American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1881-08-20
CHAPTER vi.

IN WHICH THE AGENT FIX SHOWS A VERY
PROPER IMPATIENCE.
These are the circumstances under
which the dispatch concerning MIR.
Phileas Fogg had been sent.
On Wednesday,, the 9th of October,
there was expected ut Suez, at eleven
o'clock a. M, the iron steamer Mon
golia, of the Peninsular and Oriental
Company, sharp built with n spar deck,
of two thousand eight hundred tons
burthen, and nominally of five hundred
regular trips from BrindisI to Bombay
by the Suez Canal. 1t was one of the
fastest sailers of the line, and had al
ways exceeded the regular rate OF
speed, that is, ten miles an hour be-
tween Brindisi and Suez, and nine and
fifty-three hundredths miles between
Suez and Bombay.
Whilst waiting for the arrival of the
Mongolia, two men were walking up
and down the wharf, in the midst of
the crowd of natives and foreigners who
come, together in this town. no longer a
small one, to which the great work of
NJ Lesseps assures a great future.
One of these men was the Consular
agent of the United Kingdom. settled
ut Suez, who, in spite OF the doleful
representations of the British Govern
ment and the sinister predictions of
Stephenson. the engineer, saw English
ships passing through this canal every
day. thus cutting off one-half the old
route from England to the East Indies
around the Cape of Good Hope.
The other was a small. spare man, of
a quite intelligent, nervous face, who
was contracting his eyebrows with re-
markable persistence. Under his long
eyelashes there shone very bright eyes,
but whose brilliancy he could suppress
at will. At this moment he showed
some signs of Impotence. going, COM
ing, unable to remain in one spot.
The name Of this man was Fix, and
he was one of the detectives, or agents
of the English police, that had been
sent to the various seaports after the
robbery committed upon the Bank of
England. This Fix was to watch, with
the greatest care, all travellers taking
the Suez route. and il one of them
seemed suspicious TO him, to follow
him up whilst waiting for warrant of
arrest. just two days before Fix had
received from the Commissioner of the
Metropolitan Police the description of
the supposed robber- 1t was that of
the distinguished and wcll-dressed gen.
tleman who had been noticed in the
paying room of the bank. The detect
i've. evidently much excited by the
large reward promised in case of sue
cess. was waiting then, with an impa-
ticnce easy to understand, the arrival
of the Mongolia.
''And you say. Consul" he asked, for
the tenth time, that this vessel can not
be behind timer
"No, Mr.. Fix" replied the Consul
''She was signaled Yesterday off Port
Said, and the one hundred and sixty
kilometers OF the canal are of no
moment for such a sailer. repeat to
you that the Mongolia has always OBJ
tanned the reward of twenty five pounds
given by the Government for every
gain Of twcnty-four hours over the
regulation time"
This steamer comes directly from
Brindisi?" asked Fix.
Directly from Brindisi, where it
took on the India mail; from Brindisi,
whie h il left on Saturday, mt five o clock
z. NJ. So have patience; it can not be
behindhand in arriving. But really |
do not see how, with the description
you have received. You could recognize
your man, if he is on board the Mon
golia."