The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-10-18
CHAPTER XXXuL.


EQUAL TO CIRCUMSTANCES.
An hour afterwards the steamer Hen
rietta passed the light-boat which
marks the entrance OF the Hudson,
turned Sandy Hook Point and put TO
sea. During the day she skirted Long
Island, in the oiling of the Fire Island
Light, and rapidly ran towards the
east.
At noon of the next day, the 18th of
December, man went upOn the
bridge to take charge of the vessel. 1t
would certainly be supposed that this
man was Captain Speedy! Not at all.
1t was Phileas Fogg.
As for Captain Speedy, he was very
snugly locked up in his cabin, and was
bowling at a rate that denoted an anger
very pardonable, which amounted TO
paroXysm.
What had happened was very simple.
Phileas Fogg wanted to 20 to Liver
pool; the Captain would not take him
there. Then rhileas FoEg had agreed
to take passage for Bordeaux, and dur
ing the thirty hours that he had been
on board he had unanswered so well
with his bank notes that the crew, sail
ors anu iiremen- an occasional crew,
on bad terms with. the Captain
longed to him Aud this is why Phileas
Fogg com handed in the place of Cap
tain Speedy, why the Captain was shut
up in his cabin, and why, finally, the
Henrietta was steering her course
towards Liverpool. 1t was very clear,
seeing Mr.. Fogg maneuver, that he had
been a sailor.
Now, how the adventure would come
out would be known later. Mrs.
Aouda's uneasiness did not cease. al
though she said nothing. Fix was
stunned at first. PaSsepartout found
the thing simply splendid.
Between eleven and twelve knots"
Captain Speedy had said, and the Hen
rietta did indeed maintain this average
of speed.
If then-how many Ifs vet! if the
sea did not become too rough, if the
wind did not rise in the east, if no mis-
hap occurred to the vessel, no accident
to the engine, the Henrietta in the nine
days, counting from the 18th OF De-
cember to the 2lst, could accomplish
the three thousand miles separating
New York from Liverpool. 1t is true
that once arrived, the Henrietta affair
on top OF the Bank affair might take
the gentleman q little further than he
would like.
During the first few days they went
along under excellent conditions.
Tho xtrit,1 TO- ,.DY,orh. no, 4
seemed stationary in the northeast; the
sails were hoisted, and with them the
Henrietta sailed like genuine transat-
lantie steamer.
Passepartout was delighted. The last
exploit of his master. the consequences
of which he preferred not to consider,
filled him with enthusiasm. The crew
had never seen a gayer. more agile fel-
low. He made thousand friendships
with the sailors, and astonished them
by his acrobatic feats. He layished
upon them the best names and the
most attractive drinks. He thought
that they Unanswered like gentlemen,
and that the firemen coaled up like
heroes. His good humor was very
communicative, and impressed itself
upon all. He had forgotten the past,
with its annoyances and its periIs He
thought only of the end, so nearly
reached, and sometimes he boiled over
with Impotence, as il he had been heated
by the furnaces of the Henrietta. Ere
quently, also, the worthy fellow re-
vOlved around Fix; he looked at him
with distrustful eye, but he did not
speak to him, for there no longer exist
ed any intimacy between these two old
friends.
Besides, Fix, it must be confessed,
did not understand this thing at all.
The conquest of the Henrietta, the pur-
chase of her crew, and Fogg maneuver-
ing like an accomplished seaman-this
combination of things confused him.
He did not know what t. think. But,
after all, man vino commenced by
stealing fifty-fve Thousand pounds could
finish by stealing a vessel. And Fix
was naturally led to believe that the
Henrietta, directed by Fogg, was moi
going to Liverpool at all. but into some
quarter of the world where the robber
become pirate. would quietly place
himself in safety! This hypothesis, il
must be confessed, could not be more
plausible, and the detective commenced
to regret very seriously having entered
upon this affair.
As for Captain Speedy, he continued
to howl in his cabin, and Passepartout
whose duty it was to provide his meals
did it only with the greatest precau
tions, although he was so strong. Mr.
Fogg had no longer the appearance O
even suspecting that there was Cap
tain on board.
On the 18th, they passed the edge O
the Banks of Newfoundland. Those
are bad attitudes. During the winter
especially, the fOgs are frequent there
the blows dreadful. Since the day be
fore, the barometer, suddenly fallen
| indicated an approaching change in thu
atmosphere. In fact, during the nigh
came keener, and at the same time tn,
wind shifted into the southeast.
| This was amisfortune. MIR. Fogg, il
order not to be driven out of his course
| had to reef his sailsand increase hi
steam. But the progress of the shil
was slackened, owing to the condition
of the sea, whose long waves brok
against her stern. She was violentl
tossed about, and to the detriment 0
her speed. The breeze increased b
degrees to hurricane, and it was al
ready probable event that the Henri
eta might not be able to hold hersel
upright against the waves. Now,
she had to fly before the storm, the un
known. with all its bad chances, threat
ened them
Passepartout1s face darkened at tn
same time as the sky, and for two day
the good fellow was in mortal dread
But Phileas FOgg was bold sailor, VIII
knew how to keep head against thesea
and he kept on his course, without eve
putting the vessel under small hea'
of steam The Henrietta, wheneVe
she could rise with the wave, passe
over it, but her deck was swept fror
end to end. Sometimes, too, when
mountain wave raised the stern out q