, the Carnatic arrived in the port of Yokohama.