This book is the story of the life of John Ward, who was born in about 1553. He came from a humble background but rose to become the most infamous, brutal and successful privateer of his time. He was a sailor in James I's of England (James VI of Scoland's) navy when, in 1603, he stole a civilian vessel and went to Tunis, an outpost of the Ottoman empire, where he set himelf up as a privateer under the Pasha's protection. Ward's use of seafaring tactics enabled the Barbary Corsairs of Ottoman North Africa to regroup and rejuvenate. His activities made him extremely wealthy, allowing him to purchase a mansion in Tunis where he maintained a mock court and behaved like a king. Ward came to be regarded as a threat to Christendom and was pursued by pirate hunters across the Mediterranean. By 1622 he was reported dead from the plague. This book has a series of black and white illustrations comprising contemporary maps and prints.