Demetrius the Diver

Shortly after the infamous Massacre of Chios by the Turks in 1821, Demetrius, a Greek diver living in Marseilles, made a dramatic protest against the launch of a Turkish warship from the harbour. The ship sank, and when the same thing happened again, the Turkish official in charge concluded that Demetrius had magical powers.

The Turkish official in charge of his navy’s ship-building in Marseilles bribed Demetrius to lift his ‘spell’ over the port by reuniting him with his family, enslaved in Turkey. However, he felt deceived when Demetrius revealed there had been no magic, just a little observation, and an intimate knowledge of boat-building.

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