- Stubbins volunteers to be the new blacksmith to gain remission on his sentence and is being taught to read and write to the consternation of the colony letter writer Letters Molloy.
- Convinced that Marston's corpse has been found and that he will be hung James steals rum from the governor. He is caught by the house-keeper Deborah, who agrees to say nothing provided James scotches gossip about her and the governor. Reverend Johnson warns Anne Meredith not to influence his wife whilst blessing the union of Tommy and the pregnant Elizabeth. He is keen to get the convicts to build a church but the governor refuses, claiming that they are too weak. Letters Molloy, a literate convict who reads the news from home to his fellows, asks Captain Collins to stop his literacy lessons as Letters is protecting the others from home truths by fabricating good news for them and wants to avoid hurting them. As Ross continues to exploit Kitty she tries to drown herself. MacDonald saves her but she stumbles upon Marston's body which is brought ashore, causing James to escape into the jungle.—don @ minifie-1
- Reverend Johnson leads the community in prayer on a hot beach as they bury another poor soul who has succumbed to the hardships of life. After shouting is heard from out at sea, some marines are gesturing that their fishing nets have been slashed. Elizabeth and Tommy marriage is later blessed by Reverend Johnson in the partially built church.
- Stubbins volunteers to be the new blacksmith to gain remission on his sentence and is being taught to read and write to the consternation of the colony letter writer Letters Molloy. Elizabeth and Barrett's blessing of marriage by the Reverend Johnson at the site of his proposed church is halted by her sickness caused by her pregnancy. The Governor also calls a halt to the building of the church. Major Ross's demands on Kitty McVitie that she should spend three nights a week with him prove too much and in her desire to kill herself the blacksmith's body is discovered; James Freeman flees into the bush.
- Gathered on the beach under the blistering sun, Reverend Johnson leads the community in prayer as they bury another poor soul who has succumbed to the hardships of life in the colony. Suddenly shouting is heard from out at sea, where some marines are gesturing that their fishing nets have been slashed. But by whom?
Later there is much joy and jubilation as the marriage of Elizabeth and Tommy is blessed by Reverend Johnson in the partially constructed church. A structure that the convicts are voluntarily helping their vicar build with whatever blood, sweat and tears they can muster after their penal labour.
When Governor Phillip arrives to investigate what is happening, he orders a stop to work on the church. With rations running so short, all energy and effort must go into the colony's development, spiritual edifices have to come second. Reverend Johnson is crestfallen.
Happily, doubly good news soon follows: Elizabeth discovers she is pregnant and Deborah the governor's trusted housekeeper has found a strong, sweet-natured convict, Stubbins, with to fill the crucial role of camp blacksmith.
By the side of a small, shady inlet Captain Collins and Mary Johnson have begun literacy classes for those convicts they think worthy of bettering themselves. Stubbins is one of these lucky few and looks forward to the day he can read for himself a letter he cherishes from his wife. But his friend Letters Molloy a wise and unusually a literate convict, worries about the consequences of his friend's edification.
Meanwhile, Katherine McVitie is torn apart by her devotion to her recently elevated lover Corporal MacDonald and being coerced into sexual servitude with Major Ross. Extra scraps of rice cannot compensate for her hurt. Her increasing despair propels her to an extreme bid for freedom.
Then a chance discovery is made. Overwhelming implicated as the killer, James, has no choice but to run for his life. He charges into the bush in a hail of bullets. Sergeant Timmins and his men are in hot pursuit.
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