Having lashed themselves to the hull, the four men survive the wave. They attempt to console one another as the storm continues. After the worst of it passes, Pym falls into another stupor, drifting in and out of sleep, memory, and fantasy. When he wakes, he sees that the other three are still alive, although Augustus’s injuries are serious. Facing the prospect of exposure, dehydration, and starvation, they share a momentary regret that they did not die in the storm.

They attempt to pull food or water out of the remains of the ship using an improvised fishing line made of wood and nails. When this proves unsuccessful, Peters dives into the cabin with a rope tied around his waist to look for provisions. However, he cannot stay underwater long enough to find anything. The men, feeling intense despair, pray for salvation.

Soon after the failed attempt to get food or water from the cabin, the men see a Dutch ship approaching them from about two miles away. They notice her odd, frenetic manner of sailing and assume the person at the helm has been drinking. They see a sailor standing on deck nodding and smiling at them, and they celebrate this miraculous deliverance.