Cover Page; Title Page; Copyright Page; Contents; Part One: The Making of a Runaway; The Fugitive; New Beginning; Werribee; Part Two: The Sinking of the Brunel; Jacob's Hat; Brunel; Coquimbo; Marlin Spike; Southern Labyrinth; Part Three: A Patagonian Tale; El Pasajero; La Sarita; Shingle Point; Part Four: Sinking in Buenos Aires; Heading North; On the Beach; Part Five: Destitute in the USA; New York; American Journey; Collar and Tie; Epilogue; Afterword
In the spirit of A.B. Facey's A Fortunate Life, Jack Mercer's Hard Times is the true story of the author's amazing adventures. In 1911, growing up in an Ararat pub, he faces the terror of a violent stepfather and a mother who barely acknowledges his existence. But one thing keeps him sane: a plan to run. And once he starts running a page turning story begins. From early Werribee, Sydney, life aboard a Norwegian barque, Chile, Patagonia and Buenos Aires, to working as an elevator boy in New York and riding the trains as a tramp in Virginia, Jack Mercer's hard times and wonderful times capture
