The Cay: Summary

The book The Cay is about a boy that was on a boat and the boat got shot by a missile. The boy was on the boat and didn't make it to a lifeboat and something hit him and he woke up on a island. On the island he seen a black man name timothy.

Then the boy father went to war on a ship and the ship got hit by a missile. Then with Phillip and his mother on board the ship S S Hato sailing away from Curacao on their way to Virginia.

Then the black man name timothy gaved the boy water to drink. Timothy was one of the only black people to remember his age. The boy and Timothy always thought that a aircraft would always past by.

Then they built a shelter to sleep in for the night. Then Timothy and the boy would eat flying fish if they went on land with them.The first night on the raft, Phillip doesn't know what to think of Timothy, because he has never known any black people. He starts to ask Timothy questions and finds out that Timothy is from the island of St. Thomas. Timothy never knew his parents and doesn't even know his exact age, although he knows he is older than sixty.

Then Timothy and Phillip have been drifting on the raft for three days.

Towards noon on the third day, Timothy says tensely that he hears a motor. Phillip listens carefully, and, sure enough, hears the far-off sound of an engine.

Then, Timothy sees an island. Phillip is so excited that he falls off the raft and into shark-infested water. Timothy jumps into the water after Phillip and saves him. Then Timothy gets a good look at the island.

Then Timothy brings the raft to land. He carries Phillip and Stew Cat ashore, and then goes to explore the island. Phillip, who is still blind, is terrified when left alone, and imperiously orders Timothy to promise not to leave him again. Phillip is angry that they have landed on an island which is uninhabited, but Timothy says that he will make a camp, catch langosta, or lobsters, for food, and that hopefully,

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Then Timothy is making a hut out of palm fronds, driftwood, and dried vines. It takes him a few hours to get a sturdy hut that is big enough for both himself and Phillip, and which is tall enough for Phillip to stand up in. He says they will weave sleeping mats the next day.

Then '' Phillip is finally able to help Timothy by showing him how to write HELP in the sand Timothy begins to make a rope that will stretch down the hill to the beach and fire pile. The rope is for Phillip to use as a guide to get around the island on his own. While he works on the rope, Timothy asks Phillip to help out by weaving sleeping mats, but Phillip petulantly refuses to work. When Timothy insists, Phillip screams insolently at him, and Timothy slaps him.

Then Timothy and Phillip have been eating food they catch from the sea fish, langosta, mussels, sea urchin eggs, and a spiny black sea creature. They tried seaweed stew and sea grape roots, but they were no good. Their only vegetable-like food is sea grape leaves.

Timothy is complaining that there have been no aircraft, and he says that the island must have a jumbi - an evil spirit. He is upset that they have no chicken, grain, or corn to use to scare off the jumbi. Phillip remembers his father telling him about voodoo, a religion that is practiced in the islands. The jumbi is part of voodoo. Phillip doesn't believe in the jumbi and tells Timothy so.

Then' Phillip says that their luck is about to get worse.One May morning, Timothy comes down with a fever. He tells Phillip it is malaria. Phillip gets him some water and puts a cool cloth on his head; he sits beside his friend, holding the cloth to his forehead. Timothy becomes delirious and raves nonsensically. Phillip talks to him throughout the morning, but Timothy does not know he is there. Around noon, Timothy stands and stumbles towards the beach.

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