Excitement might have been found in following bear or deer, but he knew too well ever to have expected them on an island in summer seas.
There was some sport in fishing.

Plenty of tackle had been found among the ship's stores, and he caught good fish in the larger lake.

He also tried deep sea fishing from the dinghy, but the big fellows bit so fast that it soon ceased to be of interest.

The fish, though, added freshness and variety to his larder, and he also found shellfish, good and wholesome when eaten in small quantities, along the shore.
He went often to the highest hill in the center of the island, where he would spend long periods, examining the sea from horizon to horizon with his strong glasses, searching vainly for a sail.

He thought once of keeping a mighty bonfire burning every night, but he reconsidered it when he reflected on the character of the ship that it might draw.
Both the Bahamas and the West Indies--he did not know in which group he was--swarmed then with lawless craft.