ves, merely to put him out of the way. He
was not important enough for that; he was but an incident. It was an
accident which had made him a prisoner. While this was--must be--a
carefully arranged plan. The girl then must be the real victim; his own
plight arose merely because he chanced to be there, and the villains dare
not leave him alive to tell the story.

The certainty of this acted like an electric shock. He had not felt
seriously alarmed before as to his own fate. He had only been conscious
of a deep anger, a mad determination to make Hogan pay. If the _Seminole_
was sinking, and beyond doubt this was the intention of those deserters,
it was going down slowly, so slowly there would be ample time for escape.
He was not asleep, but wide awake, and far from paralyzed by the danger.
He was not the sort to give up while there was any hope left. Surely the
guard in the cabin would have departed with the others, leaving him free
to act. He could smash his way out through that door, and find something
on deck to construct a raft from. This was Lake Michigan, not the ocean,
and not many hours would pass before he was picked up. Vessels were
constantly passing, and daylight would bring rescue.

But now the task became difficult. He must find the girl, and serve her.
To his surprise, his heart beat rapidly in contemplation of the task.
Surely she must welcome his coming to her assistance now. She would be
alone, free to reveal the truth of all this strange mix-up of affairs;
perhaps the old trust, the old confidence between them would be renewed.
At least in the midst of such peril, alone on the sinking yacht, facing
possible death together, he would again discover the real Natalie
Coolidge. The hope instantly inspired action. Every minute might mean
life or death; the work must be accomplished now, if ever. The _Seminole_
was evidently deserted, the boat containing the fleeing crew already far
enough away to be beyond sound of any noise he might make. He already
felt the wallowing of the deck beneath his feet, a dead, dull feeling,
evidence enough that the deserted vessel was slowly, but surely going
down. The condition could not last long; faster and faster the water
would seep into her hold, until suddenly, without warning, perhaps, she
must go down like a stone.

All these thoughts flashed across his mind almost in an instant; there
was no hesitancy, no waste of time. His eager eyes searched the narrow
confines of th