we
can lay our course to cut her off."

"It would be rather a close pinch to do so before she gets to the
head of the bay," Frank said.

"Yes, sir, and I don't suppose that we shall overhaul her before
that, but we certainly shan't be far behind her by the time she
gets there. I think that we shall cut her off if the wind holds as
it does now. At any rate, if she should get there first, we should
certainly lie between her and Cuba, and she will have either to run
back, or to round the cape, or to run east or south. I wish the
wind would freshen; but I fancy that it is more likely to die away.
Still, she is walking along well at present."

Even Frank, anxious as he was, could not but feel satisfied as he
looked at the water glancing past her side. She was heeling well
over, and the rustle of water at her bow could be heard where they
were standing near the tiller. Andrews, the best helmsman on board
the yacht, held the tiller rope, and Perry was standing beside him.

From time to time Frank went up to the crosstrees.

"We are drawing in upon her fast," he said, "but she is travelling
well, too; much better than I should have thought she would have
done with that rig. I think she has got a better wind than we have.
She has only made one short tack in for the last two hours."

The captain's prognostication as to the wind was verified, and to
Frank's intense annoyance it gradually died away, and headed them
so much that they could no longer lie their course.

"What shall we do, sir? Shall we hold across to the south shore and
work along by it, as the schooner is doing, or shall we go about at
once?"

"Go about at once, Hawkins. You see we can see her topsails from
the deck; and of course she can see ours. I don't suppose she has
paid any attention to us yet, and if we stand away on the other
tack we shall soon drop her altogether; while if we hold on she
will, when we reach that shore, be three or four miles behind us.
Of course, she will have a full view of us."

They sailed on the port tack for an hour and then came round again.
The brigantine could no longer be seen from the deck, and could
only just be made out from the crosstrees.

"I think on this tack," the skipper said, as he stood by the
compass after she had gone round, "we shall make the point, and I
think that we shall make it ahead of her."

"I think so too, Hawkins. What pace is she going now?"

"Not much more than four knots, sir."

"My only