Thus, he met the horrible giant squid. From that point on, he was always fearful of being pulled down into the dark depths and ripped to shreds by this brutal creature. The squid had sharp, hooked claws embedded in the suckers of its mighty tentacles. The thought of having his skin shredded as he was pulled down into the abyss kept him away from the sea for a few days, but starvation began to make him seek fish in the shallow cove on the island. There was a blue-black ribbon of deep water, a bottomless ravine that marked the beginning of the monster's territory. He avoided it, with a shudder and sometimes envisioned it in his nightmares.

The most horrible trial did not come from beneath the waves though. It came one dark night in the form of four escaped convicts. They had been pirates, vile and murderous men, who had been captured and were on their way to the home country to be hanged. They had killed several of their captors and stole the longboat from the navy frigate, making their way to the lonely island for provisions and water.