Properly speaking, the _Vixen_ did not appear to be a regular war vessel, but from what they had seen when first brought aboard of the vessel, the captives decided that she was on armed duty of some sort. There were several small cannon on the deck, and a drill was in progress over their heads for an hour each morning. Phil found the bars of the hold window sunk through a frame of oak and imbedded in lead. He managed to dig out all of the lead that anchored three of the steel bars. This loosened the bars, but he could not force them out. It was towards late afternoon when he boasted to his less industrious comrade of how easily they might escape, if they had some instrument to bend the bars or force them out of place. Both boys hurried each to one of the windows in their prison room, as some unusual commotion on the deck was followed by shouts echoing from a distance across the waters. "Hello!" cried Andy, peering. "Some kind of a big sailboat is coming to this vessel. There, she's veered out of range. Wonder what's up, Phil?" The shouts grew nearer. The listening boys could trace the apparent arrival at the side of the ship of the craft they had momentarily viewed. There were turbulent greetings on the deck. A moment later the same sailboat fell astern. It was paid out at the end of a rope about a cable's length, so as to be free of collision with the ship, the rope was secured somewhere on the deck, and the new arrival floated up and down at anchorage. It was a very large sailboat, and had good breadth of beam and a sort of storage pit, which seemed to be heavily loaded, and which was covered by a sheet of canvas battened down at the sides. "Wonder what the craft is, anyhow," spoke Andy speculatively. "Yes, and what is its load?" supplemented Phil. "I say, Andy, I have an idea." "Speak it out, Phil," directed Andy. "You know those men, Peters and Swithins, talked a good deal about a load they were to order delivered at Storm Cove." "I remember," nodded Andy. "This may be that load," suggested Phil. "Powder to blow up some town? Arms for some of the traitorous mob in the settlements? Wish I had a chance to investigate." The mysterious craft gave the boys a scheme for speculation for a long time. There was considerable uproar overhead. About an hour after the sailboat had arrived, a small yawl put out from the side of the larger craft, past the rear hold windows. It contained a man and a boy. The latter was rowing. His back was to the two interested onlookers. When they arrived at the sailboat, the boy held the yawl steady, while his companion clambered aboard. He lifted the canvas, secured a small keg, and placed it in the sailboat. "Spirits, I'll bet," said Andy. "They'll have a high time on board here, I suspect. Oh, my!" Andy's whole body gave an excited jerk, his eyes bulged, and he pressed his eager face close to the bars of the window.