"Here is sixty-thousand dollars," said Mr. Fogg, emptying his carpetbag almost to the last of his money.
The Henrietta was a fine ship but twenty years old, and this price was easily double its worth.
The ship's deck and cabins were made of wood, but its hull was of iron.
"I will keep the iron hull and the engine," said Captain Speedy.
He seized the bank notes and counted them.
Mr. Fogg's first command as the Henrietta's new owner was to pull the boat apart.
The rails, bunks, masts, and life rafts were immediately fed into the boilers.
The next day, with Passepartout joining in, the crew pulled down the bridge and the cabins and began to tear up the very deck.
On December 20, as it approached the coast of Ireland, the Henrietta was nothing more than a flat hulk.
By ten o'clock in the evening, the last possible sliver of wood had gone into the fire, but the boat was still 24 hours from Liverpool.
"Everything is against you," Captain Speedy said to Mr. Fogg.
"You have only reached the harbor of Queenstown."
Mr. Fogg knew that Queenstown was the Irish port where the transatlantic steamers dropped off the mail.
Trains carried the mail to Dublin, and from there fast boats delivered it to Liverpool.
This way the mail arrived 12 hours ahead of the steamers.
Relying on the Henrietta's last puffs of steam, Mr. Fogg directed the boat toward the harbor lights on the shore.
The Henrietta entered Queenstown at one o'clock in the morning.
Phileas Fogg, leaving Captain Speedy on the iron hulk of his boat, went ashore with his party at once.
They took the express train to Dublin and then crossed the Irish Sea, arriving in Liverpool at noon on December 21.
He was only six hours distant from London. The wager would be won!
At that moment Fix stepped up beside Mr. Fogg, put his hand on his shoulder, and showing the warrant, said,
"I arrest you, Phileas Fogg, in the Queen's name!"
Ten minutes later Phileas Fogg was in prison.
Aouda and Passepartout sat in the waiting room of the police station, not willing to leave.
Passepartout, when he had seen his master arrested, had wanted to attack Fix, but a second policeman had held him back.
Aouda was thunderstruck at the sudden event.
When Passepartout explained the situation to her, her heart refused to believe the wicked charge against her protector.
Realizing that Mr. Fogg was now in need of saving and she could do nothing to help, Aouda cried bitterly.
Passepartout cried as well, hanging his head.
"If only I had not concealed Fix's errand," he said bitterly.
"If I had revealed Fix's true purpose, Mr. Fogg could have proven his innocence long before today!"
As for Mr. Fix, he had arrested Mr. Fogg because it was his duty.
The matter was simple. He was a police detective with a warrant for Mr. Fogg's arrest.
Mr. Fogg's guilt or innocence was not his concern.
The arrested man sat in his cell, motionless, calm, and without apparent anger.
He carefully removed his watch, set it on the table, and observed its advancing hands.
The door was locked and the window heavily barred. The situation was terrible.
If Phileas Fogg was honest, he was ruined; and if he was a thief, he was caught!
He pulled his journal and pen from his pocket and wrote, "December 21, Saturday, Liverpool, 80th day, 12:20 p.m."
He waited, but for what? Did he still hold out hope?
Was he planning an escape? No one could tell.
Two hours passed, and then half an hour more.
He heard a noise outside—quick steps, and then a hasty opening of doors.
Passepartout's voice was audible and immediately after, so was the voice of Fix.
The cell door swung open, and Passepartout, Aouda, and Fix hurried toward Fogg.
Fix was out of breath. "Sir, forgive me . . . most . . . unfortunate resemblance . . .
The true robber was arrested three days ago. You are free!"
Phileas Fogg walked up to the detective and looked him steadily in the face.
With the only rapid motion he ever made in his life, he drew back his arm and knocked Fix down with one precise punch.
"Well hit!" cried Passepartout.
Phileas Fogg was free! It was just after three o'clock, and Mr. Fogg was due at the Reform Club at a quarter to nine.
They would have to make the journey to London in five and a half hours.
Mr. Fogg immediately ordered a special train and set out for London with Aouda and his faithful servant.
Their last hope was to keep the train at top speed.
This would have been easy if the rails had been clear, but other trains caused delays.
So when Mr. Fogg stepped from his train at the station, all the clocks in London were striking ten minutes before nine.
Having completed his tour of the world, he was five minutes too late! He had lost his wager.
Can you believe it? I can't. I'm still in shock!
After all that, Mr. Fogg lost his wager—and by only five minutes.
If only we had gone faster. Although at the end of our trip, we rushed!
Queenstown to Liverpool to London in just over a day!
Queenstown is a port on the southern coast of Ireland.
This city has had several names, including Cove and Cobh.
It was officially renamed Queenstown about 25 years ago, after Queen Victoria visited.
Some people think that someday the city will go back to its original name, Cobh.
Liverpool, located in northwest England, is also a major seaport.
In fact, it is sometimes called "the second port of the Empire" because it is the busiest port after London.
There are many beautiful buildings here, displaying this city's impressive wealth.