al, and Lynch was reproved by the King for his rash
and high-handed conduct.

JOHNSON, CAPTAIN BEN.

When a lad he had served as a midshipman in an East Indiaman, the _Asia_,
but having been caught red-handed robbing the purser of brandy and wine,
he was flogged and sent to serve as a sailor before the mast. In 1750,
while in the Red Sea, he deserted his ship and entered the service of the
Sultan of Ormus. Finding Johnson to be a clever sailor, the Sultan
appointed him admiral of his pirate fleet of fourteen vessels. The young
admiral became a convert to Brahminism, and was ceremoniously blessed by
the arch-priests of the Temple. Amongst his crew Johnson had some two
hundred other Englishmen, who also became followers of Brahmin, each of
whom was allowed, when in port, a dancing girl from the Temple.

Johnson proved a most capable and bloodthirsty pirate, playing havoc with
the shipping of the Red Sea, taking also several towns on the coast, and
putting to death his prisoners, often after cruel tortures. His boldest
exploit was to attack the fortified town of Busrah. This he did, putting
the Sheik and most of the inhabitants to death, and taking back to his
master, the Sultan, vast plunder of diamonds, pearls, and gold.

On another occasion Johnson landed his crews on the Island of Omalee, at
the entrance to the Persian Gulf, a favourite place of pilgrimage, and
raided the temples of the Indian God Buddha. Putting to death all the two
thousand priests, he cut off the noses and slit the upper lips of seven
hundred dancing girls, only sparing a few of the best looking ones, whom
he carried away with him along with plunder worth half a million rupees.

On their way back to the Red Sea the pirates met with an English East
Indiaman, which they took and plundered, and Johnson, remembering his
previous sufferings in the same service, murdered the whole crew.

Shortly afterwards Johnson and ten of his English officers contrived to
run away from their master, the Sultan, in his best and fastest lateen
vessel, with an enormous booty. Sailing up to the head of the Persian
Gulf, Johnson managed to reach Constantinople with his share of the
plunder, worth L800,000. With this as an introduction, he was hospitably
received, and was made a bashaw, and at the end of a long life of
splendour died a natural death.

JOHNSON, CAPTAIN HENRY, _alias_ "HENRIQUES THE ENGLISHMAN."

A West Indian pirate, born in the North of Ireland.