To prevent the risk of her doing so he hauled up close to the wind, believing that he should thus soon again get sight of the stranger. He was not mistaken, for in little more than half an hour he sighted her, standing the same course as before, but rather more abeam. Keeping away again, he shortened sail, but she held the same course as before. Thus the night passed, the stranger could be seen to the southward, while the coast of Cuba lay broad on the lee-beam, though undistinguishable in the darkness of night. At length, however, the stranger disappeared, but Jack felt satisfied that she had not gone in chase of the _Venus_, and he still hoped to see her again at daylight. He and the two schooners kept on their course, under easy sail. The officers in command of the latter were as eager as Jack to bring the strange brig to action, hoping to take part in the light. Each vessel had a couple of six-pounders on board, which though not very heavy guns, might do good service, could they get near enough to the enemy to use them. Thus the night passed slowly away. Dawn at length returned and as the first rays of the rising sun glanced across the ocean they fell on the sails of the stranger, about three miles off, broad on the beam of the _Supplejack_, whose commander at once resolved to bring her to action, while she on her part showed no disinclination for the fight. "She must have plenty of hands on board, and pretty heavy metal, or she would long ago have been off," observed Needham; "however, we will see what Long Tom can do." "We will give him every opportunity of showing his qualities," said Jack, "and not let the slaver get too near us till we have knocked away some of his spars." The stranger now kept edging down towards the "brig-of-war," which stood on under her topsails, mainsail, and headsails. Jack calculated that he should have time to throw three or four shots into her from Long Tom, and then by making more sail, give her a raking fire from his carronades. He hailed the schooners, and ordered Norris and the master not to expose themselves more than necessary, and only to fire when they had a good opportunity, while by all means they were to avoid allowing the slaver brig to run aboard them. The stranger, which had again hauled her wind, was still far beyond the range of Long Tom. "I don't think, sir, that they have got much stomach for the fight, after all," observed Needham. "Perhaps not," answered Jack; "but I suspected from the fellow's manoeuvres that he still hopes to cut off our prizes, and is only waiting the opportunity for doing so. We must also look out, not to let him run us aboard, for if he has plenty of men that is what he will try to do, and it will be his best chance too, though I doubt not that we shall beat them off, no matter how many there are." "No doubt about that, sir, whether they are Americans, Spaniards, or Negroes," answered Needham, in a confident tone.