"Mr. Macleod spoke proudly, like a king.
"'My place—Tangari!'
"He pointed with his long whip.
"'Oh, gosh, sir!' said Martin in an awed whisper.
"Before them, as far as the eye could see, stretched the ranges, so thickly covered with gum trees that no ground was visible. It was like gazing out over a blue-gray sea tossed up into gigantic waves."

When Martin Haddon from the United States had boarded the train at Melbourne early that morning, he had wondered about the strange new world of the Australian bush which he was stepping into all by himself to stay with people he had never seen before. And this was it!

Life at Tangari was full of adventure for Martin and Penny Macleod, with daily expeditions into the bush, a beetle hunt, a twenty-mile trek by horseback through blazed trails, and Penny's hidey-hole. But not until Martin set out alone to spend a day in the bush did he have the chance to show the makings of a real busy boy and at the same time save his own life, and later help save Tangari.

Stephen Fennimore has relived many scenes from his own boyhood, which was spent in Australia, in this thrilling story. The Australian-born artist, Ninon MacKnight, has capture the characters and the background in her fine pen-and-ink drawings.

From the dust jacket