showed the greatest courage.

EVANS, CAPTAIN JOHN. Welsh pirate.

Was master of a sloop belonging to the Island of Nevis. Afterwards being
in Jamaica and out of employment, and berths being scarce, he decided to
go "on the account," and in September, 1722, rowed out of Port Royal in a
canoe with a few chosen companions. They began piracy in a small way, by
paddling along the coast and landing at night to break into a house or two
and robbing these of anything they could carry away.

At last at Dun's Hole they found what they were looking for, a small
Bermuda sloop lying at anchor. Evans stepped aboard and informed the crew
of the sloop that he was captain of their vessel, "which was a piece of
news they knew not before." Going on shore, Evans stood treat to his crew
at the village inn, spending three pistols on liquid refreshment. He so
took the fancy of the publican by his open-handed ways that he was invited
to call again. This Evans and his companions did, in the middle of the
same night, and rifled the house and took away all they could carry
aboard their sloop.

Mounting four guns and christening their little vessel the _Scowerer_,
they set sail for Hispaniola. Good luck immediately followed, as on the
very next day they took their first prize, a Spanish sloop, an
extraordinarily rich prize for her size, for the crew were able to share a
sum of L150 a man. For a while all was _coleur de rose_, prize after prize
simply falling into their hands. But an unhappy accident was soon to bring
an end to Evans's career. The boatswain was a noisy, surly fellow, and on
several occasions the captain had words with him about his disrespectful
behaviour. The boatswain on one of these occasions so far forgot himself
as not only to use ill language to his captain but to challenge him to a
fight on the next shore they came to with pistol and sword. On reaching
land the cowardly boatswain refused to go ashore or to fight, whereupon
the captain took his cane and gave him a hearty drubbing, when the
boatswain, all of a sudden drawing a pistol, shot Evans through the head,
so that he fell down dead. Thus was brought to a tragic and sudden end a
career that showed early signs of great promise. The boatswain jumped
overboard and swam for the shore, but a boat put off and brought him back
to the vessel. A trial was at once held, but the chief gunner, unable to
bear with the slow legal procedure any further, stepped forward and shot
t