Chapter 19 Chapter XIX Passepartout's Attempts to Defend His Master

Hong Kong is just a small island. After the Opium War in 1842, the Treaty of Nanking was signed, and the island was occupied by the British.In just a few years, with the talents of its colonists, Britain built a big city and a seaport-Victoria Harbour.The tiny island is at the mouth of the Pearl River, just sixty miles from Portuguese-occupied Macau on the opposite bank.Hong Kong is bound to beat Macau in terms of business competition.At present, most of China's commodity exports pass through Hong Kong.There are docks, hospitals, docks, warehouses; there is also a Gothic cathedral and a governor's house; there are gravel paved roads everywhere, all of which make people feel that this is Kent or Surrey, England. A certain commercial city drilled from the other side of the earth and reappeared on this piece of Chinese land.

Passepartout walked towards Victoria Harbor with his hands in his pockets, admiring those sedan chairs and limousines that were still very popular in China.Crowds of Chinese, Japanese and Europeans bustled the streets very busy.Passepartout felt that the city was not much different from Bombay, Calcutta, or Singapore he passed along the way.These places seem to be a chain of English cities round the globe. Passepartout leads to Victoria Harbor on the Pearl River Estuary, where ships from various countries gather: British, French, American, Dutch, including warships, merchant ships, Japanese or Chinese small boats, galleons, motorboats And sampans, and even "flower boats", these "flower boats" are like flower beds floating on the water.Passepartout also saw some native people in yellow clothes, and they were very old.Passepartout wanted to shave his face according to the Chinese custom, so he walked into a Chinese barbershop. He learned from a barber who spoke English quite well that the youngest of the old people he saw just now were all over eighty years old. , they have the right to wear yellow clothes only at such an advanced age, because yellow is the color representing the royal family.Passepartout, although he did not know the truth, thought it rather amusing.

After he shaved, he walked to the pier where Carnatic was docked.When he got there, he saw Fix wandering alone by the river, which was not surprising at all.At this time, the detective had a very disappointed expression on his face. "Well!" said Passepartout to himself, "it will be no good to the gentlemen of the Reform Club!" He pretended not to notice Fix's troubles at all, walked up to him with a smile and greeted him. In truth, Fix was not at all to blame for cursing his repeated bad luck.Still no ticket!Apparently the arrest warrant was still being forwarded after him, and if he could stay in Hong Kong for a few more days, he would definitely receive it.Since Hong Kong was the last place on the trip to be under British jurisdiction, if Fogg could not be arrested here, the thief would surely go far away.

"Why, Mr. Fix, are you determined to go to America with us?" asked Passepartout. "Yes." Fix said through gritted teeth. "Go on, then," said Passepartout, laughing. "I knew you wouldn't part with us. Well, let's go book the boat together!" They walked into the shipping ticket office together and booked four cabins.At this time, the conductor told them that the Carnatic had been repaired. It was originally stipulated that the ship would sail tomorrow morning, but now it was brought forward, and it would depart at eight o'clock this evening.

"That is very good," said Passepartout; "an early departure would be more fitting for my master, and I will tell him." Now Fix decided to take the last resort.He resolved to tell Passepartout everything.Perhaps this is the only way to hold Phileas Fogg back in Hong Kong for a few more days.After leaving the ticket office, Fix invited Passepartout to a drink at the hotel.Passepartout, seeing that it was still early, accepted his invitation. There is an attractive looking hotel just across the pier.The two of them walked in.This is a beautifully decorated hall.Inside was a plank bed with cushions on it.Many people slept side by side on the bed.In this hall, there were more than thirty people sitting scattered on tables made of rattan.Some of them were drinking light or strong English ale in long glasses, and some were drinking English liquor: gin or brandy.In addition, most of the people were smoking big pipes with long red tile heads, and the big pipes were filled with smoke bubbles made of rose dew and opium.Smokers kept passing out and falling under the table, so the hotel clerk went over and dragged him by the ankles and necks and carried him to the cot with the other smokers who had passed out.The smokers who had passed out were placed one by one on the wooden bed like this, there were more than 20 of them in total, their distressed appearance was really disgusting.

Fix and Passepartout knew now that they had entered a smokehouse in which rascals, idiots, grotesques, and fools were traded.The British Empire, which is desperate for money, sells these people 260 million francs worth of this so-called "opium" ointment that kills people every year!How filthy is this money earned on the most miserable vice of man! The Chinese government once tried to use strict laws to ban this bad habit, but it didn't work.The vice of opium smoking has spread from the wealthy classes, for whom opium was first and foremost reserved, to the lower classes, and the scourge can no longer be suppressed.There are opium smokers everywhere in the Chinese Empire at present.Both men and women adore this deplorable addiction.Once they become addicted, they cannot quit without severe stomach pains.People with heavy cigarette addiction can smoke eight cans a day, and such people will die within five years.There are many opium halls like this in Hong Kong, and this place that Fix and Passepartout walked into with the idea of ​​having a drink is just one of them.

Passepartout had no money, but he gladly accepted his friend's "kindness".He offered to send Fix back another day. They ordered two bottles of the famous Portuguese red wine, and the young man drank to his heart's content.But Fix, drinking in moderation, was watching Passepartout.They chatted all over the place.The conversation was particularly animated about Fix's brilliant idea of ​​taking the Carnatic to Yokohama.Passepartout drank his drink and rose, when they spoke of the ship's departure several hours earlier, to go back and inform his master of the early departure.Then Fix pulled him back.

"Wait a minute," said Fix. "What do you want, Mr. Fix?" "I have something urgent to talk to you about." "Important business?" cried Passepartout, draining the few drops that remained in the glass. "Okay, let's talk tomorrow, I don't have time today." "Don't go!" said Fix, "about your master." Passepartout looked at Fix at these words.He found Fix's facial expression very strange.So he sat down again. "What on earth are you going to say to me?" said Passepartout. Fix put his hand on Passepartout's arm, and said in a low voice:

"Have you guessed who I am?" asked Fix. "It goes without saying!" laughed Passepartout. "Okay, then I'll tell you the whole story now." "Now, I've got it all, man! Well, it's all right, well, you go on, but let me just say, those gentlemen are wasting their money." "It's a waste of money!" said Fix. "Don't talk nonsense with me, for I can see that you don't understand how much money is involved in this business!" "You are mistaken, I know," said Passepartout, "twenty thousand pounds!"

"Not twenty thousand!" said Fix, grasping Passepartout's hand; "it is fifty-five thousand pounds!" "What's the matter?" cried Passepartout, "Mr. Fogg dares to take . "Fifty-five thousand pounds!" continued Fix, forcing Passepartout to sit down again, and ordering another bottle of brandy; "if I succeed in my business, I shall have a prize of two thousand pounds. I'll give you five hundred pounds (twelve thousand and five hundred francs) if you will help me, will you?" "Can I help you?" exclaimed Passepartout, his eyes almost dilated.

"By the way, help me hold Mr. Fogg in Hong Kong for a few more days!" "Hey!" said Passepartout, "what are you talking about? These gentlemen don't regard my master as a gentleman and tell you to follow him. I'm really ashamed of them." "Oh, what do you mean by that?" "I say it's not pretty! It's going to take all the money out of Mr. Fogg's pocket, and take away all his property!" "Yeah, that's what we're going to do." "But it is a conspiracy!" cried Passepartout.He drank a glass when Fix offered him a toast, without noticing how much he drank, and the brandy was all the more annoyed now that the brandy was strong. "This is an out-and-out conspiracy! Are these gentlemen still friends?" Fix began to feel that his words were off topic. "Friend?" cried Passepartout, "they're all members of the Reform Club, Mr. Fix. My master is a decent fellow, you know, and he's a regular man if he says he's going to bet." To win others in a proper manner." "Wait a minute, who do you think I am?" said Fix, fixing his eyes on Passepartout. "Does it need to be said? You are a spy sent by the gentlemen of the Reform Club. Your task is to monitor my master's travels along the way. This is simply too shameful! Although I have already seen your identity, but I never said a word to Mr Fogg." "He doesn't know anything?" Fix asked excitedly. "He doesn't know a thing," said Passepartout, and drank another glass. The spy ran his hand over his forehead.He hesitated a great deal before he went on.What should he do?Passepartout's misunderstanding seemed far from feigned, but it made Fix's plan more difficult to carry out.It was evident that the lad was speaking the complete truth.He would never be Fogg's accomplice, which was what Fix was most worried about.At this time, Fix said in his heart: "Since he is not an accomplice of Fogg, he will definitely help me." The spy made up his mind again.Besides, time did not allow him to delay any longer.In any case, Fogg must be arrested in Hong Kong.Then he said directly to Passepartout: "Listen to me, listen to me. I'm not what you think I am. I'm not a spy sent by members of the Reform Club..." "Oh!" said Passepartout, looking at Fix absurdly. "I'm a detective from the Metropolitan Police Service, and I've been commissioned by the Metropolitan Police..." "You... the police detective..." "By the way, I'll show you my papers," said Fix. "Here, here's my travel certificate." The detective showed Passepartout a paper from his pocket-book, a certificate of travel signed by the Chief Constable of the Metropolitan Police.Passepartout was dumbfounded.He stared straight at Fix, and could not utter a word.Then Fix continued: "Mr. Fogg says bet. It's just an excuse. You and the members of the Reform Club have been duped by his trick. Because he needs you, an unconscious accomplice, to serve him." "Why? . . . " cried Passepartout. "Look, last month, on September 28th, someone stole fifty-five thousand pounds from the National Bank of England. The appearance of this man has been found out. Here, this is about his appearance. For the record, this is exactly like Mr. Fogg." "Go to you!" said Lulu, beating the table with his great fist. "My master is the most decent man in the world!" "How do you know he's a decent man?" said Fix. "You don't even know him! You didn't come to work at his house until the day he left. He left London without any luggage, but a big sack of bank-notes! Can you vouch that he's a decent man?" "I dare! I dare!" repeated poor Passepartout mechanically. "Then you are willing to be arrested as his accessory!" Passepartout put his head in his hands, and all his countenance changed.He dared not look up at Fix. Mr. Fogg, Mrs. Aouda's savior, such a kind and brave man, could he be a thief?But how alive were the doubts raised by Fix!Passepartout would never have believed that his master would do such a thing. "Just tell me what you want from me?" he said to Fix with all his courage. "Well," said Fix, "I've been watching Mr. Fogg to this day, but I haven't got the arrest warrant I asked for in London, so I need your help in keeping him in Hong Kong...  " "you call me……" "I'll share with you the £2,000 bonus promised by the National Bank of England." "I won't do it!" said Passepartout, and was about to rise, but feeling dazed and weak, he sat down again. "Mr. Fix," he stammered, "even if what you have just said to me were true...even if my master were the thief you wanted...I would not admit it. . . . I am his servant... I think he is a good man, a man of kindness. It is absolutely impossible for me to betray him. Even if you gave me all the gold in the world, I cannot do that..." "Are you refusing?" "I don't do it!" "Well, then suppose I didn't say anything," said Fix, "and let's drink." "Okay, let's drink!" Passepartout felt more and more drunk.Fix felt that Passepartout must now be separated from his master at all costs.He decided not to do it, but to stop.It happened that there were several opium-loaded pipes on the table.Fix took one and put it in Passepartout's hand, Passepartout took it in a daze, put it in his mouth, and sucked a few times.His head felt heavy from the anesthesia and he passed out as a result. "Well," said Fix, "no one is going to inform Mr. Fokker of the early departure of the Carnatic. Even if he can go, at least the Frenchman who will not die will not follow him. Let's go!" Fix paid the bill and walked away.