Page 151 - AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS

Around the World in 80 Days

‘Yes, sir; but they had to repair one of her boilers, and
so her departure was postponed till to-morrow.’
‘Thank you,’ returned Mr. Fogg, descending
mathematically to the saloon.

Passepartout clasped the pilot’s hand and shook it
heartily in his delight, exclaiming, ‘Pilot, you are the best
of good fellows!’
The pilot probably does not know to this day why his
responses won him this enthusiastic greeting. He
remounted the bridge, and guided the steamer through the
flotilla of junks, tankas, and fishing boats which crowd the
harbour of Hong Kong.
At one o’clock the Rangoon was at the quay, and the
passengers were going ashore.
Chance had strangely favoured Phileas Fogg, for had
not the Carnatic been forced to lie over for repairing her
boilers, she would have left on the 6th of November, and
the passengers for Japan would have been obliged to await
for a week the sailing of the next steamer. Mr. Fogg was,
it is true, twenty-four hours behind his time; but this
could not seriously imperil the remainder of his tour.
The steamer which crossed the Pacific from Yokohama
to San Francisco made a direct connection with that from
Hong Kong, and it could not sail until the latter reached

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