Âmona; The Child; And The Beast; And Others

On a Samoan plantation, the cook Âmona endures the cruelty of his employer, Armitage, while remaining deeply attached to the man's young son and his mother. Denison, who helps manage Armitage's business, witnesses both the household's suffering and the affection that sustains it. Louis Becke gives this opening story its emotional centre through Âmona's care for the child, set against the owner's drinking, insults and harsh treatment of those around him.

The collection also turns to a household alarm in ‘The Snake and the Bell’ and to observations of Pacific wildlife in ‘South Sea Notes’. A mysterious ringing bell draws frightened children outside, while the notes describe birds around a remote trading station on New Britain's Gazelle Peninsula. These changes of subject offer readers a compact sample of Becke's storytelling and close attention to island life, from troubled personal relationships to the habits of cockatoos and pigeons.