The beach of Falesa

"A suspenseful tale of intrigue in the South Seas, 'The Beach of Falesá' is distinguished, among Stevenson's works of fiction, for its realism. It pictures unregenerate human nature--the natives with their superstition and gullibility; the traders with their crudness, treachery, and degradation; the missionaries with their misguided zeal. A memorable feature of the story is the characterization of Wiltshire, a rough, uneducated man, something of a braggart, but withal a man of courage and rudimentary decency." Masterplots.