How does Mafatu overcome his major obstacles in Call It Courage?

Mafatu overcomes a number of obstacles in the book.

He endures the storm by drawing strength from the god Maui, his dog, and the albatross. He "forces himself to do something dreaded" (Chapter 3) when he takes the spearhead from the cannibals' sacrificial altar to kill the wild boar. He saves his dog and himself from the hammerhead and the octopus by fighting bravely and stabbing both opponents to death. He escapes the cannibals with the advantages of "a headstart and a light craft" which he has made himself (Chapter 5). And finally, he endures being stuck on the ocean for endless days under a cloudless, windless sky by facing death with defiance instead of fear.

What helps Mafatu regain his energy in Call It Courage?

When Mafatu’s canoe crashes into the coral reef in chapter 2 of Call It Courage, Mafatu is severely dehydrated and malnourished due to days spent on the ocean. He also sustains an injury on his right leg from banging it against the coral, yet he somehow still manages to swim to a nearby island, where he collapses on a mossy bank.

In Chapter 3, Mafatu must find several items to regain his energy. Thankfully, he literally stumbles into the most vital of these things—water—when he finds a fresh pool near the bank. He drinks deeply, and

Its cool magic stole through his tissues, bringing with it new life and restoring force. He sighed . . . relishing the strength that quickened his tired body.

After resting, Mafatu feels stronger, but must still treat his injured leg with lime juice and purau leaves, which he finds on a nearby tree.

Once his wound is tended, Mafatu discovers and follows a trail lined with several trees full of coconuts, breadfruit, wild bananas, oranges, guavas, and mangoes. He also catches sight of a wild boar and imagines killing and eating it, but opts instead to satisfy his hunger by picking the readily available fruit of a mango tree and eating his fill.