Jim feels a need to get away from the others in the lull after the pirate attack, so he sneaks off into the woods. He borrows Ben Gunn's coracle, a small, round boat that is hard to maneuver. Without telling anyone what he is doing, he heads for the Hispaniola.

As Jim maneuvers closer to the ship, he hears the voices of two mutineers he recognizes, Hands and Red Nightcap. They have been drinking heavily, and Jim realizes they are fighting. Managing to climb a cord, Jim peeks into the boat and realizes the two are caught up in a deadly fight, each with a hand on the other one's throat.

This explains why the two men have not noticed that Jim has cut the ship adrift: they are preoccupied with their quarrel with each other.

Jim drops back into his small coracle. Unfortunately, the sea is high, and he loses control of the little boat. He is frightened as he drifts towards shore, where pirates are singing. Fearing he will be seen, Jim ducks down into the coracle and leaves his fate in the hands of providence, as he can no longer steer. He eventually falls asleep and dreams of his far away home and the Admiral Bellow.