two o'clock in the
afternoon
Ten minutes later the pilot gave the word to be ready to anchor ; the engines were stopped and then sent astern , and a minute afterwards , the yacht having been brought to a standstill , the anchor was let go , and the voyagers found themselves riding in a fine , snug harbour , absolutely safe in all weathers , and perfectly screened from the view of anything and everything that might chance to pass outside . No sooner was the anchor down than the creek abreast which the yacht was moored began to swarm with boats of all shapes and sizes , which came hurrying out to receive and transfer to the shore the cases of arms , ammunition , dynamite , lead , and supplies of all kinds which lay snugly stowed away beneath the floors of the ship 's saloons ; while the entire strength of the yacht 's crew was employed upon the task of breaking out the packages and conveying them on deck . The boats ' crews were all coloured men , and mostly negroes ; but in the leading boat there came a mulatto bearing a letter from Rabi , the then leader of the insurgents , to Don Hermoso , authorising the bearer , one Jose Seguin , to receive the contraband , which was now passed down into the boats with all possible speed , as a rumour had reached the place that a strong body of Spanish troops was in the neighbourhood , and might make its appearance at any moment . It did not turn up , however , and by two o'clock in the afternoon every scrap of incriminating material was out of the yacht and on its way to the headquarters of the insurgents , somewhere up in the Organ Mountains . Every scrap , that is to say , except the four 12-pound quick-firers and the two Maxims , with their store of ammunition , which constituted the armament of the yacht . These weapons had not thus far been mounted , it having been deemed inadvisable to make so unusual a display as that of an armed yacht in the harbour of Key West , lest undue attention should be attracted to the vessel , and inconvenient questions asked . But now , by Milsom 's advice , they got the weapons up and mounted them , so that , in the event of the vessel being searched by the Spanish authorities , there should be nothing in the nature of concealed weapons on board to afford an excuse for the making of trouble .