The Cay

Timothy makes a hut out of driftwood and palm fronds while Phillip wonders what happened to his mother. Timothy then heads to the reef to catch langosta. Phillip, afraid of being left alone, asks to come with him, but Timothy refuses. Phillip takes this refusal as a sign that Timothy does not like him and is not to be trusted. When Timothy returns with three langosta, Phillip refuses to talk to him. Timothy reminds Phillip that on the island, “I’m all you got” (61). That night, Timothy seems to be very tired and in pain. When Phillip asks him his age again, he says he is over 70.

In the morning, Timothy builds a signal fire that can be lit at any time if an aircraft should pass overhead. The two of them also write “HELP” on the sand using rocks. Phillip has to write the letters in the sand so that Timothy can create the message. Phillip is shocked to realize that Timothy cannot read or write, and this knowledge makes Phillip feel superior to Timothy.