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1IN WHICH PASSEPARTOUT TAKES A TOO GREAT INTEREST IN HIS MASTER, AND WHAT COMES OF IT Hong Kong is an island which came
2into the possession of the English by the Treaty of Nankin, after the war of 1842; and the colonising genius of the
3English has created upon it an important city and an excellent port. The island is situated at the mouth of the Canton
4River, and is separated by about sixty miles from the Portuguese town of Macao, on the opposite coast. Hong Kong has
5beaten Macao in the struggle for the Chinese trade, and now the greater part of the transportation of Chinese goods
6finds its depot at the former place. Docks, hospitals, wharves, a Gothic cathedral, a government house, macadamised
7streets, give to Hong Kong the appearance of a town in Kent or Surrey transferred by some strange magic to the
8antipodes. Passepartout wandered, with his hands in his pockets, towards the Victoria port, gazing as he went at the
9curious palanquins and other modes of conveyance, and the groups of Chinese, Japanese, and Europeans who passed to and
10fro in the streets. Hong Kong seemed to him not unlike Bombay, Calcutta, and Singapore, since, like them, it betrayed
11everywhere the evidence of English supremacy. At the Victoria port he found a confused mass of ships of all nations:
12English, French, American, and Dutch, men-of-war and trading vessels, Japanese and Chinese junks, sempas, tankas, and
13flower-boats, which formed so many floating parterres. Passepartout noticed in the crowd a number of the natives who
14seemed very old and were dressed in yellow. On going into a barber's to get shaved he learned that these ancient men
15were all at least eighty years old, at which age they are permitted to wear yellow, which is the Imperial colour.
16Passepartout, without exactly knowing why, thought this very funny. On reaching the quay where they were to embark on
17the "Carnatic," he was not astonished to find Fix walking up and down. The detective seemed very much disturbed and
18disappointed. "This is bad," muttered Passepartout, "for the gentlemen of the Reform Club!" He accosted Fix with a merry
19smile, as if he had not perceived that gentleman's chagrin. The detective had, indeed, good reasons to inveigh against
20the bad luck which pursued him. The warrant had not come! It was certainly on the way, but as certainly it could not now
21reach Hong Kong for several days; and, this being the last English territory on Mr. Fogg's route, the robber would
22escape, unless he could manage to detain him. "Well, Monsieur Fix," said Passepartout, "have you decided to go with us
23so far as America?" "Yes," returned Fix, through his set teeth. "Good!" exclaimed Passepartout, laughing heartily. "I
24knew you could not persuade yourself to separate from us. Come and engage your berth." They entered the steamer office
25and secured cabins for four persons. The clerk, as he gave them the tickets, informed them that, the repairs on the
26"Carnatic" having been completed, the steamer would leave that very evening, and not next morning, as had been
27announced. "That will suit my master all the better," said Passepartout. "I will go and let him know." Fix now decided
28to make a bold move; he resolved to tell Passepartout all. It seemed to be the only possible means of keeping Phileas
29Fogg several days longer at Hong Kong. He accordingly invited his companion into a tavern which caught his eye on the
30quay. On entering, they found themselves in a large room handsomely decorated, at the end of which was a large camp-bed
31furnished with cushions. Several persons lay upon this bed in a deep sleep. At the small tables which were arranged
32about the room some thirty customers were drinking English beer, porter, gin, and brandy; smoking, the while, long red
33clay pipes stuffed with little balls of opium mingled with essence of rose. From time to time one of the smokers,
34overcome with the narcotic, would slip under the table, whereupon the waiters, taking him by the head and feet, carried
35and laid him upon the bed. The bed already supported twenty of these stupefied sots. Fix and Passepartout saw that they
36were in a smoking-house haunted by those wretched, cadaverous, idiotic creatures to whom the English merchants sell
37every year the miserable drug called opium, to the amount of one million four hundred thousand pounds--thousands devoted
38to one of the most despicable vices which afflict humanity! The Chinese government has in vain attempted to deal with
39the evil by stringent laws. It passed gradually from the rich, to whom it was at first exclusively reserved, to the
40lower classes, and then its ravages could not be arrested. Opium is smoked everywhere, at all times, by men and women,
41in the Celestial Empire; and, once accustomed to it, the victims cannot dispense with it, except by suffering horrible
42bodily contortions and agonies. A great smoker can smoke as many as eight pipes a day; but he dies in five years. It was
43in one of these dens that Fix and Passepartout, in search of a friendly glass, found themselves. Passepartout had no
44money, but willingly accepted Fix's invitation in the hope of returning the obligation at some future time. They ordered
45two bottles of port, to which the Frenchman did ample justice, whilst Fix observed him with close attention. They
46chatted about the journey, and Passepartout was especially merry at the idea that Fix was going to continue it with
47them. When the bottles were empty, however, he rose to go and tell his master of the change in the time of the sailing
48of the "Carnatic." Fix caught him by the arm, and said, "Wait a moment." "What for, Mr. Fix?" "I want to have a serious
49talk with you." "A serious talk!" cried Passepartout, drinking up the little wine that was left in the bottom of his
50glass. "Well, we'll talk about it to-morrow; I haven't time now." "Stay! What I have to say concerns your master."
51Passepartout, at this, looked attentively at his companion. Fix's face seemed to have a singular expression. He resumed
52his seat. "What is it that you have to say?" Fix placed his hand upon Passepartout's arm, and, lowering his voice, said,
53"You have guessed who I am?" "Parbleu!" said Passepartout, smiling. "Then I'm going to tell you everything--" "Now that
54I know everything, my friend! Ah! that's very good. But go on, go on. First, though, let me tell you that those
55gentlemen have put themselves to a useless expense." "Useless!" said Fix. "You speak confidently. It's clear that you
56don't know how large the sum is." "Of course I do," returned Passepartout. "Twenty thousand pounds." "Fifty-five
57thousand!" answered Fix, pressing his companion's hand. "What!" cried the Frenchman. "Has Monsieur Fogg
58dared--fifty-five thousand pounds! Well, there's all the more reason for not losing an instant," he continued, getting
59up hastily. Fix pushed Passepartout back in his chair, and resumed: "Fifty-five thousand pounds; and if I succeed, I get
60two thousand pounds. If you'll help me, I'll let you have five hundred of them." "Help you?" cried Passepartout, whose
61eyes were standing wide open. "Yes; help me keep Mr. Fogg here for two or three days." "Why, what are you saying? Those
62gentlemen are not satisfied with following my master and suspecting his honour, but they must try to put obstacles in
63his way! I blush for them!" "What do you mean?" "I mean that it is a piece of shameful trickery. They might as well
64waylay Mr. Fogg and put his money in their pockets!" "That's just what we count on doing." "It's a conspiracy, then,"
65cried Passepartout, who became more and more excited as the liquor mounted in his head, for he drank without perceiving
66it. "A real conspiracy! And gentlemen, too. Bah!" Fix began to be puzzled. "Members of the Reform Club!" continued
67Passepartout. "You must know, Monsieur Fix, that my master is an honest man, and that, when he makes a wager, he tries
68to win it fairly!" "But who do you think I am?" asked Fix, looking at him intently. "Parbleu! An agent of the members of
69the Reform Club, sent out here to interrupt my master's journey. But, though I found you out some time ago, I've taken
70good care to say nothing about it to Mr. Fogg." "He knows nothing, then?" "Nothing," replied Passepartout, again
71emptying his glass. The detective passed his hand across his forehead, hesitating before he spoke again. What should he
72do? Passepartout's mistake seemed sincere, but it made his design more difficult. It was evident that the servant was
73not the master's accomplice, as Fix had been inclined to suspect. "Well," said the detective to himself, "as he is not
74an accomplice, he will help me." He had no time to lose: Fogg must be detained at Hong Kong, so he resolved to make a
75clean breast of it.
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