Chapter 16

The travelers board the Rangoon. They have to travel three thousand five hundred miles on this ship. Aouda becomes better acquainted with Fogg and is amazed by his attitude. While he is very particular about catering to her needs he behaves like automation. Fogg assures Aouda that he will find her cousin for her in Hong Kong.

The first part of the voyage passed in excellent weather then they pass the Great Andaman and later the Straits of Malacca. Fix is on the boat too and his aim is to arrest Fogg in Hong Kong. He keeps thinking about that. He also thinks of telling Passepartout, that his master may be a robber. Hr goes to the deck and strikes up a conversation with Passepartout. Passepartout is a little surprised to see Fix. But, he nevertheless tells Fix about his adventures in India. Fix learns that the young woman, Aouda, will be accompanying Fogg till Hong Kong and no further.

Judge Odadiah takes a note of the confession that had escaped Passepartout and condemns him to go to prison for 15 days and to pay a fine of three hundred pounds. Fogg too is condemned to prison and is asked to pay a fine. Fogg agrees to pay bail for himself and his servant. Passepartout is very disgusted with the fact that his master has to pay such a large sum of money. After taking back his shoes, Passepartout follows Fogg out of the courtroom. They immediately go to the Rangoon, the ship that was to leave for Hong Kong. Detective Fix is very angry because of Fogg's excessive spending. Since a percentage on the recovered is assigned as a reward for the detectives, Fix is worried that by the time the journey ends and Fogg is caught, there will be a very negligible amount left.

Notes
In this chapter we don't see much of Fogg. The focus is on Aouda, Passepartout and most of all on Fix.

Aouda is slowly but surely getting very attracted to Fogg, but she cannot understand his cold behavior towards her. He does everything to make her comfortable but he does it more as a duty, than anything else. She is puzzled by this eccentric man; as anybody who encounters him, would be. Passepartout, Fogg's loyal servant tells Aouda more about his master's eccentric, yet noble character.

Some of the islands by which Rangoon passes by are described. They are tropical forested islands and are beautiful.

A large part of the chapter is devoted to the perturbations in Fix's mind. He is confused and does not know how to deal with Fogg's arrest. We can see that he has a typically vicious mind, that of a detective. He is always plotting in order to obtain his objective. Now, he plans to get closer to Passepartout in order to learn more about the master. When he goes to meet Passepartout on the deck of the Rangoon, we wonder why Passepartout does not smell a rat. But Passepartout is simple and naïve and he tells Fix all about his adventures in Bombay without holding anything back. Fix is curious about the young woman-Aouda, travelling with Fogg and Passepartout. Passepartout tells Fix that Aouda will be handed over to the care of a relative in Hong Kong. The detective would have possibly liked to hear that she is being abducted and is disappointed when he is told that she is not. Fix has only one purpose-to arrest Fogg and to win the reward money. We see that he is greedy and small-minded and yet, he is not typically villainous.

Chapter 17

Passepartout begins to seriously reflect on the strange chance, which had once more placed Fix on the same route as his master. The valet finally concludes that Fix must be an agent sent by Fogg's fellow members of the Reform Club. Fogg goes ashore to Singapore to see the island with Aouda. They then continue their journey on the Rangoon towards Hong Kong. But this journey is not too smooth and Passepartout is very impatient. He quizzes Fix on the coincidence that Fix is always travelling with them. Fix returns to his cabin perplexed as to how he should now deal with Passepartout. Meanwhile, the valet starts noticing Aouda's love for Fogg. While Fogg always looks unperturbed. Passepartout is angry at the inefficiency of the large ship-Rangoon.

Notes
Finally, Passepartout begins to question the fact that Fix is always around them. We are glad that he starts thinking along these lines as we, as readers, know that Fix is against the hero and that he must be caught. But Passepartout being the simpleton that he is, comes to the convenient conclusion that Fix is an agent of the Reform Club members and that he has been asked to follow Fogg around the world. Passepartout is convinced of this idea and even teases Fix on the fact that he is always travelling with them. Fix laughs with Passepartout on that occasion but he is deeply troubled inside. He is worried whether Fogg too has been told about Passsepartout's suspicion. He cannot understand what part Passepartout plays in this game and whether he is aware that his master is a bank robber.

What is interesting to note is Fogg's calm in the midst of disturbed thoughts. While Passepartout is suspicious of Fix and worried about the ship's progress and Fix is anxious about what he should do next; Fogg is completely unruffled. He is a logical man, who has complete faith in rationality and does not depend too much on unpredictable human notions. Fix makes up his mind to deal with Passepartout frankly.

The island of Singapore is described in a few paragraphs and in the meanwhile, Aouda develops love for Fogg. Passepartout is disappointed that Fogg is not reciprocating this love but as we learn later Fogg does love Aouda but is not too effusive about his feelings. This romantic angle that Verne adds to the story keeps the interest of the reader excited.

This chapter focuses on the journey on the Rangoon from Singapore to Hong Kong. There are some important developments in the relationships of the characters with each other.