The Stevensons later returned to Scotland and reconciled with his parents. It was during this time back in Edinburgh that many of his most famous works were written and published. Of particular note to golfers is his short story The Pavilion On The Links, which was set in the land around Muirfield and Gullane.
After his father died in 1887, Stevenson set off with his family (including his mother) to sail around the South Seas, collecting material for a proposed book. In 1889, they arrived in Apia, the capital and port of Samoa, decided to stay and purchased 400 acres on the hills in Vailima, building a home there.
The climate suited Stevenson and he was possibly healthier and happier than at any time in his life. Free from distractions, he produced what are now considered his mature works, including The Weir of Hermiston, hailed by many as his masterpiece. The Samoans warmly welcomed this celebrity in their midst, bestowing the title of Tusitalia, or “The Teller of Tales”, upon him.
Tragically, in 1894, aged 44 and at the height of his powers, he died suddenly of a cerebral hemorrhage. Following his express wishes, he was buried on top of nearby Mount Vaea, overlooking the sea. Inscribed on his tomb is his “Requiem”, as he requested:
Under the wide and starry sky,
Dig the grave and let me lie.
Glad did I live and gladly die,
And I laid me down with a will.
This be the verse you grave for me:
Here he lies where he longed to be;
Home is the sailor, home from the sea,
And the hunter home from the hill.
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