Standing there confused in the grim silence, unable for the instant to determine how to advance in the dark, he could hear the rapid beating of his own heart, and the continuous lap of waves outside.

God! how sodden the deck felt under foot; what a sickening swell hurled the craft, and such stillness! If the girl was aboard why did she not cry out?
Surely she must have heard that noise, the rain of blows, the crunch of wood.
He stood, crouched, listening intently for something to guide him in the right direction.

And yet, even if Natalie had heard, what reason would the girl have to suspect the truth?
Likely enough she was sound asleep, completely worn out, and with no knowledge of what had occurred on board.
It was only the sound of that voice speaking loudly in the boat alongside which had aroused him.

She had no reason to suspect desertion, no occasion to believe any other prisoner than herself was aboard.

The noise of crashing wood, even if it awoke her, would have no special meaning to her mind, only perhaps to add to her terror.