An ex-convict at the time of the Kimberley gold rush reminisces of his days in W. A., principally as part of a timber-getting chain gang at Shark's Bay. An escape of a group results in their finding gold - and death from thirst and privation. The narrator is saved by Aborigines and earns a free pardon with the discovery. Includes a reference to Marcus Clarke, saying his depiction of the cruelty of convict life was accurate. (PB)