Before radio was invented, there was no way for a ship to communicate with land, so there was no way to know when a ship might arrive at a port.
A man who lived on the island of Mauritius seemed to have discovered a way of predicting the arrival of ships. No one has ever been able to figure out how he did it!
The man’s name was Bottineau. Born in France, Bottineau went to live on Mauritius in 1764. While there, he amazed everyone by correctly predicting the arrival of ships that were three or four days away from the island.
Not once did he fail to predict the arrival of a vessel. Equally amazing, he was also able to tell how many ships were in an approaching fleet!
The “Wizard of Mauritius,” as he came to be called, claimed that he could read certain signs in the sky. He said these signs appeared just above the horizon when ships were near at hand. But he never told anyone exactly what the signs were.
After 20 years on Mauritius, Bottineau returned to France and offered to reveal his secret to the French government. His offer was rejected. The “Wizard” died around 1802, and the secret of his unknown art died with him.
Related Posts
-
When Did the Last of The Dodos In Mauritius Die?
The nation of Mauritius consists of one large island and a few smaller isles in the Indian Ocean, 500 miles east of Madagascar. The total area of the country is just 790 square…
-
Where Did the Dodo Bird Live and How Many People Live In Mauritius?
Mauritius, a small island nation in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar, was once home to the flightless dodo bird, which Dutch settlers hunted to extinction in the 1600s. The dodo bird was…
-
Why did the author of The Wizard of Oz L. Frank Baum write an article saying that Indians should all be exterminated?
The kindly author of The Wizard of Oz wrote two editorials on the subject when he was editor of the Aberdeen Saturday Pioneer. Here is the core of one of them: "The Pioneer…
-
What Breed of Dog was Toto in The Wizard of Oz and What Kind of Dog was Snoopy?
Toto in the movie The Wizard of Oz was a Cairn terrier. Snoopy was beagle which often battled the Red Baron. There's no denying the strong bond between human and canine. Mark Twain…
-
How Did the Wizard Of Oz Get its Name and When Was the Children’s Novel Written?
The classic tale of Dorothy in the land of Oz came from the imagination of L. Frank Baum, who made up the story for his son and a group of children one evening…
-
Why is a Male donkey Called Jack and a Female Donkey Called Jenny and How Did the Names Originate?
Jack is the diminutive or short form of the common name John, although it is also often used as a proper name. The name Jack was so common at one point that it…
