Chapter 16 Chapter Sixteen Fix Pretends to Know Nothing

Rangoon is a cruise ship of the Indian Peninsula and Far East Company, which often sails along the coasts of China and Japan.It was an iron-hulled ship with propellers.The total weight is 1,770 tons, and the normal operation is 400 horsepower.Its sailing speed is about the same as that of the Mongolia, but its equipment is not as good as that of the Mongolia.Mrs. Aouda's cabin was not at all as comfortable as Mr. Fogg had hoped.Fortunately, the ship's route is only more than 3,500 nautical miles, and it only takes eleven or two days to complete the journey. Moreover, Mrs. Aouda is not a picky and difficult person.

In the first few days after sailing, Mrs. Aouda got to know Mr. Fogg better.She repeated her heartfelt thanks to Mr. Fogg.The taciturn gentleman listened only to her, and, outwardly at least, he was utterly icy, expressing no passion in tone or gesture.Mr Fogg had everything ready for Mrs Aouda.At certain times he routinely visited Lady Aouda's cabin, and if he was not talking to her, at least he was listening to her.A duty of courtesy to Lady Aouda was scrupulously observed, but he always carried it out with all the care and inscrutability inherent in being a rigid gentleman. Everything I do is designed to express this mood.

Lady Aouda hardly knew what to think of all this, but Passepartout told her something about his master's queer temper.He told her what Mr. Fogg's "gamble" had been for this trip around the world.Lady Aouda laughed, but she was grateful to Mr. Fogg for saving her from the dead anyway.Based on her own observations, she believed that her savior would not lose this gamble. Lady Aouda corroborated the horrific experience that the Percy guide had told of her own.She was also a Parsis, the most important of all the ethnic groups in India.Many Parsi merchants made fortunes in the cotton business in India.One of them, Sir James Georgie Hoy, was conferred a peerage by the British government.The geekhoi rich man is related to Lady Aouda and now lives in Mumbai.The honorable Mr. Jackie that Mrs. Aouda is going to Hong Kong to find is the cousin of that Sir Jackie Hoy.But will she find refuge and help in Mr. Jackie?Lady Aouda was not sure of that.Mr. Fogg's answer to this matter is very simple, teach her not to worry at all, everything will be solved step by step, this is an old saying of his.

Whether the young woman understood the adverb "step by step" we don't know.Her big eyes, as clear as the water of a holy lake in the Himalayas, were gazing into Mr. Fogg's eyes.But this gentleman, who is always so well-mannered and cold, does not look like a person who would fall into this lake at all. The first leg of the Yangon ship went very smoothly.The wind was also good for sailing, and cruise ships sailed smoothly in this vast bay, which sailors called "Bengal with arms folded." Soon, the passengers on the Yangon had already seen the Great Andaman Island, the main island of the Andaman Islands.The beautiful Saddle Mountain on the island is as high as 2,400 feet, pointing out the way for navigators from a long distance.The Rangoon sailed just off the coast of the Great Andaman Island.None of the Papuas on the island showed up.They are considered the most uncivilized people of mankind, but it is nonsense to say that they cannibalize human flesh.

The scenery of Andaman Islands is very beautiful.There is an endless forest covering the offshore side of the island, the most abundant of which are: palm trees, areca palms, nutmegs, bamboos, cypresses, giant mimosa and spinosa trees.Behind the forest is the silhouette of a group of handsome mountains.There are groups of precious petrels flying on the beach.This kind of sea swallow's nest is a very particular dish in China - bird's nest. All the beautiful scenery of the Andaman Islands passed quickly by the boat.The Rangoon sailed quickly towards the Strait of Malacca, the gateway to China's territorial waters.

What was that hapless Fix, being dragged around the globe, doing during this part of the voyage?When leaving Calcutta, he first made a promise: If the arrest warrant from London arrives, it will be forwarded to Hong Kong immediately.Then he secretly boarded the Rangoon with Passepartout on his back.He was going to hide well until the ship arrived in Hong Kong before coming out.In fact, it was also difficult for him to explain to Passepartout why he was also on this boat without arousing the other party's suspicion, because Passepartout thought he was in Bombay now.But in order to adapt to the needs of the changing environment, he met this loyal young man again.How did they meet?Let's talk about it below.

All Detective Fix's hopes and fantasies were now centered only on this one point of the earth, Hong Kong.Because the cruise ship stayed in Singapore for a short time, it could not solve the problem there.Therefore, the arrest of thieves must be done in Hong Kong, otherwise, the thieves will have to be allowed to go unpunished. In fact, Hong Kong is still a basin of British separatism, but it is also the last piece of British territory during Falk's journey.As soon as Hong Kong is passed, China, Japan, and the Americas are all there. For Falk, those places are more suitable refuges.If Fix arrived in Hong Kong, he would be able to get the arrest warrant sent after him, then he could arrest Fogg and hand it over to the local police station.All this will be effortless.However, after passing through Hong Kong, it is not enough to just have a warrant for arrest, and extradition procedures must also be handled.Delays, delays and obstacles are inevitable in the extradition process.At that time, the rascal would be sure to run away again.Therefore, if he cannot be caught in Hong Kong, it will be difficult, if not impossible, at least difficult to find a good opportunity to catch him again in the future.

"That's right," Fix said to himself after thinking hard for a long time in his cabin, "that's right, if the arrest warrant arrives in Hong Kong, then I'll catch this guy; Once I decided to stop him at any cost and tell him to go! I failed in Bombay, I failed in Calcutta, and if I let him slip by in Hong Kong, I will lose face as a detective. It's all over! Even if I try my best, I have to hold him this time. But then again, if I really need to hold him, how can I make this damned Fokker go? ?" In the end, Fix made up his mind to open the window with Passepartout and let him know who the gentleman he was serving was.He certainly would not be Fogg's accomplice.After Passepartout cleared this matter, he would be afraid of being dragged into the water. At that time, it goes without saying that Passepartout would side with him, Fix.But then again, this is a risky approach, and it can only be taken out as a last resort.Otherwise, if Passepartout had the slightest word to his master, it would have made the whole thing worse.

The Police Department agent now feels very embarrassed.But when he saw Fogg walking with Mrs. Aouda on the Rangoon, he felt a new glimmer of hope.Who is this woman?How did she end up with Fogg?It goes without saying that they must have met on the road from Bombay to Calcutta.But where is it?Could it be that the young woman met this Phileas Fogg by chance during the journey?Thinking about it from the negative side, could his trip across the Indian continent be planned in advance by him, in order to find this flowery beauty?This woman is indeed beautiful!Fix had already seen her in the Calcutta court.

We can imagine how troubled the spy is now.He racked his brains to think, could this matter be involved in the crime of abducting women?Yes!Yes, it must be the abduction of women!Fix took this idea to heart, and he found he could get a great deal out of it.Whether the woman is married or not, it is abducting a woman anyway, so it is possible to create some difficulties for this smug crook in Hong Kong, so that he cannot get away no matter how much money he pays. However, this matter cannot be done until the Rangoon arrives in Hong Kong, because Fogg has a very nasty habit: as soon as he jumps off one boat, he will immediately jump on another boat.That way he'll be gone long before you do it.

Therefore, the most important thing is to notify the British authorities in Hong Kong in advance and monitor the exit of the Rangoon before he disembarks.This matter could not be easier, because the Rangoon will stop in Singapore, and there is a telegraph line between Singapore and the coast of China. But, before doing so, Fix, in order to be more sure of the matter, decided to find out Luton's tone first, knowing that it would be easy to make the young man talk.He had not been seen by Passepartout since the time of sailing, and Fix resolved not to avoid him any more.Time cannot be delayed any longer. Today is October 30th, and the Yangon will arrive in Singapore tomorrow. That same day, Fix came out of his cabin.He stepped onto the deck of the ship, deliberately pretending to be very surprised, and "proactively" greeted Passepartout.Passepartout was walking before him at this moment, and Fix came up from behind and called to Passepartout: "Hey! You are also on the Rangoon!" "Well—Mr. Fix, you are here too!" replied Passepartout, with great surprise, recognizing his fellow-traveler on the Mongol. "What's going on here? I dumped you in Bombay, how did I find you back on this boat to Hong Kong! Are you going to travel around the world too?" "No, no," said Fix, "I intend to stay in Hong Kong, at least for a few days." "Strange!" said Passepartout for a moment in astonishment, "but I haven't seen your face since I sailed from Calcutta?" "To tell you the truth, I'm not feeling well these days... a little seasick... I've been lying in my cabin... I don't care about sailing in the Indian Ocean, but I can't do it in the Bay of Bengal. Your master Fokker How is sir?" "He's in excellent health, and he's still as accurate as his schedule, without a single day's delay! Oh, Mr. Fix, don't you know, we now have a young lady traveling with us ." "A young lady?" said Fix, pretending not to understand what Passepartout said. Passepartout at once told Fix the whole story.He told how he got into trouble at the Piraji Temple in Bombay, how he bought an elephant for £2,000, how he robbed Lady Aouda in the crematorium, and how he was killed in Calcutta. Sentencing and release on bail.Fix knew very well about these latter events, but he pretended not to know anything.Passepartout told his story with great joy, and the listener seemed to enjoy it too. "But, after all," said Fix, "does your master intend to take this young woman to Europe?" "No, Mr. Fix, never. We're just sending her to a relative in Hong Kong. Her relative is a rich businessman in Hong Kong." "This is a difficult time!" said Fix to himself, and he said to Passepartout, concealing his disappointment: "Shall we go and have a gin, Mr. Passepartout?" "That's wonderful, Mr. Fix, and it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us to toast to meet again on the Rangoon!"