Even as the cutter had dashed alongside, the vessel, as though impatient to resume the chase, had paid off and had begun to move through the water, her bows having been turned in the direction of the other ships, and the craft herself merely thrown into the wind for a moment to lessen her way while the boat came up to her and the falls were hooked on. Then the helm was put up and the ship was away on her old course once more, cracking on and showing every stitch of canvas to the freshening breeze, in full and eager pursuit of her consorts and the pirate, the latter now being hull-down on the southern horizon with nothing below her topsail-yard showing. The flag-ship was the leading ship of the three pursuing vessels; and she was distant some nine miles from the _Elizabeth. El Capitan_--or the _Tiger_ as she was now named--was two miles astern of the flag-ship, and some seven miles ahead of the _Elizabeth_; the latter vessel therefore had some considerable distance to cover before she could overtake her consorts. Night was now beginning to fall, and the masts of the _Black Pearl_ gradually disappeared from the sight of those aboard the _Elizabeth_; but the flag-ship, being so far in advance, still had the pirate well in view; and now she lighted her three poop-lanterns as a guide to the _Tiger_, which in turn lighted hers to pilot the way for the _Elizabeth_. The darkness soon falls in those regions, and in a very few minutes, as it seemed, night enveloped them like a pall. There was no moon, and, the night being cloudy, no stars were visible; the blackness, consequently, was intense. All that could be seen was the triangle of lights in the flag-ship, very dim in the distance, and those on the _Tiger_, shining somewhat more brightly because nearer at hand. The captain of the _Elizabeth_ commanded that no lanterns should be lighted on board his ship, and indeed that no lights of any kind should be shown on board at all. "For," said he, "we sail somewhat faster than the _Tiger_ and the _Good Adventure_, and can see their lights, so that we can tell where they are. But it is in my mind to have a little sport with good Mr Cavendish, by letting him find us alongside him at daybreak. We will, therefore, carry on as hard as our spars and gear will suffer us, all through the night; and, not to give the others an inkling of our purpose, will edge away to the westward sufficiently to enable us to pass the _Tiger_ about a mile to starboard of her, and the same with the flag-ship."