Phillip is terrified when Timothy leaves him alone to "fetch langosta" for them to roast.  The noises around him are magnified, and he hears "the palm fronds above...rattl(ing) in the breeze, and...other noises from the underbrush".  Phillip knows that Stew Cat is "around somewhere", but he doesn't thinkg the noises are caused by him.  Phillip knows that "being unable to see...(makes) all the sounds so (much more) frightening".  He figures that if you are born blind, it would not be as bad, because you would have grown up "knowing each sound and what it means".

Philip is also worried about snakes and scorpions.  He knows that they are plentiful on the Caribbean islands, and that they are deadly.  He wonders if there are any on their particular cay. 

Once, Phillip thinks he hears an aircraft overhead, and he beings yelling for Timothy to come back.  Phillip is afraid that he might miss the chance to alert the imagined plane and effect their rescue.  Timothy does not return, however, and Phillip concludes that "he couldn't hear because of water noise on the reef".

When Timothy finally does return, Phillip sullenly gives him the silent treatment because of his anger that the older man had gone to get the langosta without him.  Timothy responds by remarking softly that Phillip can act like "an outrageous mahn if (he) likes, but 'ere (Timothy) is all (he's) got.  With this comment, Timothy has identified Phillip's greatest fear.  If anything were to happen to Timothy, Phillip would be stranded on a remote cay with little knowledge about how to survive on his own, alone and blind (Chapter 8).