diff --git a/src/util/container.jam b/src/util/container.jam
index 406dbc70b..a37a50c0d 100644
--- a/src/util/container.jam
+++ b/src/util/container.jam
@@ -6,9 +6,6 @@
 
 # Various container classes.
 
-import "class" : * ;
-
-
 # Base for container objects. This lets us construct recursive structures. That
 # is containers with containers in them, specifically so we can tell literal
 # values from node values.
@@ -45,12 +42,12 @@ class node
 #
 class vector : node
 {
-    import numbers : range ;
+    import numbers ;
     import utility ;
     import sequence ;
 
     rule __init__ (
-      values * # Initial contents of vector.
+        values *  # Initial contents of vector.
     )
     {
         node.__init__ ;
@@ -80,7 +77,7 @@ class vector : node
     rule at (
         index  # The element index, one based.
         : *  # Additional indices to access recursively.
-        )
+    )
     {
         local r = $(self.value[$(index)]) ;
         if $(2)
@@ -97,7 +94,7 @@ class vector : node
     rule get-at (
         index  # The element index, one based.
         : *  # Additional indices to access recursively.
-        )
+    )
     {
         local r = $(self.value[$(index)]) ;
         if $(2)
@@ -112,7 +109,7 @@ class vector : node
     #
     rule push-front (
         value  # Value to become first element.
-        )
+    )
     {
         self.value = $(value) $(self.value) ;
     }
@@ -128,8 +125,8 @@ class vector : node
     # Add the given value at the end of the vector.
     #
     rule push-back (
-        value # Value to become back element.
-        )
+        value  # Value to become back element.
+    )
     {
         self.value += $(value) ;
     }
@@ -150,7 +147,7 @@ class vector : node
     rule insert (
         index  # The index to insert at, one based.
         : value  # The value to insert.
-        )
+    )
     {
         local left = $(self.value[1-$(index)]) ;
         local right = $(self.value[$(index)-]) ;
@@ -165,9 +162,9 @@ class vector : node
     # not specifying an end is equivalent to the [start, start] range.
     #
     rule erase (
-        start  # Index of first element ro remove.
+        start  # Index of first element to remove.
         end ?  # Optional, index of last element to remove.
-        )
+    )
     {
         end ?= $(start) ;
         local left = $(self.value[1-$(start)]) ;
@@ -195,23 +192,12 @@ class vector : node
     #
     rule empty ( )
     {
-        if ! $(self.value)
+        if ! $(self.value)-is-defined
         {
             return true ;
         }
     }
 
-    # Returns the list of all valid indices for this vector.
-    #
-    rule indices ( )
-    {
-        if ! [ empty ]
-        {
-            local size = [ size ] ;
-            return [ range 1 : $(size) ] $(size) ;
-        }
-    }
-
     # Returns the textual representation of content.
     #
     rule str ( )
@@ -220,7 +206,6 @@ class vector : node
     }
 
     # Sorts the vector inplace, calling 'utility.less' for comparisons.
-    # NOTE: this rule is unused at the moment.
     #
     rule sort ( )
     {
@@ -233,9 +218,10 @@ class vector : node
     rule equal ( another )
     {
         local mismatch ;
-        if [ size ] = [ $(another).size ]
+        local size = [ size ] ;
+        if $(size) = [ $(another).size ]
         {
-            for local i in [ indices ]
+            for local i in [ numbers.range 1 $(size) ]
             {
                 if ! [ utility.equal [ at $(i) ] [ $(another).at $(i) ] ]
                 {
@@ -262,12 +248,11 @@ local rule __test__ ( )
     import "class" : new ;
 
     local v1 = [ new vector ] ;
+    assert.true $(v1).empty ;
     assert.result 0 : $(v1).size ;
-    assert.result : $(v1).indices ;
     assert.result "[" "]" : $(v1).str ;
     $(v1).push-back b ;
     $(v1).push-front a ;
-    assert.result 1 2 : $(v1).indices ;
     assert.result "[" a b "]" : $(v1).str ;
     assert.result a : $(v1).front ;
     assert.result b : $(v1).back ;
@@ -321,13 +306,16 @@ local rule __test__ ( )
     assert.true $(v6).equal [ new vector [ new vector 1 2 3 ] ] ;
 
     local v7 = [ new vector 111 222 333 ] ;
+    assert.true $(v7).equal $(v7) ;
     $(v7).insert 4 : 444 ;
     assert.result 111 222 333 444 : $(v7).get ;
     $(v7).insert 999 : xxx ;
     assert.result 111 222 333 444 xxx : $(v7).get ;
 
     local v8 = [ new vector "" "" "" ] ;
+    assert.true $(v7).equal $(v7) ;
     assert.result 3 : $(v8).size ;
+    assert.false $(v8).empty ;
     $(v8).insert 2 : 222 ;
     assert.result 4 : $(v8).size ;
     assert.result "" 222 "" "" : $(v8).get ;
@@ -337,4 +325,10 @@ local rule __test__ ( )
     $(v8).insert 999 : xxx ;
     assert.result 6 : $(v8).size ;
     assert.result "" 222 "" "" "" xxx : $(v8).get ;
+
+    # Regression test for a bug causing vector.equal to compare only the first
+    # and the last element in the given vectors.
+    local v9 = [ new vector 111 xxx 222 ] ;
+    local v10 = [ new vector 111 yyy 222 ] ;
+    assert.false $(v9).equal $(v10) ;
 }