Christopher Moody added an hourglass with wings to make his intentions clear: time was swiftly running out. Dancing skeletons signified that the pirates cared little for their fate. A raised glass meant they toasted death.
Why use such symbols of death and destruction to instill fear? Pirates earned their wages by capturing prizes and ransoming captives. To do battle against their opponent risked the intended cargo and ship they meant to confiscate. A fight could also mean their own deaths. Rather than resort to physical violence (although they did so when necessary) they preferred to wage psychological warfare. Woe to any merchantman who dared to defy the warning, for some pirates gave no quarter.
Pirates, navies, and merchantmen used flags to identify other ships. Most carried an assortment of ensigns aboard. The ruse de guerre was a frequent ploy that allowed ships to approach the enemy before declaring their true intentions. As they neared their target, the ship flew the national flag of the ship they approached, signifying friendship. When the prey was within range, they hoisted their true colors and caught them off guard. The first maritime flags were often solitary-colored banners and came into use during the Middle Ages. Eventually each nation adopted its own flag for easier identification and solidarity. Pirates were no different, for they considered themselves a "nation" albeit one of a criminal nature. In time, two flags became theirs and all who saw them in their spyglasses dreaded the meeting to come. Chinese pirates adopted different colored flags to identify each squadron. Cheng I, the commander of these fleets, may have flown a flag with an elaborate design on a field of gold or yellow. Charles Vane and Edward Teach flew the Union Jack from one mast while flying the Jolly Roger from their mainmast.
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