In the South Seas by Robert Louis Stevenson

This is a delightful collection of travel stories. At first I was a somewhat disinterested reader. Then I realized that I was looking for action; when I recognized the magic of his descriptions and that this was his purpose and zeal, I began to read in a different light. He describes topography, local two-bit kings, languages and customs. Naturally Eurocentric, he avoids chauvinism by deep interest, thinly veiled compassion, and a more deeply veiled almost encrypted faith. Unspoken but obvious, his honesty and good will bonded him to those he met. He is somewhat critical of missionaries but in awe of them as well. His description of the Hawaiian leper colony is moving and dramatic. The more I read, the more entranced I became with the South Seas. Stevenson is weaving the web that trapped him.