He was thinking of that sort of thing when the dark came on. The wind was strengthening, and there were clouds rushing across the sky to vindicate Sam Prentice's prophecy concerning the weather.
"He was right, I guess," thought Guert. "Hullo! What's the captain up to?"
Captain Avery was standing at the mainmast, and he had just touched off a rocket that went fizzing up to its bursting place.
Far away in the deepening gloom to leeward, at that moment, the first lieutenant of the _Tigress_, watching upon her quarter-deck, exclaimed:--
"Captain! One more of our cruisers! She'll come within hail before long. That's it! I hope we're going to be relieved. I'm sick and tired of this West India station."
"So am I!" said the captain, heartily. "Reply to that signal. Give 'em our own number. Draw 'em this way."
His signal officer responded promptly, and more than one rocket went up from the _Tigress_. Her commander was much chagrined, however, for he received no response to give him the information he expected of the character of the newcomer.
Moreover, as far away from the _Noank_ as he was, but in a directly opposite line, to windward, at the same time, the English skipper of a fine, bark-rigged merchantman, just out from Porto Rico, felt exceedingly gratified. She was a craft of which Captain Avery had no knowledge whatever up to that moment.
"Hey!" shouted the skipper. "See that? One more of our cruisers close at hand, beside the one away off to looard. I'll send up a light to let 'em know where we are."
Captain Avery had not really asked so much of him, but that was precisely what his unnecessary rocket did.
"Lyme!" exclaimed Sam Prentice, as the shining stars fell out of the flying firework from the bark. "I declare! They told us that feller wouldn't sail for three days yet, and there he is. He's goin' to be our surest take, Captain."
"All right," replied the captain. "Not to-night, though. We'll just foller him along till mornin'. Then we'll put a prize crew into him and send him to New London. We're much obliged to him for callin' on us."
"I guess we're sure of him," said Sam, "but we'd better look out for our sticks and canvas, first."
That was what every vessel in that neighborhood was compelled to do during the gale which began to blow.