"In some ways, I'm sorry that he (Robert Louis Stevenson) went to the South China Sea... His uncle Dr. George Balfour came to me shortly after he went to the South China Sea. He said "I doubt Louis" is going to the South China Sea. In that mild climate, it was undoubtedly good for him at first, but it was like pouring new wine into an old bottle,'Of course, this is what happened.'

Will Hickock Low said that he is a long-term close friend of RLS, returning to their fun-filled youth in France. At that time, Low and Stevenson both aspired to become what they eventually became, an artist and a writer respectively. In fact, youth is the title of a poem dedicated to this American-born friend from Albany by RLS. When Low made the above comments, he and his artist wife Mary Fairchild Low lived in Bronxville. That year was 1923. In late August, Low and his wife went to Saranac Lake to participate in the annual meeting of the Stevenson Association of the United States. Low was a guest speaker. RLS has rested in his mountain for 29 years, and his friends are still in meetings to talk about him, with words like: "His genius is so common, his philosophy is so boundless, no country can demand him; he belongs to this world ."

If Stevenson’s ghost was at Baker’s house that afternoon and listened to his old friends talking about him, he might object to Low’s comparison of him to "an old bottle." The author’s stepson Lloyd Osbourne may also question this, considering what he said in the preface of the novel "Big Waves Washing the Sand, Tusitara Edition" co-authored with RLS, this is theirs The third and final collaboration: "The just-concluded seven-month cruise (Casco Yacht, Captain Otis, June 1888-January 1889) had a wonderful impact on RLS. You can ride a bike , Long walks, eating out, and generally living a normal and healthy life. Such a climate is very harmful to the tuberculosis patients who were immediately sent away by the local doctor-but Stevenson thrived (October 1887). In Saranac Lake, Dr. EL Trudeau reported that his "outstanding patient" did not suffer from tuberculosis)... His eyes are always his most distinctive feature, always bright, no more strange The fire of illness; he took firm and light steps; although he must be thin in the eyes of others, his transformation is amazing for us. He is wearing a soft white shirt and a blue serge coat , White flannel trousers, white shoes and white yacht hat, perfectly showing the famous writer who arrived on a yacht and "dressed up the role" as the actor said, in a worthy way his dashing caravan ."

Stevenson’s next ocean voyage will be less hurried, but as exhilarating as boarding the 62-ton “piggy” trading schooner equator, taking him to the outskirts of Oceania, which was rarely explored at the time. On the eve of his departure, he wrote to Mrs. Taylor, his former neighbor in Bournemouth, England: "Our new home, the equatorial trade schooner, is driving on the buoy tonight. We are going to sea soon... I really hope you can Try to continue believing in our existence, like coral shoes throwing or walking in the Pacific Ocean vaguely... My health has not stopped for me; Fanny is better in these warm places; this is for Lloyd. Germany is very important. In terms of interest, life taste, etc., language cannot describe how interesting we are... From time to time think about us at Gilbert's house. We should have received this scrap at that time."

Assuming that Mrs. Taylor does think of her former neighbors in the Gilbert family from time to time, it is doubtful that she would think that they shared an island with a group of drunken people for several days, including the king and his police force. Historians say that when Robert Louis Stevenson lived in the Butaritari village of Great Makin, he was the closest to being murdered, and there was no guarantee of safety even if he pretended to be Queen Victoria’s son. . But he survived, and we can read about it in his book "South China Sea" if we want to.

On July 26, 1889, when the order of Da Majin Island was finally restored by King Tebureimoa (the only person who could do this), life on this coral atoll with a huge lagoon returned to what most of us might The way it was imagined on TV, movies, and National Geographic. All this left a deep impression on RLS. He wrote a letter to Washington, DC and forwarded it to US Commercial Agents, Butaritari, Gilbert Islands, Adolfric, Esq.

His description of the chaos said, “Someone unscrupulously shot and threw stones, local people (men and women) fight each other, bite and cause considerable harm to each other... I can express my personal feelings freely... …Make it a criminal offence to sell drinks to locals on independent islands."

The next stop of the Equator and its Stevenson expedition will be another Gilbert Island, Apemama. The king there, a tyrant named Tempinok, has achieved a legendary status throughout Oceania, rather than being good to others. In contrast, his special coolness makes King Tebrimoah of Da Majin more like a boy scout. Without his favorite rifle, the Winchester rifle, Tempinok would never show up. It is said that he was a sharpshooter and used his marksmanship to intimidate his subjects, more or less for fun. For extra intimidation, he always walked around with his heavily armed bodyguards. In his case, this is his harem, and he has many wives of different ages. The king also didn't like the white man, and only allowed a missionary to stay on his island and teach him some English. Then there is Robert Louis Stevenson, who hopes to live on Kings Island for a few weeks when he completes Gilbert's trip to the equator. It must be that the convincing Stevenson role at the time was fully utilized. According to his cousin Graham Balfour (Graham Balfour) in his book "Life of Robert Louis Stevenson" (Life of Robert Louis Stevenson): "However, Stevenson and his His family received special treatment only after a long inspection and two days of deliberation on the party. As a special guest of the king, he cleared a site for them and built four houses on it for their accommodation. And it is forbidden to impose the death penalty on their wells and fences in order to ban all his subjects."

In this case, who can ask for more. Temporary beach wanderers named their new living area Equator Town, and its residents soon began to write letters. Stevenson’s wife Fanny can’t wait to tell her mother-in-law that her son’s health has improved: "It would be great if you could see him!... It seems incredible, life is like a dream. If I can only take him like this It’s fine to come back to you. But even if that’s not the case, he has lived a free man’s life for a while... Seeing the joy that cannot be expressed in words is like seeing him barefoot and half-dressed, flying around. To be the same is a kind of enjoyment for you with his consistent impulse, accompanied by not being afraid of danger."

On August 22, 1889, RLS wrote again to his friend Sidney Colvin in England. In addition to other news, he also said: "I am happy to say that I will go home for the summer before June next year." Apparently Louis still thinks he will go home again.

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