Free from the author via KDP Select @
Amazon:
Captive at Kangaroo Springs by Robert Elmer, 2nd in his Adventures Down Under of Australia-set YA historical adventure thrillers, originally out from Bethany House in 1997.
Time is running out for the McWaids…
Patrick McWaid and his family have safely reached Echuca, Victoria, where they hope to find his missing father, who was sent to Australia on a prison ship. But there’s a reward out for the capture of escaped prisoner John McWaid. And some of the worried townspeople are forming a search party—with dogs!
When Conrad Burke, Mr. McWaid’s old enemy, shows up, Patrick knows his father is in even greater danger. Hoping to hide from unfriendly eyes, Mrs. McWaid quickly accepts an offer to let the family use a shanty outside town until things quiet down. But they’ve barely settled in before a gang of bushrangers, or outlaws, takes them hostage. Can Patrick find a way to rescue his family?