In the open boat what does the first man they see on shore do?

In Stephen Crane's "The Open Boat," the first man the sailors spot on shore is a lighthouse keeper. He stands on the beach and watches the men in the boat, but he does not immediately rush to help them. Instead, he appears to be indifferent or unaware of their plight, which underscores the themes of isolation and the indifference of nature in the story. The men's desperate situation contrasts sharply with the man's passive observation.