Three destitute men steal a schooner. They drink the cargo of champagne and try to steal a treasure trove of pearls from a local slave-owning trader.

The second of two dramatisations of Robert Louis Stevenson's gripping novellas set in Samoa and written while he lived there. Starring David Tennant.

At the height of his powers, Stevenson tackled the most pressing theme on the islands - the vicious effects of colonialism including slavery, racism, sexual exploitation and the conflict between traditional and modern values. The subjects are as vivid today as in 1894 and these compelling and violent stories feature some of the most driven, dangerous and obsessive characters in fiction. Joseph Conrad drew on these novellas for Heart of Darkness.

Narrator - David Tennant
Captain John Davis - Stanley Townsend
Herrick - Rupert Evans
Huish - Charles Davies
Attwater - Nick Sampson

Dramatised by Jane Rogers
Director: Clive Brill

A Brill production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in December 2016. Show less