The Queen Versus Billy, and Other Stories by Lloyd Osbourne
"The Queen Versus Billy, and Other Stories" by Lloyd Osbourne is a collection of short stories likely written in the late 19th century. The narratives explore themes of colonialism, justice, and the moral dilemmas faced by characters in perilous situations, with "The Queen Versus Billy" focusing on the trial of a young black man named Billy accused of murder in the Solomon Islands. This story delves into the complexities of cultural encounters
and the effects of colonial rule on both the indigenous peoples and the colonizers. The opening of "The Queen Versus Billy" introduces Captain Casement, tasked with investigating the murder of a British trader in the Solomon Islands. As he arrives at the desolate Sunflower Bay, he learns of the brutal history of violence against traders and the tensions between the colonizers and the local population. The narrative captures the captain's apprehension about administering justice and the moral complications involved in punishing a young boy, Billy, who claims culpability for the trader's murder. The story sets the stage for a courtroom drama that examines the nature of guilt and innocence in a fractured community, hinting at the deeper societal issues at play. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
The queen versus Billy -- The beautiful man of Pingalalp -- The dust of defeat -- The happiest day of his life -- Father Zosimus -- Frenchy's last job -- The devil's white man -- The phantom city -- Amatua's sailor.
Credits
E-text prepared by D A Alexander, David E. Brown, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by Internet Archive (https://archive.org)
Reading Level
Reading ease score: 74.7 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read.
