Chapter: The Rangoon--one of the Peninsular and Oriental Company's boats plying
in the Chinese and Japanese seas--was a screw steamer, built of iron,
weighing about seventeen hundred and seventy tons, and with engines of
four hundred horse-power.  She was as fast, but not as well fitted up,
as the Mongolia, and Aouda was not as comfortably provided for on board
of her as Phileas Fogg could have wished.  However, the trip from
Calcutta to Hong Kong only comprised some three thousand five hundred
miles, occupying from ten to twelve days, and the young woman was not
difficult to please.

During the first days of the journey Aouda became better acquainted
with her protector, and constantly gave evidence of her deep gratitude
for what he had done.  The phlegmatic gentleman listened to her,
apparently at least, with coldness, neither his voice nor his manner
betraying the slightest emotion; but he seemed to be always on the
watch that nothing should be wanting to Aouda's comfort.  He visited
her regularly each day at certain hours, not so much to talk himself,
as to sit and hear her talk.  He treated her with the strictest
politeness, but with the precision of an automaton, the movements of
which had been arranged for this purpose.  Aouda did not quite know
what to make of him, though Passepartout had given her some hints of
his master's eccentricity, and made her smile by telling her of the
wager which was sending him round the world.  After all, she owed
Phileas Fogg her life, and she always regarded him through the exalting
medium of her gratitude.

Aouda confirmed the Parsee guide's narrative of her touching history.
She did, indeed, belong to the highest of the native races of India.
Many of the Parsee merchants have made great fortunes there by dealing
in cotton; and one of them, Sir Jametsee Jeejeebhoy, was made a baronet
by the English government.  Aouda was a relative of this great man, and
it was his cousin, Jeejeeh, whom she hoped to join at Hong Kong.
Whether she would find a protector in him she could not tell; but Mr.
Fogg essayed to calm her anxieties, and to assure her that everything
would be mathematically--he used the very word--arranged.  Aouda
fastened her great eyes, "clear as the sacred lakes of the Himalaya,"
upon him; but the intractable Fogg, as reserved as ever, did not seem
at all inclined to throw himself into this lake.

The first few days of the voyage passed prosperously, amid favourable
weather and propitious winds, and they soon came in sight of the great
Andaman, the principal of the islands in the Bay of Bengal, with its
picturesque Saddle Peak, two thousand four hundred feet high, looming
above the waters.  The steamer passed along near the shores, but the
savage Papuans, who are in the lowest scale of humanity, but are not,
as has been asserted, cannibals, did not make their appearance.

The panorama of the islands, as they steamed by them, was superb.  Vast
forests of palms, arecs, bamboo, teakwood, of the gigantic mimosa, and
tree-like ferns covered the foreground, while behind, the graceful
outlines of the mountains were traced against the sky; and along the
coasts swarmed by thousands the precious swallows whose nests furnish a
luxurious dish to the tables of the Celestial Empire.  The varied
landscape afforded by the Andaman Islands was soon passed, however, and
the Rangoon rapidly approached the Straits of Malacca, which gave
access to the China seas.

What was detective Fix, so unluckily drawn on from country to country,
doing all this while?  He had managed to embark on the Rangoon at
Calcutta without being seen by Passepartout, after leaving orders that,
if the warrant should arrive, it should be forwarded to him at Hong
Kong; and he hoped to conceal his presence to the end of the voyage.
It would have been difficult to explain why he was on board without
awakening Passepartout's suspicions, who thought him still at Bombay.
But necessity impelled him, nevertheless, to renew his acquaintance
with the worthy servant, as will be seen.

All the detective's hopes and wishes were now centred on Hong Kong; for
the steamer's stay at Singapore would be too brief to enable him to
take any steps there.  The arrest must be made at Hong Kong, or the
robber would probably escape him for ever.  Hong Kong was the last
English ground on which he would set foot; beyond, China, Japan,
America offered to Fogg an almost certain refuge.  If the warrant
should at last make its appearance at Hong Kong, Fix could arrest him
and give him into the hands of the local police, and there would be no
further trouble.  But beyond Hong Kong, a simple warrant would be of no
avail; an extradition warrant would be necessary, and that would result
in delays and obstacles, of which the rascal would take advantage to
elude justice.

Fix thought over these probabilities during the long hours which he
spent in his cabin, and kept repeating to himself, "Now, either the
warrant will be at Hong Kong, in which case I shall arrest my man, or
it will not be there; and this time it is absolutely necessary that I
should delay his departure.  I have failed at Bombay, and I have failed
at Calcutta; if I fail at Hong Kong, my reputation is lost:  Cost what
it may, I must succeed!  But how shall I prevent his departure, if that
should turn out to be my last resource?"

Fix made up his mind that, if worst came to worst, he would make a
confidant of Passepartout, and tell him what kind of a fellow his
master really was.  That Passepartout was not Fogg's accomplice, he was
very certain.  The servant, enlightened by his disclosure, and afraid
of being himself implicated in the crime, would doubtless become an
ally of the detective.  But this method was a dangerous one, only to be
employed when everything else had failed.  A word from Passepartout to
his master would ruin all.  The detective was therefore in a sore
strait.  But suddenly a new idea struck him.  The presence of Aouda on
the Rangoon, in company with Phileas Fogg, gave him new material for
reflection.

Who was this woman?  What combination of events had made her Fogg's
travelling companion?  They had evidently met somewhere between Bombay
and Calcutta; but where?  Had they met accidentally, or had Fogg gone
into the interior purposely in quest of this charming damsel?  Fix was
fairly puzzled.  He asked himself whether there had not been a wicked
elopement; and this idea so impressed itself upon his mind that he
determined to make use of the supposed intrigue.  Whether the young
woman were married or not, he would be able to create such difficulties
for Mr. Fogg at Hong Kong that he could not escape by paying any amount
of money.

But could he even wait till they reached Hong Kong?  Fogg had an
abominable way of jumping from one boat to another, and, before
anything could be effected, might get full under way again for Yokohama.

Fix decided that he must warn the English authorities, and signal the
Rangoon before her arrival.  This was easy to do, since the steamer
stopped at Singapore, whence there is a telegraphic wire to Hong Kong.
He finally resolved, moreover, before acting more positively, to
question Passepartout.  It would not be difficult to make him talk;
and, as there was no time to lose, Fix prepared to make himself known.

It was now the 30th of October, and on the following day the Rangoon
was due at Singapore.

Fix emerged from his cabin and went on deck.  Passepartout was
promenading up and down in the forward part of the steamer.  The
detective rushed forward with every appearance of extreme surprise, and
exclaimed, "You here, on the Rangoon?"

"What, Monsieur Fix, are you on board?" returned the really astonished
Passepartout, recognising his crony of the Mongolia.  "Why, I left you
at Bombay, and here you are, on the way to Hong Kong!  Are you going
round the world too?"

"No, no," replied Fix; "I shall stop at Hong Kong--at least for some
days."

"Hum!" said Passepartout, who seemed for an instant perplexed.  "But
how is it I have not seen you on board since we left Calcutta?"

"Oh, a trifle of sea-sickness--I've been staying in my berth.  The Gulf
of Bengal does not agree with me as well as the Indian Ocean.  And how
is Mr. Fogg?"

"As well and as punctual as ever, not a day behind time!  But, Monsieur
Fix, you don't know that we have a young lady with us."

"A young lady?" replied the detective, not seeming to comprehend what
was said.

Passepartout thereupon recounted Aouda's history, the affair at the
Bombay pagoda, the purchase of the elephant for two thousand pounds,
the rescue, the arrest, and sentence of the Calcutta court, and the
restoration of Mr. Fogg and himself to liberty on bail.  Fix, who was
familiar with the last events, seemed to be equally ignorant of all
that Passepartout related; and the later was charmed to find so
interested a listener.

"But does your master propose to carry this young woman to Europe?"

"Not at all.  We are simply going to place her under the protection of
one of her relatives, a rich merchant at Hong Kong."

"Nothing to be done there," said Fix to himself, concealing his
disappointment.  "A glass of gin, Mr. Passepartout?"

"Willingly, Monsieur Fix.  We must at least have a friendly glass on
board the Rangoon."

 The travelers board the Rangoon. They have to travel three thousand five hundred miles on this ship. Aouda becomes better acquainted with Fogg and is amazed by his attitude. While he is very particular about catering to her needs he behaves like automation. Fogg assures Aouda that he will find her cousin for her in Hong Kong. The first part of the voyage passed in excellent weather then they pass the Great Andaman and later the Straits of Malacca. Fix is on the boat too and his aim is to arrest Fogg in Hong Kong. He keeps thinking about that. He also thinks of telling Passepartout, that his master may be a robber. Hr goes to the deck and strikes up a conversation with Passepartout. Passepartout is a little surprised to see Fix. But, he nevertheless tells Fix about his adventures in India. Fix learns that the young woman, Aouda, will be accompanying Fogg till Hong Kong and no further.

