ground, made
the two in hiding look at one another in concern.

"What in the world?" Chris murmured.

The sound, accompanied by steps, oaths, and a rhythmical drop and
shudder, continued farther along the shore. Stealthily, trying not to
shake the rushes and so show where they might be, Chris and Amos
pushed through the marsh.

The sun was setting as they came near the steps and voices. Pushing
through the reeds towards the river, Chris found that they were nearly
opposite where the _Venture_ floated, below Mr. Mason's island, and at
a desolate part of the river.

Chris gestured Amos forward, and they went on step by step until, in a
pause of the thundering dropping sound, they knew themselves to be
near its origin and parted the reeds enough to see.

There, within a few yards of them and at the edge of a hard-beaten
track from the main shore, lay a mass of cannon balls and shot for
guns of various sizes, such as are used on men-of-war. The crew of the
_Venture_, able to carry but one at a time, kept a line going from
shore to pile, and this, as they dropped the cannon balls from their
shoulders, was the sound and shaking of the ground the boys had heard
and felt. Seeing the red caps and kerchiefed heads of men above the
rushes, the boys let the reeds fall back.

"I'm going to have a look at the ship through the glass," Chris
whispered, and moved forward closer to the shore.

Parting the stalks, he trained the glass on Claggett Chew's ship. It
was a fine, rich vessel, that was evident, and swarming with activity.
At this hour of dusk, other boats along the river had stopped their
commerce for the day and there were none to observe what Claggett Chew
might be about. Chris and Amos were the only watchers.

The cannon balls and ammunition were taken out in boats and hoisted up
in nets. Chris observed everything closely, and saw still other
crewmen disappearing with their burdens down the hold. Then something
caught his eye and he examined the name along the side through the
spyglass.

Curious, thought Chris, that all the letters of the ship's name seemed
exact except the second and third. Among the other letters of carved
and gilded wood, the _E_ and _N_ were not quite as straight in line as
the rest.

Oh well, Chris thought, it's doubtless a custom of the time for all I
know.

Putting the glass in his pocket, he rejoined Amos, but as he did so
the last two sailors put down their cannon balls and wiped the s