Summary

The author describes how 18 years before Thornhill was brought to New South Wales the land was claimed as part of Great Britain. Its purpose was to be a prison. When Thornhill was brought up from the hold of the boat he was blinded by sunshine and noise. In the confusion his name was finally called and he was put into Sal’s custody. They were assigned a hut and given some food and blankets. Thornhill sat outside his hut and wondered why the landscape was so different in Australia from London. When he work in the morning, he wondered if the exchange he’d had with the black man that night had really happened.

Thornhill found a job quickly working on the boats for Alexander King transporting casks of liquor from the ship to another bay so they weren’t...