The China, in leaving, seemed to have carried off Phileas Fogg's last hope. None of the other steamers were able to serve his projects. The Pereire, of the French Transatlantic Company, whose admirable steamers are equal to any in speed and comfort, did not leave until the 14th; the Hamburg boats did not go directly to Liverpool or London, but to Havre; and the additional trip from Havre to Southampton would render Phileas Fogg's last efforts of no avail. The Inman steamer did not depart till the next day, and could not cross the Atlantic in time to save the wager.
Mr. Fogg learned all this in consulting his Bradshaw, which gave him the daily movements of the trans–Atlantic steamers.
Passepartout was crushed; it overwhelmed him to lose the boat by three–quarters of an hour. It was his fault, for, instead of helping his master, he had not ceased putting obstacles in his path! And when he recalled all the incidents of the tour, when he counted up the sums expended in pure loss and on his own account, when he thought that the immense stake, added to the heavy charges of this useless journey, would completely ruin Mr. Fogg, he overwhelmed himself with bitter self–accusations. Mr. Fogg, however, did not reproach him; and, on leaving the Cunard pier, only said: "We will consult about what is best to–morrow. Come."
The party crossed the Hudson in the Jersey City ferryboat, and drove in a carriage to the St. Nicholas Hotel, on Broadway. Rooms were engaged, and the night passed, briefly to Phileas Fogg, who slept profoundly, but very long to Aouda and the others, whose agitation did not permit them to rest.
The next day was the 12th of December. From seven in the morning of the 12th to a quarter before nine in the evening of the 21st there were nine days, thirteen hours, and forty–five minutes. If Phileas Fogg had left in the China, one of the fastest steamers on the Atlantic, he would have reached Liverpool, and then London, within the period agreed upon.
Mr. Fogg left the hotel alone, after giving Passepartout instructions to await his return, and inform Aouda to be ready at an instant's notice. He proceeded to the banks of the Hudson, and looked about among the vessels moored or anchored in the river, for any that were about to depart. Several had departure signals, and were preparing to put to sea at morning tide; for in this immense and admirable port there is not one day in a hundred that vessels do not set out for every quarter of the globe. But they were mostly sailing vessels, of which, of course, Phileas Fogg could make no use.
He seemed about to give up all hope, when he espied, anchored at the Battery, a cable's length off at most, a trading vessel, with a screw, well–shaped, whose funnel, puffing a cloud of smoke, indicated that she was getting ready for departure.
Phileas Fogg hailed a boat, got into it, and soon found himself on board the Henrietta, iron–hulled, wood–built above. He ascended to the deck, and asked for the captain, who forthwith presented himself. He was a man of fifty, a sort of sea–wolf, with big eyes, a complexion of oxidised copper, red hair and thick neck, and a growling voice.
"The captain?" asked Mr. Fogg.
"I am the captain."
"I am Phileas Fogg, of London."
"And I am Andrew Speedy, of Cardiff."
"You are going to put to sea?"
"In an hour."
"You are bound for—"
"Bordeaux."
"And your cargo?"
"No freight. Going in ballast."
"Have you any passengers?"
"No passengers. Never have passengers. Too much in the way."
"Is your vessel a swift one?"
"Between eleven and twelve knots. The Henrietta, well known."
"Will you carry me and three other persons to Liverpool?"
"To Liverpool? Why not to China?"
"I said Liverpool."
"No!"
"No?"
"No. I am setting out for Bordeaux, and shall go to Bordeaux."
"Money is no object?"
"None."
The captain spoke in a tone which did not admit of a reply.
"But the owners of the Henrietta—" resumed Phileas Fogg.
"The owners are myself," replied the captain. "The vessel belongs to me."
"I will freight it for you."
"No."
"I will buy it of you."
"No."
Phileas Fogg did not betray the least disappointment; but the situation was a grave one. It was not at New York as at Hong Kong, nor with the captain of the Henrietta as with the captain of the Tankadere. Up to this time money had smoothed away every obstacle. Now money failed.
Still, some means must be found to cross the Atlantic on a boat, unless by balloon—which would have been venturesome, besides not being capable of being put in practice. It seemed that Phileas Fogg had an idea, for he said to the captain, "Well, will you carry me to Bordeaux?"
"No, not if you paid me two hundred dollars."
"I offer you two thousand."
"Apiece?"
"Apiece."
"And there are four of you?"
"Four."
Captain Speedy began to scratch his head. There were eight thousand dollars to gain, without changing his route; for which it was well worth conquering the repugnance he had for all kinds of passengers. Besides, passenger's at two thousand dollars are no longer passengers, but valuable merchandise. "I start at nine o'clock," said Captain Speedy, simply. "Are you and your party ready?"
"We will be on board at nine o'clock," replied, no less simply, Mr. Fogg.
It was half–past eight. To disembark from the Henrietta, jump into a hack, hurry to the St. Nicholas, and return with Aouda, Passepartout, and even the inseparable Fix was the work of a brief time, and was performed by Mr. Fogg with the coolness which never abandoned him. They were on board when the Henrietta made ready to weigh anchor.
When Passepartout heard what this last voyage was going to cost, he uttered a prolonged "Oh!" which extended throughout his vocal gamut.
As for Fix, he said to himself that the Bank of England would certainly not come out of this affair well indemnified. When they reached England, even if Mr. Fogg did not throw some handfuls of bank–bills into the sea, more than seven thousand pounds would have been spent!
背景介紹與作者介紹
這段文字出自儒勒·凡爾納的經典小說《八十天環遊世界》，這位法國作家以其冒險故事和科幻小說的先驅作品而聞名。這部小說寫於 1873 年，捕捉了探索精神和 19 世紀的快速技術進步，尤其是蒸汽船和鐵路的發展，使全球旅行變得更快、更容易。
儒勒·凡爾納的作品經常將詳細的科學知識與富有想像力的故事講述相結合，激勵了一代又一代的讀者去夢想遙遠的地方和人類的創造力。 《八十天環遊世界》是他最受歡迎的故事之一，不僅闡述了一場驚險的冒險，還闡述了決心、足智多謀和文化理解的重要性。
詳細解讀與意義
這段摘錄展示了故事中的一個關鍵時刻，主角福克先生在嘗試在八十天內環遊世界的過程中面臨重大挫折。 蒸汽船 China 的離開代表著一次失去的機會，迫使福克先生尋找其他方式來按時繼續他的旅程。 儘管遇到了障礙，而且金錢並不能解決所有問題，但福克先生的冷靜和戰略性思維卻熠熠生輝。 他與 Speedy 船長協商，以確保在 Henrietta 號（一艘較慢的貿易船）上的通行，這體現了他的毅力和適應能力。
這個場景突出了這部小說的幾個關鍵主題：人類意志與旅行的不可預測性之間的衝突、在壓力下快速思考的價值，以及即使在情況看起來不利時也不放棄的重要性。 它也反映了那個時代對新運輸技術的迷戀，以及通過更快的通信和旅行而縮小的世界。
給學生的教訓和見解
-
毅力與解決問題： 福克先生在面對障礙時保持冷靜的舉止，拒絕恐慌，這教導學生保持鎮定並富有創造力地思考以克服挑戰的重要性。 生活常常會出現意想不到的困難，而成功取決於我們如何應對。
-
足智多謀： 儘管困難重重，福克先生仍能協商並找到解決方案，這鼓勵年輕讀者足智多謀，思想開放。 有時，最好的前進道路並非顯而易見或最容易的道路。
-
時間管理和規劃： 小說的核心賭注強調了仔細規劃和時間管理的重要性。 學生可以學習如何設定明確的目標和監控進度是學術和個人生活中必不可少的技能。
-
文化意識和開放思想： 當福克先生環遊世界時，他遇到了不同的文化和習俗。 這培養了對全球多樣性的欣賞，以及尊重和學習不同人群的重要性。
-
金錢的作用： 雖然金錢是一種強大的工具，但這段文字表明它無法解決所有問題。 學生可以反思物質財富的局限性，以及智慧、品格和人際關係的更大重要性。
在日常生活和學習中的應用
-
在學校： 學生可以通過以耐心和毅力應對困難的科目來運用福克先生的決心。 當遇到挫折時，例如成績不好或誤解，他們可以記住保持冷靜並尋找替代策略。
-
在社交場合： 福克先生即使在壓力下也能保持尊重和鎮定的互動，這為有效的溝通和衝突解決提供了範例。 學生可以學會傾聽、協商和維持良好的人際關係。
-
在個人成長中： 這個故事鼓勵年輕人將挑戰視為成長的機會。 培養適應能力、勇氣和樂觀等品質將幫助他們應對生活的複雜性。
從故事中培養積極的特質
-
在壓力下保持鎮定： 像福克先生一樣，練習正念和呼吸技巧，以在壓力大的時刻保持鎮定。
-
戰略性思維： 將問題分解成更小的部分，並在採取行動之前考慮多種解決方案。
-
尊重他人： 對不同的文化和觀點保持好奇，培養同理心和全球公民意識。
-
對目標的承諾： 設定明確的目標並跟踪進度，根據需要調整計劃，但不要忽視最終目標。
結論
《八十天環遊世界》不僅是一場令人興奮的冒險，而且是關於勇氣、智慧和人類精神的永恆教訓。 通過學習這部小說，學生不僅可以獲得文學欣賞，還可以獲得實用的智慧，激勵他們的學術之旅和個人發展。 通過福克先生的旅程，年輕讀者了解到，只要有決心、創造力和對他人的尊重，就沒有什麼挑戰是不可逾越的。
