Chapter 3
“I think I’ve got my man!” shouted Fix, bursting into the consul’s office.
“That may be so, Mr. Fix, but I don’t think he’ll come to see me. A robber just doesn’t let people know where he is. Besides, the passport doesn’t really need to be stamped with a visa at Suez.”
“If he comes, don’t give him a visa,” begged Fix, hoping to keep the robber in Suez until the arrest warrant arrived.
“I can’t refuse the visa,” said the consul, “Arresting him is your problem, not mine.”
A knock sounded, and a man entered the room to request a visa.
“Are you Phileas Fogg?” asked the consul, eyeing the passport.
“Yes, sir.”
“And who is this man?”
“My servant, Passepartout.”
“Where are you going?”
“To Bombay, India,”
“You don’t need a visa.”
“I know that, but I want to prove that I passed through Suez.”
The consul stamped the passport, never guessing that Fogg needed the visa to prove to his friends that he had won his bet honestly.
Phileas Fogg returned to the steamer and took out his diary. He noted his arrival in Suez after travelling through England, France and Italy. Six and one half of Fogg’s 80 days were used up. He was exactly on schedule.
Never bothering to see the remarkable sights of Suez, Fogg closed his date book and sat down to breakfast. He was always much more concerned about time than place.
Detective Fix joined Passepartout outside the consulate and began conversation.
“Well, how do you like Suez?’
“We are travelling so fast that I can hardly remember where we are.”
“This is Suez, a city in Egypt.”
“That means we are on the continent of Africa!” said Passepartout, “I never thought that my master and I would travel further than Paris. I would have loved to stay in Paris, but we just whizzed through.”
“You must be in a great hurry.”
“I’m not, but my master is. We didn’t even pack suitcases—only a carpet bag. I have to buy some clothes here.”
Fix was surprised and excited by these remarks. He assured the servant that there was plenty of time to go to a men’s store.
“It’s only 12:00,” the detective said.
“In fact,” answered Passepartout, “it is only eight minutes before 10:00.”
“Your watch is slow,” said Fix.
“That’s impossible!”
“Then it must be set for London time which is two hours behind that of Suez. You should reset your watch when you travel to other countries.”
“Reset my watch? Never!”
“It won’t agree with the sun if you don’t reset it.”
“Too bad for the sun,” declared the servant, putting the watch in his pocket.
“Did you leave London in a hurry?” asked Fix.
“You bet we did! Last Friday night at 8:00, my master came home from his club, and less than an hour later we were gone.”
“But where is your master going?”
“Around the world in 80 days! He says he made a bet that he could do it, but that’s too crazy to believe. Something else must be afoot.”
“Ah! So Mr. Fogg is a strange man?”
“Very strange.”
“Is he rich?”
“He must be. He’s carrying loads of brand new banknotes with him, and he offered the captain of the Mongolia a reward if he gets us to India ahead of schedule. By the way, is Bombay far from here?”
“Yes,” Answered Fix, “ it’s a ten-day trip by sea.”
“Oh dear,” sighed Passepartout, “my gas burner will be on for a long time. My gas bill will be higher than the wages my master pays me.”
Fix wasn’t listening any more. He dashed to the consul’s office.
“I’ve found the robber for sure,” he shouted.
“He pretends to be travelling around the world on a bet with some friends. He bet that he could make the journey in 80 days.”
“He’s a smart fellow, indeed,” said the consul, “He’ll throw the police off his track and then return to London.”
Fix decided to follow Fogg to Bombay. He sent a telegraph to London asking the police to send the arrest warrant to India. Then he boarded the steamer Mongolia for the Suez–to–Bombay run.
The steamer made good time across the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. Phileas Fogg occupied himself with four hearty meals each day and, of course, with whist. Passepartout went up on deck and met Detective Fix.
“What a pleasant surprise to see you again!” said the servant, “Where are you travelling to?”
“To Bombay. I work for an English company there, answered Fix, taking care not to reveal the real nature of his mission.
“Well, I hope to see the sights in India,” said Passepartout, “To spend one’s time running from one train or boat to another is stupid—not to mention talk of going around the world in 80 days!”
“Maybe your master is going to perform some secret mission during this trip,” said Fix, hoping to get some more information about Fogg’s plans.
“If so, I know nothing about it,” Passepartout replied.
The Mongolia stopped at Aden, in Arabia, to take on coal, and on October 20—two days ahead of schedule—it sailed into Bombay. Phileas Fogg gave the captain a handsome reward for giving him those two extra days. They were sure to be needed to make up for time lost later in the journey.
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