AustLit

'Lord Douglas' is unpopular in Bourke, where his aristocratic ways bring him into conflict with the union men. However the same union men care for his wife and children when he is jailed for two years, and even take up a collection when he is released.

Dave Regan and his gang of workers try to pass off a girder as ironbark, as specified in their contract, but the government inspector seems suspicious.

The hard men of Bourke are drawn to the pretty young Salvation Army girl who moves to their town. They are surprised by her reaction to Jack Moonlight, a swagman, who turns out to be her former lover.

Andy shoots a hairy Scotsman who he mistakes for the Hairy Man, a legendary creature who supposedly roams the Blue Mountains.

Harry runs a mail coach and is worried that Mac is trying to steal his business. After Mac is hypnotised by a travelling showman, Harry seizes the opportunity to scare him away.

Dave and Jim drive a secret shaft under a cemetery where they've discovered signs of gold. When Mother Middleton uncovers their workings, however, the men must flee for their lives.

The narrator describes a fellow lodger, Mr Smellingscheck, who has fallen on hard times but still manages to retain his dignity.

When he receives his monthly wage Johnson begins a week-long drinking spree, much to the disgust of his wife.

The narrator's vicious dog chases away the ghost of a convict.

Uncle Abel is a stubborn man who causes confusion and heartache when he mistakenly accuses his great-niece's lover of being unfaithful.

Mrs Aspinall is faced with debts she is unable to pay, including repairs to her rented house in Jones's Alley. Her landlord takes her to court and she is found liable for the debt. Bill Anderson, the former workmate of her deceased son Arvie, comes to her rescue and helps her escape the bailiff and the loss of her few possessions.

The narrator spends a night in a prison cell for being drunk and disorderly. There he meets an assortment of down-on-their-luck characters.

A swagman named Previous Convictions thinks his mate has gone mad when he sees him yelling at a tree in the moonlight, cursing it for causing everything that has gone wrong in his life.

The narrator's parents were kind to a Chinese gardener who was injured when his cart was involved in an accident. Years later, the gardener's son repays the kindness when he discovers that the narrator is in financial difficulties.

Joe Wilson puts off buying a buggy for his long-suffering wife Mary. A trip to town and an encounter with Mary's former lover changes his mind.