Island Nights' Entertainments

In Short

Set across the Pacific islands, this trio of short stories examines the clashes and compromises between local cultures and outside traders. A British trader in Falesá marries a local woman only to discover a treacherous trade rival using dark trickery to control the islanders. A Hawaiian man acquires a bottle that grants every earthly wish but threatens his soul with eternal damnation unless he sells it at a loss. Finally, a lazy son-in-law uncovers a sorcerer’s secret for making money from ocean shells, leading to an unwanted journey across magical waters.

The Story

In "The Beach of Falesá," John Wiltshire arrives at his new South Pacific trading post expecting an easy fortune. Guided by Case, an established rival trader, Wiltshire enters into a fraudulent marriage certificate with Uma, a local woman. Wiltshire soon discovers that Case has manipulated the villagers through elaborate fake magic, using painted masks, hidden luminous paint, and concealed harps in the woods to terrify the islanders into believing he commands evil spirits. Case turns the entire village against Wiltshire, tabooing his store and threatening his livelihood. Wiltshire eventually falls genuinely in love with Uma and seeks a legitimate marriage through a visiting missionary, Mr. Tarleton. Learning the truth about Case’s dark manipulations and his role in the deaths of previous traders, Wiltshire ventures into the bush to destroy Case’s trick-filled shrine. In a tense confrontation at night, Wiltshire blows up the false temple and kills Case in a desperate fight. Returning to civilization, Wiltshire sets up a proper life with Uma, though he remains permanently lame from his injuries.

"The Bottle Imp" follows Keawe, a native Hawaiian who purchases a mysterious milk-white bottle containing an imp. The bottle grants any wish, but if its owner dies while possessing it, their soul goes to hell. The catch requires selling the bottle for less than its purchase price, using physical currency. Keawe wishes for a grand home on the Kona coast, which he receives after his uncle dies and leaves him an inheritance. He sells the bottle to his friend Lopaka, but years later, after contracting leprosy, Keawe tracks down the bottle to cure himself. By now, the bottle's price has plummeted to two cents. Keawe buys it, heals his disease, and marries his beloved, Kokua. Realizing his soul is trapped because he cannot find a smaller denomination in American currency, he falls into despair. Kokua learns his secret and travels with him to Tahiti to sell the bottle for French centimes. Out of devotion, Kokua secretly buys the bottle herself through an intermediary to save Keawe. When Keawe discovers her sacrifice, he arranges for a drunken boatswain to buy it from her, intending to buy it back and accept damnation for her sake. However, the boatswain, already convinced he is bound for hell, refuses to sell the bottle back, leaving Keawe and Kokua free to live happily together.

In "The Isle of Voices," Keola lives a lazy life in Molokai with his wife, Lehua. He discovers that his father-in-law, Kalamake, is a powerful wizard who uses a magical mat to travel invisibly to a distant island, gathering sea shells that turn into silver dollars. Keola tries to blackmail Kalamake into sharing the wealth, but the sorcerer trick-transports him onto the mysterious Isle of Voices and abandons him. Keola encounters cannibalistic inhabitants and invisible magic on the island. After surviving a battle between the wizard and local islanders, Keola is rescued by a passing vessel and reunited with Lehua.

How It Unfolds

A fraudulent South Pacific union Wiltshire arrives in Falesá and is tricked by Case into accepting a fake marriage contract with Uma, an island girl shunned by the locals.

Uncovering the rival's tricks Wiltshire discovers that Case uses concealed instruments, luminous paint, and forged charms in the forest to terrorize the islanders and destroy his trading competition.

A stand in the bush With the help of a missionary and Uma, Wiltshire marches into the woods to destroy Case’s hidden shrine, resulting in a deadly nighttime fight that ends Case’s reign.

The curse of the bottle Keawe buys a magic bottle that grants his wish for a grand house, but he must sell it at a loss before he dies to avoid eternal damnation.

A desperate sacrifice After repurchasing the bottle at two cents to cure his leprosy, Keawe faces damnation until his wife Kokua secretly buys the bottle in Tahiti to save him.

Escaping the imp Keawe tries to buy the bottle back from a drunken boatswain to save Kokua, but the boatswain keeps the imp for himself, freeing the couple from the curse.

The wizard's secret Keola discovers his father-in-law Kalamake using a flying mat to collect shells on a distant shore and turn them into silver money.

Trapped on the magic island Kalamake abandons Keola on the Isle of Voices, forcing him to navigate a strange world of invisible spirits and local conflicts before finding a way home.

The People

• John Wiltshire: A pragmatic English trader who initially views island customs with cynical detachment. He wants to secure a profitable trade station in Falesá, but his character matures when he rejects his own deceptive contract and commits fully to protecting Uma.
• Uma: A gentle island woman isolated by her community due to Case’s deceitful taboos. She seeks honest love and protection, proving fiercely loyal to Wiltshire when she braves the dangerous bush to stand by him.
• Case: A cruel and cunning trade competitor who uses fraudulent sorcery, mechanical tricks, and psychological terror to control the islanders and eliminate rival traders.
• Keawe: A brave Hawaiian man who desires earthly prosperity and a happy home. His love for Kokua drives him to risk his soul by repurchasing the imp’s bottle to cure his leprosy.
• Kokua: Keawe’s educated and brave wife who refuses to let her husband suffer eternal damnation, willingly purchasing the cursed bottle herself to bear his punishment.
• Keola: A lazy Hawaiian husband who seeks an easy life without hard labor. His greed leads him to pry into his father-in-law’s sorcery, resulting in his terrifying exile on a magical island.
• Kalamake: Keola’s intimidating father-in-law, a secretive wizard who uses dark arts to coin false money from sea shells.

In Its Own Voice

“This is to certify that Uma, daughter of Fa’avao of Falesá, Island of ——, is illegally married to Mr. John Wiltshire for one week, and Mr. John Wiltshire is at liberty to send her to hell when he pleases.” Case writes out a cruel, fake marriage certificate on a ledger page to deceive Uma on her wedding night.

“With a box of tools and a few mighty simple contrivances he had made out to have a devil of a temple.” Wiltshire inspects Case's hidden lair in the bush and realizes how simple tricks were used to deceive the islanders.

“Now I shall know the truth upon another point.” Keawe tests the strange nature of the magic bottle after selling it for sixty dollars and finding it returned to his chest.

What It's Really About

The collection investigates the destructive forces of colonial greed, deceit, and the corruption of human desires. Across all three stories, material wealth gained through trickery or magic carries severe moral consequences. Case's exploitation of local beliefs in Falesá mirrors the larger pattern of imperial commerce exploiting local populations for profit. In "The Bottle Imp," the pursuit of instant riches through supernatural means traps the owner in a cycle of fear and inescapable guilt. The stories suggest that true redemption and safety cannot be bought with money or acquired through cunning; they require genuine self-sacrifice, honesty, and love between human beings.

Why Read It Today

This collection stands out for its vivid Pacific atmosphere and its refusal to rely on idealized, romanticized tropes about island life. Readers who enjoy suspense, dark folklore, and complex moral dilemmas will find these stories engaging. The narrative prose balances tense action with sharp observation, depicting trade environments where European newcomers and native residents navigate power dynamics, cultural clashes, and shared human weaknesses.

The stories do present specific period challenges. The dialogue includes nineteenth-century colonial attitudes, offensive slurs, and phonetic renderings of island dialects that reflect the prejudices of the era. Wiltshire’s early cynical perspective requires patience from modern readers, though his character develops past those initial prejudices. Readers who navigate these historical elements will discover a rich, grounded exploration of moral choices, self-sacrifice, and the real cost of human greed.