hipping in the Gulf of Mexico in the early part of the
nineteenth century. Brought to Boston as a prisoner in 1823, taken thence
to Kingston, Jamaica, and there hanged. For some extraordinary reason the
American juries seldom would condemn a pirate to death, so that whenever
possible the pirate prisoners were handed over to the English, who made
short shift with them.

BANNISTER, CAPTAIN.

Ran away from Port Royal, Jamaica, in June, 1684, on a "privateering"
venture in a ship of thirty guns. Caught and brought back by the frigate
_Ruby_, and put on trial by the Lieutenant-Governor Molesworth, who was at
that time very active in his efforts to stamp out piracy in the West
Indies.

Bannister entirely escaped punishment, capital or otherwise, as he was
released by the grand jury on a technical point, surely most rare good
fortune for the captain in days when the law was elastic enough to fit
most crimes, and was far from lenient on piracy. Six months later the
indefatigable captain again eluded the forts, and for two years succeeded
in dodging the frigates sent out by Governor Molesworth to capture him.
Finally, in January, 1687, Captain Spragge sailed victoriously into Port
Royal with Bannister and three other buccaneers hanging at the yard-arm,
"a spectacle of great satisfaction to all good people, and of terror to
the favourers of pirates."

BARBAROSSA, or "REDBEARD" (his real name was URUJ). Barbary Corsair.

Son of a Turkish renegade and a Christian mother. Born in the Island of
Lesbon in the AEgean Sea, a stronghold of the Mediterranean pirates.

In 1504 Barbarossa made his headquarters at Tunis, in return for which he
paid the Sultan one-fifth of all the booty he took. One of his first and
boldest exploits was the capture of two richly laden galleys belonging to
Pope Julius II., on their way from Genoa to Civita Vecchia. Next year he
captured a Spanish ship with 500 soldiers on board. In 1512 he was invited
by the Moors to assist them in an attempt to retake the town and port of
Bujeya from the Spaniards. After eight days of fighting, Barbarossa lost
an arm, and the siege was given up, but he took away with him a large
Genoese ship. In 1516 Barbarossa changed his headquarters to Jijil, and
took command of an army of 6,000 men and sixteen galliots, with which he
attacked and captured the Spanish fortress of Algiers, of which he became
Sultan. Barbarossa was by now vastly rich and powerful, his fleets
bringi