tall ship lying at anchor. This ship they attacked, firing a
broadside, when she also ran up the Black Flag, being the vessel of the
notorious Captain Cocklyn. For the next two days the three captains and
their crews "spent improving their acquaintance and friendship," which was
the pirate expression for getting gloriously drunk. On the third day they
attacked and took the African Company's Fort. Shortly afterwards the three
captains quarrelled, and each went his own way. In 1718 La Bouse was at
New Providence Island. In 1720 this pirate commanded the _Indian Queen_,
250 tons, armed with twenty-eight guns, and a crew of ninety men. Sailing
from the Guinea Coast to the East Indies, de la Bouche lost his ship on
the Island of Mayotta, near Madagascar.

The captain and forty men set about building a new vessel, while the
remainder went off in canoes to join Captain England's pirates at Johanna.

BOWEN.

A Bristol man. In 1537, when the Breton pirates were becoming very daring
along the south coast of England and Wales, Bowen contrived to capture
fourteen of these robbers, who had landed near Tenby, and had them put in
prison.

BOWEN, CAPTAIN JOHN.

The practice of this South Sea pirate extended from Madagascar to Bengal.
He commanded a good ship, the _Speaker_, a French vessel, owned by an
English company interested in the slave trade, which Bowen had captured by
a cunning ruse. He afterwards lost his ship off Mauritius, but was well
treated by the Dutch Governor, who supplied doctors, medicine, and food to
the shipwrecked pirates. After three months' hospitality on the island,
Bowen procured a sloop, and in March, 1701, sailed for Madagascar. As a
parting friendly gift to the Governor, he gave him 2,500 pieces of eight
and the wreck of the _Speaker_, with all the guns and stores. On arriving
at Madagascar, Bowen erected a fort and built a town. Shortly after this a
ship, the _Speedy Return_, and a brigantine were so very thoughtless as to
put into the port, and paid for this thoughtlessness by being promptly
seized by Bowen. With these two vessels Bowen and his merry men went
"a-pyrating" again, and with great success, for in a short time they had
gathered together over a million dollars in coin, as well as vast
quantities of valuable merchandise. The pirates then, most wisely,
considering that they had succeeded well enough, settled down amongst
their Dutch friends in the Island of Mauritius to a quiet and comfo