Kidnapped: Chapter 14 Summary & Analysis

Cold, soaked, and alone, David spends his first hours on Earraid wandering barefoot across the beach to stay warm, then climbs a hill to search for signs of the ship—but sees only empty sea. Hoping to find shelter or help, he sets off across the land but finds himself blocked by a deep creek. He returns to the beach to fetch the wooden beam that saved his life, hoping to use it to cross, but he finds it has drifted out to sea. Exhausted, he collapses and weeps. With no food but mollusks and snails scraped from the rocks, he eats them raw and gets sick. It rains endlessly. David’s clothes rot, his body weakens, and his money—once nearly 50 pounds—is mostly lost due to a hole in his pocket. Still, glimpses of smoke on the nearby island of Mull keep his hope alive.

On the third day, the rain finally stops, and David dries off on a rocky outcrop. He spots a boat and calls out for help, but the two fishermen onboard only laugh and sail away. Devastated, he breaks down completely. The next morning, the same boat returns with a third man who tries—badly—to speak English. After much confusion, David realizes the man is telling him that Earraid is only cut off at high tide, and at low tide, he can wade across. Fueled by a new burst of energy, David sprints back across the island and finally crosses the creek to the mainland, drenched and staggering but free at last.