No one had reason to believe he was aboard the Seminole; not even McAdams.  If it was to their interest to get him permanently out of the way—­if Hobart had so decided—­what simpler method could be found than the sinking of the yacht?  The very crew might be innocent of the purpose, dupes of the conspiracy; they might even be unaware of his presence aboard, and deceived by Hogan into the belief that the vessel had opened a seam, and must sink shortly, would take to the boat without suspecting any one was left behind.  They could so testify in all honesty if any question ever arose.  The very simplicity of the scheme meant safety; yet the possibility of such cold blooded murder had never before occurred to him.  Unknown! without a trace left; only a boat crew landing somewhere on the coast at dawn, and scattering to the four winds.  It was a plot infernal.

West stopped, his hands clinched, his heart seeming to stop its pulsing.  But if Natalie Coolidge was also prisoner on board, what of her?  Wasn’t that the very thing most probable?  Of course it was; how foolish he had been.  These men, recklessly criminal, as they were, would never sacrifice the yacht, and risk their own lives, 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.