In the wake of Cozens’s death, carpenter John Cummins proposes salvaging the Wager’s longboat and enlarging it into an “ark” to escape. Captain Cheap, shaken yet eager for redemption, drives the effort. Men cut into the wreck to free the boat, haul it ashore, and begin a radical rebuild under Cummins. With Oram coaxed back from the seceders to assist, the crew scrounges timber, nails, canvas, rigging, and caulking while starvation and cold sap their strength.

Despite malnutrition and squalls, Cummins lengthens and reframes the hull, improvising fastenings as supplies dwindle. A rogue wave nearly carries off the skeletal frame, but the men save it and press on. Privately, Cheap studies charts and imagines sailing the ark and smaller boats to Chiloé to seize a Spanish trader, rejoin Anson, and resume the mission.

Bulkeley, seeking survival over glory, borrows Byron’s Narborough to chart a route through the Strait of Magellan and north to neutral Brazil, where aid might return them to England. Navigators, including Master Clark, agree it is their safest chance. The camp divides when Cheap announces his northern design while Bulkeley rallies support for the Magellan plan.

Bulkeley convenes a meeting; a petition favoring the Magellan-to-Brazil route is signed by most, including Pemberton, Master Clark, Campbell, and Byron. Cheap’s core remains Harvey, Elliot, Hamilton, Plastow, and Baynes. After delaying, Cheap meets Bulkeley and Cummins with Baynes present. They debate water, distance, and risk; Cummins blames Cheap’s earlier landfall; Cheap cites strict orders. Cheap hints he may consider their route but rejects limits on his command when Bulkeley demands consultative control.

The rift hardens. Cheap fortifies his hut with weapons and tries to bribe seceders with brandy; Bulkeley condemns it and arms his faction from the wreck. Cheap proposes shared Sabbath worship in Bulkeley’s quarters; Bulkeley refuses, suspecting a trap. As marines and seamen drill with muskets, Byron anticipates fratricidal combat. A violent earthquake jolts the island, closing the chapter amid escalating tensions.