As life on the beach starts to develop a routine, the boys try to escape the noontime heat in the shade, where they begin to see mirages out on the water. The littluns play in the sand during the day, and seem to occupy themselves well, although they cry often at night, are extremely dirty, and have chronic diarrhea from eating only fruit from the fruit trees. As the littluns build sand castles, Roger and Maurice come out of the woods, and with Roger leading, walk through some of their creations, laughing and stomping.
A little while after, Roger watches Henry, the biggest of the littluns, as he pokes with a stick at tiny ocean creatures on the shoreline. He begins to throw stones around Henry, while hiding behind a tree, but does not hit him. He is still used to the old English civilization, where figures like parents and police protect little children. Jack calls for Roger through the woods, and leads him to a small pool, where he is using clay to cover his face and make a mask. He excitedly explains that some of the boys are going on a hunt, where they will try to kill a pig, and that Roger should join.
As Ralph, Simon, Maurice and Piggy relax by the swimming hole, Ralph starts to realize why he dislikes Piggy. All of a sudden, he jumps up, pointing to the horizon and yelling about smoke- he sees a ship. In a panic, the boys realize that whoever was in charge of the fire on top of the mountain let it die out, and there is no more smoke for the ship to see. Without smoke on top of the mountain, the ship can not come and rescue the boys. In a sprint, still naked, the boys start to run to the mountain, but Piggy soon falls behind. When he reaches the creepers, Ralph realizes that he needs Piggy’s specs to light the fire, but Piggy is still slowly trying to catch up at the beach. Ralph realizes that it is too late, and the boys missed their opportunity to be rescued. Then, he sees the group of hunters emerging from the woods, chanting “Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Spill her blood.”
Jack, leading the group, excitedly explains to Ralph that they killed a pig, gutted her, and are going to roast her and have a feast. After Ralph repeatedly states that Jack let the fire go out, the hunters finally realize that there was a ship, and the mood deflates in the group. A verbal fight emerges between Jack and Ralph, with Ralph furious that people defied his orders as Chief to always keep the fire running, and Jack saying that he needed everyone to participate in the hunt to kill the pig. Piggy complains that the hunters are immature, and Jack slaps Piggy so hard that he breaks the lens of one side of his glasses. After yelling, Jack admits to Ralph that he was wrong, which gains the admiration of the group, but he never apologizes to Piggy.
All of the boys roast the pig, and the somber mood disappears, until the boys start to eat. Everyone gets a piece of meat from Jack except for Piggy, who is told that he didn’t hunt so he can’t eat. When Piggy points out that Simon and Ralph didn’t hunt either but they are eating, Simon gives his piece to Piggy, and Jack, furious, gives another piece to Simon. He yells at the boys, telling them they should all eat and be thankful for him supplying the meal. The mood turns somber, and Ralph announces that he is calling a meeting at the platform, even if it has to continue into the dark.