AustLit

Scotchie, the son of Widow Best, often finds himself in trouble due to his mischievous ways. After getting involved in some trouble, he heads to the Australian goldfields with a man called Will Grady. They head for Ballarat, where they set up diggings. Grady becomes a bushranger known as 'Gentle Willie' and when Scotchie falls ill he is taken to a bush inn that is owned by Grady's friend so that they can look after him. Scotchie returns to health, but as the police close in on the bushranger gang, Scotchie is identified as having stolen a horse when they first arrived in Melbourne. Given a light sentence, Scotchie takes comfort from the prison chaplain, is christened and becomes a Christian. Given a free ticket due to his good behaviour, Scotchie returns to work in the goldfields. During this time, Grady has given himself up and been sentenced to many years imprisonment, during which his health fails. Now known as Tom Best, Scotchie returns to England and brings his mother the money he earned in the goldfields. He finds employment in the railways and wins the respect of his peers after helping rescue a worker trapped by sand from an embankment collapse.