Page 305 - AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS

Around the World in 80 Days

thousand pounds might end by stealing a vessel; and Fix
was not unnaturally inclined to conclude that the
Henrietta under Fogg’s command, was not going to
Liverpool at all, but to some part of the world where the

robber, turned into a pirate, would quietly put himself in
safety. The conjecture was at least a plausible one, and the
detective began to seriously regret that he had embarked
on the affair.
As for Captain Speedy, he continued to howl and
growl in his cabin; and Passepartout, whose duty it was to
carry him his meals, courageous as he was, took the
greatest precautions. Mr. Fogg did not seem even to know
that there was a captain on board.
On the 13th they passed the edge of the Banks of
Newfoundland, a dangerous locality; during the winter,
especially, there are frequent fogs and heavy gales of wind.
Ever since the evening before the barometer, suddenly
falling, had indicated an approaching change in the
atmosphere; and during the night the temperature varied,
the cold became sharper, and the wind veered to the
south-east.
This was a misfortune. Mr. Fogg, in order not to
deviate from his course, furled his sails and increased the
force of the steam; but the vessel’s speed slackened, owing

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