The English- speaking World: Nigeria, South Africa and Australia
IAIN LAWRENCE
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Beyond the Cape of Storms gs ek
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Iain Lawrence (1955–) is a bestselling Canadian author of novels for young people.
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beyond forbi convicts fanger captained by styrt av voyaged reiste til sjøs weariness utmattelse donned tatt på seg prison hulk fangeskip pale blek vowed lovet proved our undoing viste seg å bli vårt nederlag tumbling cliffs fossende klipper
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From the late 1700s to mid 1800s, Britain sent thousands of convicts from its over-filled prisons to Australia. In this extract from the adventure novel The Cannibals, Tom Tin and a shipload of other young convicts are on their way to Australia in a ship captained by Tom’s father. Tom and his friend Midge plan to escape before they get there. I came to know my father as we voyaged to Australia. At first he seemed a different man, his face sun burnt and bright, wrinkled round the eyes into a never-ending smile. Gone was his weariness, and years from his age. But he hadn’t really changed; I had only forgotten. Along with his sea clothes, he had donned his old self, becoming again the man I had known as a child. I grew to love him as I had then, and saw my love returned, though not the way I wanted. Father could see that my time in the prison hulk had left me pale and thin, but not that I was stronger on the inside because of it. So he vowed to keep me safe, and cared so deeply for me that it proved our undoing in the end. Five months out of England, we rounded the Cape of Good Hope. We stormed around it, in furious winds and tumbling
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STARTING POINT
About how long did it take the first convict ships to travel from Britain to Australia? A two months B four months C six months D eight months Answer: The first fleet of ships carrying convicts from Britain to Australia took about eight months to complete the journey.
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Glossary for page 253 a patch of en flik av a glimpse of et glimt av cliffs klipper ragged fillete tarpaulin presenning tangled fate felles skjebne jailer fangevokter
