When she rose again, keel uppermost, Elias, Bernt, and the twelve-year-old Martin still held on to the willow bands.

But the third brother was gone.
The first thing to be done now was to cut the shrouds on one side, so that the mast could float beside them, instead of greatly adding to the unsteadiness of the boat underneath; and the next to get up on to the rolling keel and knock the plug in, which would let out the air underneath, so that the boat could lie still.

After great exertion they succeeded in this, and then Elias, who was the first to get on to the keel, helped the others up too.
And there they sat through the long winter night, clinging convulsively with hands and knees to the keel over which the waves washed again and again.
After two or three hours had passed, Martin whom his father had supported as well as he could the whole time, died of exhaustion, and slipped down into the sea.

They had already tried calling out for help several times, but gave it up, because they saw it was of no use.
While Elias and Bernt sat alone upon the overturned boat, Elias said to his son that he was quite sure he himself would go to "be with mother," but he had strong hopes that Bernt might yet be saved, if he only held out like a man.

Then he told him of the goblin he had wounded in the back with the halibut pike, and how it had revenged itself upon him, and would not give up "until they were quits." It was about nine in the morning, when the dawn began to show grey.