Demetrius the Diver
A survivor of the infamous massacre of Chios in 1821 goes to Marseilles, but discovers he has not entirely left the Turks behind.
1824
King George IV 1820-1830
A survivor of the infamous massacre of Chios in 1821 goes to Marseilles, but discovers he has not entirely left the Turks behind.
1824
King George IV 1820-1830
In the 1850s, Britain was allied with Turkey against Russia. Charles Dickens said all the right things, but felt compelled to remind his British readers of a little recent Turkish history, the brutal massacre of Chios on March 31st, 1821, and then added this modest tale of revenge.
IN the port of Marseilles lived a poor Greek named Demetrius Omeros, who scraped together a living by diving for stray francs and copper sous. He had appeared in the city shortly after the massacre of Chios, but except for this and for living frugally on melon, bread and sour wine, little else was known of him.
In 1824, the Turks decided to strengthen their navy, and commissioned the shipwrights of Marseilles to build a warship. Other Greek expatriates gathered to heckle the perfidious French workmen, but Demetrius just watched them lazily.
It was very different when the Sultani Bahri slid into the waters on launch day. Demetrius dived in ahead of her, and even as she bore down on him, raised his arms in melodramatic defiance.
The pride of the Turkish navy promptly sank.
When the same fate befell the Achmedié, the Effendi, the Turks’ agent in Marseilles, became convinced that Demetrius was a sorcerer who had put the ‘evil eye’ on them both.*
‘Effendi’ is a not an office but simply courtesy title like ‘Sir’, derived from the Greek word for ‘boss’.
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
What did Demetrius do for a living?
He salvaged small objects in Marseilles harbour.
Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
The Turkish navy commissioned a warship. It was built in Marseilles. Demetrius watched them build it.