The castaways had no food, and the island offered nothing. There were no animals, few edible plants, and not even any fish. Someone managed to shout a seagull, and they split it with a small amount of flour. The flour was bad, however, and made the men sick. No one wanted to wander too far away because they were scared of the natives. Some items from the wreck came ashore, including a cask of beef.

The men had no shelter either. Bulkeley decided to make the cutter into a little house, and many men gathered around a fire. The sailors murmured, blaming Cheap for their predicament. With the ship gone, they wondered if they would even get paid for their hard work. Bulkeley remained obedient but thought the captain had tried to do too much on his own instead of working with his officers.

Bulkeley led an exploration party, including Byron. At one point, Byron thought he heard a horrible growl but could not see anything. Another man thought he saw a giant beast. There was little food to find on the island, only wilderness. There seemed to be no way to escape.