something happened to the yacht which forced it to sink and the 3 individuals and the cabin boy were forced into a lifeboat and drifted in the lifeboat for around 20 days in the open sea during that time they had a couple of one pound cans of turnips to eat, they caught a turtle and ate that one day but they were quickly running out of food they had no water other than just a very small amount they could occasionally capture from rain out on the ocean and they were all dying the decision was made by one of the members that they should kill and eat the cabin boy that was on board the life boat, at this point the cabin boy was close to death. 