LOTF: Before and After

Phase 2: Chapter 2

As much as Ralph continued to insist he wasn't 'in charge' per say while they remained on the island, he continued to act as the manager of the group. Jack, Ralph and the other 7th and 8th graders lead the others up the hill the following day to set up the fire they'd keep going at all times. Ralph separated each of the boys into partners or threes and each group would have a turn on fire watch, and switch off on a hourly basis. The assigned pair's job was to ensure the fire wouldn't go out, by throwing more logs and sticks onto it to keep it lit at all times during their watch.

"How are we gonna get the fire going, sir?" little Mikey asked Jack as they headed up the hill.

"I know what I'm doing, trust me" Jack insisted. He never gave the boy a direct answer.

When all the cadets reached the top of the hill, they gathered sticks and logs and tossed them into a pile several feet away from the tree. Jack began rubbing the sticks together to ignite a flame, to no avail. Others tried to step in and offer help, but Jack refused as he continued to work at it alone, blurting out a spur of curses words.

When Jack and Piggy got into another fight, an idea popped into Ralph's head.

"Wait a minute" he piped up, "Piggy give me your glasses" he requested as he took them off the chubby boy's face.

"Hey, give those back!" Piggy snatched at him.

"Trust me" Ralph assured him as he bent down and held the glare of the glasses against the wood, the sun reflecting directly through. It took a moment, but eventually there was fire.

The boys started screaming and chanting with joy as the fire continued to grow. When it didn't stop spreading beyond their wood pile, everyone started to panic as Jack, Ralph and the older boys began stomping on the spreading flames and smacking it with their uniform jackets in attempt to control it. Eventually it spread to the tree, and most of the boys had started their way down the hill to stay safe.

It wasn't long before the fire died out, as there was nowhere for it continue to spread. Jack and Ralph sent the others down the hill as the two gathered more firewood to relight it, knowing that it had already burned up everything it could.

"Piggy and Percy can take the first watch" Ralph told Jack as they piled up the wood. "No point in sending anyone up here without Piggy's glasses to get it going."

"Fine with me. But it'd be easier if we just took the damn things from him" Jack laughed to himself.

"Piggy needs his glasses" Ralph argued.

"Whatever" Jack rolled his eyes. "This ought to be enough wood."

"Go send for Piggy and Percy before the sun goes down. I'll wait here and light it when they get here" Ralph requested of Jack.

"You got it, colonel" Jack nodded as he made his way down the hill.

And with that, the fire watch rotation began. An hour or so later, Tony and Larry relieved Piggy and Percival from the watch. Throughout the night, each group memorized when it was their turn to go up the hill and relieve the others.

Over the course of the first week on the island, everyone was good about taking their turn on fire watch and ensuring it kept going day and night. Most of the boys, especially the little ones, continued to look to Ralph for survival and leadership. Jack took role as second to Ralph, just as he would have as lieutenant colonel had they made it to the Menwith Hill Station base in England. Ralph and Jack worked as a team, leaning on each other for support and to discuss ideas on how to hunt pigs, search fruit and other food sources, maintain the tree-made shelters, and manage the worries and fears of the other boys.