When Patrol Officer Alistair Cawdor commits suicide on a small island off New Guinea a colonial inquest is launched. Five witnesses are called to give testimony- the government interpreter, the territory's cadet officer, a planter who claims ownership of the island, one of his servants and the son of the local chief. Each has a disturbing story to tell. Cawdor's secret past will eventually be put together, piece by damning piece. But what of the ominous newcomer Metusela, and the unidentified visitant that has inspired a cargo cult? First published in 1979, Randolph Stow's novel Visitants was informed by the author's own time in the Trobriand Islands two decades earlier. It is one of the most potent examinations of Australian colonialism. 'A brilliant, ambitious novel.' Sydney Morning Herald 'Tautly and vibrantly written, and brilliantly evocative of its Trobriand Islands setting.' Australian Book Review