Avery is recorded as having two different flags that feutured the same skull and crossbones design with the only difference being a red or black background. His flag could be considered somewhat of a "standard" pirate flag since it had the typical skull-and-crossbones, although the skull design is a little more elaborate. Henry Every ('Long Ben') June 1694 to September 1695. English. Ships: Fancy. AKA: John Avery, Benjamin Bridgeman. Sometimes called Benjamin Bridgeman (and nicknamed "Long Ben"), Every captured an Indian treasure ship and managed to escape with the loot. Although other pirates took more booty, his robbery engaged the British East India Company and aroused great public interest. Every was the hero of works by several authors, including Daniel Defore (who erroneously called him John Avery). Every's admirers invented improbable stories about his early life. He is first mentioned in the early 1690's as an unlicensed slave dealer and pirate sailing from the Bahamas with the governor's protection. In June 1694, Every was second-in-command of a 46-gun private warship, licensed by the Spanish government to attack French smugglers. At Cadiz, the crew took the ship while the captain was dead drunk one night. Renaming her the Fancy, they elected Every captain. Heading south along the African coast, the pirates plundered three British vessels at the Capte Verde Islands and destroyed two Danish ships near Sao Thome. Early in 1695, they reached Johanna Island (Anjouan) in the Comoros, where Every seized a French pirate ship loaded with booty. Most of its crew joined his gang, bringing to it more than 170 men. Reaching the Red Sea in May or June, Every ran into smaller pirate ships commanded by William Want, Joseph Farrell, William May, Thomas Wake, and Thomas Tew. Cruising with Every as their admiral, the pirates waited for the treasure ships returning to India. Each year, Indian ships took rich luxury goods (and Muslim pilgrims) to Mecca and Jiddah and returned with gold and silver. Most of the Indian fleet got past the pirates during the night, but Every took the last two vessels. Every easily captured the smaller Fateh Mohammed and then pursued the Gang-I-sawai (Gunsway), the largest ship in the Indian's fleet. The heavily armed Gunsway carried 400 to 500 soldiers. During a two-hour battle, both sides suffered heavy casualties. Every's crew looted their prizes at the island of Socotra. In addition to gold coins, the pirates seized many jewels and a saddle and bridle encrusted with diamonds. They tortured prisoners and raped many women, including the aged wife of an important Indian official. Some jumped into the sea to escape, while others died after being brutally handled. The booty was split at Reunion Island, where most of the French pirates stayed. The East India Company estimated the plunder at 325,000 pounds. After giving small sums to the other pirate ships, each man received about 1,000 in cash plus some of the jewels. Every took two shares as captain, and he may also have grabbed some loose gems. Before sailing to America, Every took on provisions at Sao Thome. One English captain reported that he paid the Portuguese governor with a check "drawn on The Bank of Aldgate Pump, attested by John-a-Noakes and signed by Timothy Tugmutton and Simon Wifflepin." In the Caribbean, the pirates sold some of their plunder at Saint Thomas and sailed to the Bahamas in April. In return for some 2,000 pounds in bribes, Governor Thomas Trott welcomed the pirates and entertained the officers in his own home. The pirates even gave Trott the Fancy, but she was wrecked during a storm. The British government fired Trott the following October but allowed him to take his loot to South Carolina. Meanwhile, the Indian emperor took out his anger on the British East India Company. Indian officials seized the company's trading posts and imprisoned its officials, treating some so severely that they died in jail. The British government offered 500 pounds for every man in Every's crew, and the East India Company doubled the reward. Since the Bahamas were a privately owned colony, Trott could not grant a royal pardon, and the governor of Jamaica refused a bribe of 20,000 pounds. The Fancy's crew fled in all directions, while Every and several others bought a sloop and escaped to Ireland. Over the years, 14 were arrested, and six were hanged. But Henry Every vanished with his plunder. PIRATES of the CARIBBEAN (DVD)