The circumstances under which this telegraphic dispatch about Phileas Fogg was sent were as follows:
The steamer Mongolia, belonging to the Peninsular and Oriental Company, built of iron, of two thousand eight hundred tons burden, and five hundred horse–power, was due at eleven o'clock a.m. on Wednesday, the 9th of October, at Suez. The Mongolia plied regularly between Brindisi and Bombay via the Suez Canal, and was one of the fastest steamers belonging to the company, always making more than ten knots an hour between Brindisi and Suez, and nine and a half between Suez and Bombay.
Two men were promenading up and down the wharves, among the crowd of natives and strangers who were sojourning at this once straggling village—now, thanks to the enterprise of M. Lesseps, a fast–growing town. One was the British consul at Suez, who, despite the prophecies of the English Government, and the unfavourable predictions of Stephenson, was in the habit of seeing, from his office window, English ships daily passing to and fro on the great canal, by which the old roundabout route from England to India by the Cape of Good Hope was abridged by at least a half. The other was a small, slight–built personage, with a nervous, intelligent face, and bright eyes peering out from under eyebrows which he was incessantly twitching. He was just now manifesting unmistakable signs of impatience, nervously pacing up and down, and unable to stand still for a moment. This was Fix, one of the detectives who had been dispatched from England in search of the bank robber; it was his task to narrowly watch every passenger who arrived at Suez, and to follow up all who seemed to be suspicious characters, or bore a resemblance to the description of the criminal, which he had received two days before from the police headquarters at London. The detective was evidently inspired by the hope of obtaining the splendid reward which would be the prize of success, and awaited with a feverish impatience, easy to understand, the arrival of the steamer Mongolia.
"So you say, consul," asked he for the twentieth time, "that this steamer is never behind time?"
"No, Mr. Fix," replied the consul. "She was bespoken yesterday at Port Said, and the rest of the way is of no account to such a craft. I repeat that the Mongolia has been in advance of the time required by the company's regulations, and gained the prize awarded for excess of speed."
"Does she come directly from Brindisi?"
"Directly from Brindisi; she takes on the Indian mails there, and she left there Saturday at five p.m. Have patience, Mr. Fix; she will not be late. But really, I don't see how, from the description you have, you will be able to recognise your man, even if he is on board the Mongolia."
"A man rather feels the presence of these fellows, consul, than recognises them. You must have a scent for them, and a scent is like a sixth sense which combines hearing, seeing, and smelling. I've arrested more than one of these gentlemen in my time, and, if my thief is on board, I'll answer for it; he'll not slip through my fingers."
"I hope so, Mr. Fix, for it was a heavy robbery."
"A magnificent robbery, consul; fifty–five thousand pounds! We don't often have such windfalls. Burglars are getting to be so contemptible nowadays! A fellow gets hung for a handful of shillings!"
"Mr. Fix," said the consul, "I like your way of talking, and hope you'll succeed; but I fear you will find it far from easy. Don't you see, the description which you have there has a singular resemblance to an honest man?"
"Consul," remarked the detective, dogmatically, "great robbers always resemble honest folks. Fellows who have rascally faces have only one course to take, and that is to remain honest; otherwise they would be arrested off–hand. The artistic thing is, to unmask honest countenances; it's no light task, I admit, but a real art."
Mr. Fix evidently was not wanting in a tinge of self–conceit.
Little by little the scene on the quay became more animated; sailors of various nations, merchants, ship–brokers, porters, fellahs, bustled to and fro as if the steamer were immediately expected. The weather was clear, and slightly chilly. The minarets of the town loomed above the houses in the pale rays of the sun. A jetty pier, some two thousand yards along, extended into the roadstead. A number of fishing–smacks and coasting boats, some retaining the fantastic fashion of ancient galleys, were discernible on the Red Sea.
As he passed among the busy crowd, Fix, according to habit, scrutinised the passers–by with a keen, rapid glance.
It was now half–past ten.
"The steamer doesn't come!" he exclaimed, as the port clock struck.
"She can't be far off now," returned his companion.
"How long will she stop at Suez?"
"Four hours; long enough to get in her coal. It is thirteen hundred and ten miles from Suez to Aden, at the other end of the Red Sea, and she has to take in a fresh coal supply."
"And does she go from Suez directly to Bombay?"
"Without putting in anywhere."
"Good!" said Fix. "If the robber is on board he will no doubt get off at Suez, so as to reach the Dutch or French colonies in Asia by some other route. He ought to know that he would not be safe an hour in India, which is English soil."
"Unless," objected the consul, "he is exceptionally shrewd. An English criminal, you know, is always better concealed in London than anywhere else."
This observation furnished the detective food for thought, and meanwhile the consul went away to his office. Fix, left alone, was more impatient than ever, having a presentiment that the robber was on board the Mongolia. If he had indeed left London intending to reach the New World, he would naturally take the route via India, which was less watched and more difficult to watch than that of the Atlantic. But Fix's reflections were soon interrupted by a succession of sharp whistles, which announced the arrival of the Mongolia. The porters and fellahs rushed down the quay, and a dozen boats pushed off from the shore to go and meet the steamer. Soon her gigantic hull appeared passing along between the banks, and eleven o'clock struck as she anchored in the road. She brought an unusual number of passengers, some of whom remained on deck to scan the picturesque panorama of the town, while the greater part disembarked in the boats, and landed on the quay.
Fix took up a position, and carefully examined each face and figure which made its appearance. Presently one of the passengers, after vigorously pushing his way through the importunate crowd of porters, came up to him and politely asked if he could point out the English consulate, at the same time showing a passport which he wished to have visaed. Fix instinctively took the passport, and with a rapid glance read the description of its bearer. An involuntary motion of surprise nearly escaped him, for the description in the passport was identical with that of the bank robber which he had received from Scotland Yard.
"Is this your passport?" asked he.
"No, it's my master's."
"And your master is—"
"He stayed on board."
"But he must go to the consul's in person, so as to establish his identity."
"Oh, is that necessary?"
"Quite indispensable."
"And where is the consulate?"
"There, on the corner of the square," said Fix, pointing to a house two hundred steps off.
"I'll go and fetch my master, who won't be much pleased, however, to be disturbed."
The passenger bowed to Fix, and returned to the steamer.
背景和作者介紹
這段摘錄出自法國作家儒勒·凡爾納於 1873 年創作的經典冒險小說《八十天環遊世界》。凡爾納被譽為科幻小說和冒險文學的先驅之一。他的作品常常將詳細的科學知識與引人入勝的敘事相結合，激勵了一代又一代的讀者去探索世界，並想像新的可能性。《八十天環遊世界》捕捉了 19 世紀對旅行、科技和探索的迷戀，故事圍繞著一位名叫福克先生的英國紳士展開，他打賭自己能在八十天內環遊地球。
詳細的故事解讀和意義
在這段文字中，我們看到偵探費克斯焦急地等待著“蒙古號”蒸汽船抵達蘇伊士運河，希望能抓住一名據信在船上的銀行劫匪。這個場景生動而熱鬧，展示了蘇伊士運河作為連接歐洲和亞洲的戰略要地的地位。費克斯和英國領事之間的對話突出了懷疑、身份以及區分真相和表象的挑戰等主題。費克斯認為大罪犯往往看起來像誠實的人，這為故事增添了一層諷刺和複雜性，提醒讀者外表可能具有欺騙性。
故事的這部分為福克先生的旅程展開奠定了懸念和陰謀。它也反映了當時的技術進步——蒸汽船、電報和全球通訊——這使得這樣的旅程成為可能，並吸引了全世界讀者的想像力。
給學生的啟示和見解
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批判性思維和感知： 費克斯難以僅憑外表辨認罪犯，這告訴我們不應僅憑外表來判斷人。相反，我們應該培養批判性思維能力，在形成觀點之前深入研究事實和行為。
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耐心和觀察： 費克斯等待和仔細觀察乘客，表明耐心和注重細節的重要性——這些技能在學術研究和日常生活中都很有價值。
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勇氣和決心： 福克先生的旅程，在這段文字中有所暗示，證明了人類的勇氣和決心。學生可以學會設定雄心勃勃的目標，並在面對不確定性時堅持不懈。
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科技和創新的價值： 這部小說頌揚了蒸汽船和電報等新技術的力量，鼓勵學生欣賞科學進步及其對社會的影響。
在生活、學習和社交情境中的應用
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在學習中： 就像費克斯仔細分析線索一樣，學生應該培養強大的觀察和分析能力，以解決問題和理解複雜的學科。
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在社交互動中： 故事告誡人們不要對他人做出快速判斷。學生可以通過超越第一印象來了解他人，從而練習同理心和開放的心態。
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在個人成長中： 福克先生所展現的冒險精神和韌性鼓勵學生擁抱挑戰，並在壓力下保持冷靜，這些品質將幫助他們應對考試、專案和未來的職業生涯。
從故事中培養積極的價值觀
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誠實和正直： 儘管偵探有所懷疑，但這部小說最終頌揚了誠實。學生應該努力在他們的行為中做到值得信賴和真誠。
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好奇心和開放的心態： 凡爾納的作品激發了對世界的好奇心。學生可以通過探索新的文化、科學和想法來培養對學習的熱愛。
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毅力： 福克先生對他的目標堅定不移的承諾，教會了我們堅持不懈的重要性，即使遇到障礙。
結論
《八十天環遊世界》不僅僅是一場令人興奮的冒險；它也是關於人性、科技和探索精神的豐富的教訓來源。通過閱讀和思考這個故事，學生可以培養有價值的技能和態度，這將使他們在學校和生活中受益。擁抱小說中體現的好奇心、耐心和決心，可以幫助年輕讀者成為思想深刻、勇敢和思想開放的個體，準備好在世界上展開自己的旅程。
