AustLit

Dedication: Immortalized in tablets of stone rather than in the literature of his country, Hamilton Hume, the man, stays hidden in the mists of time. This novel is written to bring him back, for Australians to relive his youth, share his loves and hates, tramp beside him, quarrel with him if need be, but, above all, to share in his triumphs. To his memory, as a great Australian, I dedicate this book. F. O'G.

Foreword by Stuart H. Hume, President, Goulburn and District Historical Society. 19 November 1957. 'It is not a tome for the historian and research officer, but for those who like their history seasoned with plausible fiction and bound with the purple ribbon of romance....Yes, all the characters in this book really lived-even Scotchy in his nameless grave at the Narrawa. Without a doubt this story contains so much that is true that even those with more than a little knowledge of the history of the Southern Tablelands will have difficulty in noting just where facts make their exits and entrances...This book takes us as far as the 1840s when Hamilton Hume was in his prime and, although his exploring days were over, his work for his native land was far from finished, but that's another story.'