As the Effendi happened to be alone with
Demetrius (for he had dismissed his
interpreter), and as there was somewhat exceedingly
menacing in the stalwart frame and
clenched teeth of the Greek, his interlocutor
judged it expedient to lower his tone.

"Can you remove the spells you have laid
on the ships? " he asked.

"Those that are launched, are past praying
for."

"Will the next float?"

"If I choose."

"And the next?"

"If I choose."

"Name your own reward, then," said the
Effendi, immensely relieved. "How many
piastres do you require? Will ten thousand
do?"

"I want much more than that," answered
Demetrius the Diver, with a grim smile.

"More! What rogues you Greeks are!
How much more?"

"I want," pursued the Diver, " my wife
Katinka back from Stamboul. She was torn
away from Scio, and is in the harem of the
capitan-pacha. I want my three children,
my boy Andon, my boy Yorghi, and my girl
Eudocia. When I have all these, here at
Massalian (Marseilles), and twenty thousand
piastres to boot, your frigates shall be
launched in safety."

"All well and good," said the Effendi; " I
will write to Stamboul to-night, and you
shall have all your brood and the piastres as
well, within two months. But what security
have I that you will perform your part of
the contract? The word of a Greek is not
worth a para."

"You shall have a bond for double the
amount which you will hand over to me,
from two merchants of Marseilles. You cannot
give me all I should like," concluded the
Diver, with a vengeful frown. "You cannot
give me back my aged father's life, my sister's,
my youngest child's; you cannot give me the
heart's blood of the Albanian wolf who slew
them."

Within a quarter of a year, Demetrius
the Diver was restored to his family. He
insisted upon receiving the stipulated
reward in advance, probably holding as
poor an opinion of the word of a Turk as the
Effendi did of the word of a Greek. The
momentous day arrived when the third
frigate was to be launched; a larger crowd
than ever was collected; everybody was on
the tiptoe of expectation. Demetrius the
Diver, who, during the past three months
had had free access to the ship-builders'
yard, was on board. The dogshores were
knocked away, the frigate slid down her
ways, and took the water in splendid style.
The launch was completely successful. The
Effendi was in raptures, and believed more
firmly in the power of the evil eye than ever.
A few days afterwards the fourth frigate was
launched with equal success.

"Marvellous man! " cried the envoy of the
Sublime Porte; " by what potent spells
wert thou enabled to bewitch the first two
frigates?"

"Simply by these," answered Demetrius
the Diver, in presence of a large company
assembled at a banquet held in honour of the
two successful launches. "Five years ago,
my father was one of the most extensive
shipbuilders at Scio, and I was bred to the
business from my youth. We were rich, we
were prosperous, until we were ruined by
the Turkish atrocities at Scio. I arrived in
Marseilles, alone, beggared, my father
murdered, my wife and children in captivity.
How I lived, you all know. While the first
two frigates were being built, I watched
every stage of their construction. I detected
several points of detail which I was certain
would prevent their being successfully
launched. When, however, I had entered
into my contract with this noble Effendi,
I conferred with the shipwrights; I pointed
out to them what was wrong; I
convinced them, by argument and illustration,
what was necessary to be done. They did
it. They altered, they improved. Behold
the ships are launched, and the evil eye had
no more to do with the matter than the
amber mouthpiece of his excellency the
Effendi's chibouque! I have done."

The Effendi, it is said, looked rather foolish
at the conclusion of this explanation, and
waddled away, muttering that all Greeks
were thieves. Demetrius, however, kept
his piastres, gave up diving for a livelihood,
and, commencing business on his own
account as a boat-builder, prospered exceedingly
with Katinka his wife, and Andon,
Yorghi, and Eudocia, his children. As to
the two frigates, they were equipped for sea
in good time, and were, I believe, knocked
to pieces by the allied fleets at the battle of
Navarino.

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