That fire went out causing the sailors on the ship to not see the flame so then they wouldn’t be saved. Seeing a ship pass by the island is pretty rare since there was a war going out at the time, but being stranded on an island is much worse because survivability is at risk and is also harder for the boys. “There’s another thing. We can help them find us. If a ship comes near the island they may not notice us. So we must make smoke on top of the mountain. We must make a fire.” (Golding 34) The kids were being serious and wanted to escape the island with