a quite unexpected incident
deprived him of support at any price. In fact, at nine o'clock on the
evening of the seventh day, the Chief Inspector of Metropolitan Police
received the following telegram:

"From Fix, Detective, Suez,

To Rowan, Commissioner of Police, Scotland Yard.

I have traced the bank-robber, Phileas Fogg. Send immediately
authority for arrest to Bombay.--Fix."

The effect of this despatch was immediately apparent. The honourable
man gave place to the "bank-robber." His photograph, deposited in the
Reform Club with those of other members, was narrowly scrutinised. It
appeared to be, feature by feature, the very man whose description had
been already furnished to the police. People now began to recollect
Fogg's mysterious manner, his solitary habits, and his sudden
departure. He must be the culprit, and it was evident that under the
pretext of a voyage round the world, under shelter of a ridiculous
bet, he had no other end in view but to throw the detectives off the
scent.

CHAPTER VI.

In which Fix, the Detective, betrays some not unnatural Impatience.

The circumstances under which the foregoing telegram had been
despatched were as follows:

On Wednesday, the 29th of October, the Peninsular and Oriental
Company's steamer _Mongolia_ was being anxiously expected at Suez.
This vessel made the passage between Brindisi and Bombay through the
Suez Canal. She is one of the swiftest of the Company's vessels, and
her usual speed is ten knots an hour between Brindisi and Suez, and
nine and a half between Suez and Bombay, and sometimes even more.

Pending the arrival of the _Mongolia_, two men were walking together
up and down the quay in the midst of the crowd of natives and visitors
who thronged the little town, which, thanks to the enterprise of M. de
Lesseps, was becoming a considerable place. One of these men was the
British Consular Agent at Suez, who, in spite of the prophecies of the
English Government, and the unfavourable opinion of Stephenson the
engineer, beheld daily English ships passing through the canal, thus
shortening by one-half the old route to India round the Cape.

The other was a small thin man with a nervous intelligent face.
Beneath his long eyelashes his eyes sparkled brightly, and at that
moment he was displaying unquestionable signs of impatience, moving
hither and thither, quite unable to keep still for one moment.

This man was Fix, the English de