My Early Home SECTION 1 SECTION 1 CHAPTER 1. The first place I can remember was a large pleasant meadow with a pond of clear water

Transcription

1 Anna Sewell s

2 Part One

3 SECTION 1 SECTION 1 CHAPTER 1 My Early Home The first place that I can well remember was a large pleasant meadow with a pond of clear water in it. Some shady trees leaned over it, and rushes and water-lilies grew at the deep end. Over the hedge on one side we looked into a plowed field, and on the other we looked over a gate at our master's house, which stood by the roadside; at the top of the meadow was a grove of fir trees, and at the bottom a running brook overhung by a steep bank. While I was young I lived upon my mother's milk, as I could not eat grass. In the daytime I ran by her side, and at night I lay down close by her. When it was hot we used to stand by the pond in the shade The first place I can remember was a large pleasant meadow with a pond of clear water (Touch Images in Frames) of the trees, and when it was cold we had a nice warm shed near the grove. As soon as I was old enough to eat grass my mother used to go out to work in the daytime, and come back in the evening. There were six young colts in the meadow besides me; they were older than I was; some were nearly as large as grownup horses. I used to run with them, and had great fun; we used to gallop all together round and round the field as hard as we could go. Sometimes we had rather rough play, for they would frequently bite and kick as well as gallop. One day, when there was a good deal of kicking, my 2

4 mother whinnied to me to come to her, and then she said: "I wish you to pay attention to what I am going to say to you. The colts who live here are very good colts, but they are cart-horse colts, and of course they have not learned manners. You have been well-bred and well-born; your father has a great name in these parts, and your grandfather won the cup two years at the Newmarket races; your grandmother had the sweetest temper of any horse I ever knew, and I think you have never seen me kick or bite. I hope you will grow up gentle and good, and never learn bad ways; do your work with a good will, lift your feet up well when you trot, and never bite or kick even in play." I have never forgotten my mother's advice; I knew she was a wise old horse, and our master thought a great deal of her. Her name was Duchess, but he often called her Pet. Our master was a good, kind man. He gave us good food, good lodging, and kind words; he spoke as kindly to us as he did to his little children. We were all fond of him, and my mother loved him very much. When she saw him at the gate she would neigh with joy, and trot up to him. He would pat and stroke her and say, "Well, old Pet, and how is your little Darkie?" I was a dull black, so he called me Darkie; then he would give me a piece of bread, which was very good, and sometimes he brought a carrot for my mother. All the horses would come to him, but I think we were his favorites. My mother always took him to the town on a market day in a light gig. There was a plowboy, Dick, who sometimes came into our field to pluck blackberries from the hedge. When he had eaten all he wanted he would have what he called fun with the colts, throwing stones and sticks at them to make them gallop. We did not much mind him, for we could gallop off; but sometimes a stone would hit and hurt us. One day he was at this game, and did not know that the master was in the next field; but he was there, watching what was going on; over the hedge he jumped in a snap, and catching Dick by the arm, he gave him such a box on the ear as made him roar with the pain and surprise. As soon as we saw the master we trotted up nearer to see what went on. "Bad boy!" he said, "bad boy! to chase the colts. This is not the first time, nor the second, but it shall be the last. There take your 3

5 money and go home; I shall not want you on my farm again." So we never saw Dick any more. Old Daniel, the man who looked after the horses, was just as gentle as our master, so we were well off. 4

6 SECTION 2 SECTION 2 CHAPTER 2!e Hunt Before I was two years old a circumstance happened which I have never forgotten. It was early in the spring; there had been a little frost in the night, and a light mist still hung over the woods and meadows. I and the other colts were feeding at the lower part of the field when we heard, quite in the distance, what sounded like the cry of dogs. The oldest of the colts raised his head, pricked his ears, and said, "There are the hounds!" and immediately cantered off, followed by the rest of us to the upper part of the field, where we could look over the hedge and see several fields beyond. My mother and an old riding horse of our master's were also standing near, and seemed to know all about it. "They have found a hare," said my mother, "and if they come this way we shall see the hunt." And soon the dogs were all tearing down the field of young wheat next to ours. I never heard such a noise as they made. They did not bark, nor howl, nor whine, but kept on a "yo! yo, o, o! yo! yo, o, o!" at the top of their voices. After them came a number of men on horseback, some of them in green coats, all galloping as fast as they could. The old horse snorted and looked eagerly after them, and we young colts wanted to be galloping with them, but they were soon away into the fields lower down; here it seemed as if they had come to a stand; the dogs left off barking, and ran about every way with their noses to the ground. "They have lost the scent," said the old horse; "perhaps the hare will get off." 5

7 "What hare?" I said. "Oh! I don't know what hare; likely enough it may be one of our own hares out of the woods; any hare they can find will do for the dogs and men to run after;" and before long the dogs began their "yo! yo, o, o!" again, and back they came altogether at full speed, making straight for our meadow at the part where the high bank and hedge overhang the brook. "Now we shall see the hare," said my mother; and just then a hare wild with fright rushed by and made for the woods. On came the dogs; they burst over the bank, leaped the stream, and came dashing across the field followed by the huntsmen. Six or eight men leaped their horses clean over, close upon the dogs. The hare tried to get through the fence; it was too thick, and she turned sharp round to make for the road, but it was too late; the dogs were upon her with their wild cries; we heard one shriek, and that was the end of her. One of the huntsmen rode up and whipped off the dogs, who would soon have torn her to pieces. He held her up by the leg torn and bleeding, and all the gentlemen seemed well pleased. As for me, I was so astonished that I did not at first see what was going on by the brook; but when I did look there was a sad sight; two fine horses were down, one was struggling in the stream, and the other was groaning on the grass. One of the riders was getting out of the water covered with mud, the other lay quite still. "His neck is broke," said my mother. "And serve him right, too," said one of the colts. I thought the same, but my mother did not join with us. "Well, no," she said, "you must not say that; but though I am an old horse, and have seen and heard a great deal, I never yet The dogs came dashing across the field, the horses following close upon the dogs 6

8 could make out why men are so fond of this sport; they often hurt themselves, often spoil good horses, and tear up the fields, and all for a hare or a fox, or a stag, that they could get more easily some other way; but we are only horses, and don't know." While my mother was saying this we stood and looked on. Many of the riders had gone to the young man; but my master, who had been watching what was going on, was the first to raise him. His head fell back and his arms hung down, and every one looked very serious. There was no noise now; even the dogs were quiet, and seemed to know that something was wrong. They carried him to our master's house. I heard afterward that it was young George Gordon, the squire's only son, a fine, tall young man, and the pride of his family. There was now riding off in all directions to the doctor's, to the farrier's, and no doubt to Squire Gordon's, to let him know about his son. When Mr. Bond, the farrier, came to look at the black horse that lay groaning on the grass, he felt him all over, and shook his head; one of his legs was broken. Then some one ran to our master's house and came back with a gun; presently there was a loud bang and a dreadful shriek, and then all was still; the black horse moved no more. My mother seemed much troubled; she said she had known that horse for years, and that his name was "Rob Roy"; he was a good horse, and there was no vice in him. She never would go to that part of the field afterward. Not many days after we heard the church-bell tolling for a long time, and looking over the gate we saw a long, strange black coach that was covered with black cloth and was drawn by black horses; after that came another and another and another, and all were black, while the bell kept tolling, tolling. They were carrying young Gordon to the churchyard to bury him. He would never ride again. What they did with Rob Roy I never knew; but 'twas all for one little hare. 7

9 SECTION 3 SECTION Ju" a Ta"e of What's to Come Consider these first two chapters an appetizer just a taste of what s to come. In this first-ever Multi-Touch release of Black Beauty, you ll find much to please and satisfy even the most discriminating reader. The full Black Beauty book includes: Anna Sewell s full text in an easy-to-read format that preserves the warmth of the original book a delight for both new and returning readers. A compelling story that teaches the important values of loyalty, friendship, kindness and compassion. 18 restored, retina-display ready, full-color illustrations by Cecil Aldin that jump out when selected, making you feel like you are inside the scene. Many additional Aldin figures embedded in the text to stimulate the imagination and bring the story to life. Social Links and a dedicated FriendsOfBlackBeauty webpage that let you share your Black Beauty memories and stories with others. We feel our effort to maintain the vintage feel of this classic using modern tools has been wildly successful. In fact, we believe Black Beauty hasn t looked this good in over 100 years! 8

10 Credits

11 ABOUT THIS EDI- ABOUT THIS EDITION CHAPTER Ab#t!$ E%tion When I was still quite young, my father read the classic story of Black Beauty to me from the book his father had given him when he was a boy. I remember being astonished by the whole experience the compelling story, the feel and smell of what seemed to me an ancient book, and the special time spent with my father. It all came together to create what would become a cherished memory. When I ve mentioned Black Beauty to others, many recount similar happy experiences about hearing it read by a parent or grandparent or of reading it on their own. Few other books have been such a source of fond childhood memories. Remarkably, the story of Black Beauty is over 135 years old, and the Cecil Aldin illustrated version of Black Beauty has now reached the century mark. Black Beauty is one of the most read books in the English language, with more than 50 million copies sold over the years. It is now time to share this wonderful story and beautiful illustrations with the next generation. This enhanced edition of Black Beauty from Red Cat Dreams not only honors Anna Sewell s concern for animal welfare but also celebrates the 100-year anniversary of Cecil Aldin s masterful illustrations. In presenting these restored images in this new format, we believe we have created the best and most beautiful copy of Black Beauty to come out in over 100 years! We hope you will agree that this enhanced version of Black Beauty is delightful. If you are reading the story for the first time, welcome. We know you ll be as moved as we were. If you are reading the story to someone dear to you, know that you are creating an indelible memory. If you are reading the story again, please join us in the full enjoyment of this classic story and discover Black Beauty anew. Red Cat Dreams is dedicated to creating beautiful renditions of classic works. 10

12 SHARE YOUR SHARE YOUR STORY CHAPTER Share Y#r Story When people learned we were creating a Multi-Touch version of the classic book Black Beauty, they felt an almost uncontrollable desire to share the story of how they first discovered this wonderful tale. They especially liked to share stories about people parents and grandparent who read it to them. We realized that it would be great for people who love Black Beauty to have a place to share their stories and memories and a place to welcome those reading Black Beauty for the first time. We have made it easy for you to connect and share with other Friends of Black Beauty. Our webpage gives you the opportunity to express yourself within a community of people who are interested in reading your story and sharing theirs. We look forward to hearing your story! Friends Of Black Beauty Facebook Twitter Pinterest 11

13 ANNA SEWELL ANNA SEWELL AND CECIL ALDIN CHAPTER Anna Sewell and Cecil Al%n "I am writing the life of a horse, and getting dolls and boxes ready for Christmas." With this November 6, 1871 journal entry, we see the first hint of what was to become Black Beauty, His Grooms and Companions, The Autobiography of a Horse, Translated from the Original Equine by Anna Sewell. Writing only one book in her lifetime, Sewell s Black Beauty was to become one of the most beloved children's classics of all time, selling more than 50 million copies since originally published in Writing in an autobiographical format in telling the life-story of a horse, Sewell created a new literary genre. Black Beauty has been referred to as the most successful animal story ever written. Black Beauty was not written to be a children s story, however. Sewell s goal in writing the book was to encourage kind treatment and understanding of horses, especially among the working class. As there were no cars or trucks in this period of Victorian England, horses filled an important need for transportation and delivery. In fact, Sewell depended on horse-drawn transportation after sustaining an injury at age 14 that made walking and standing difficult. It may be that this dependence on horses made her especially sensitive to their plight. Widely distributed, the book was an important factor in eliminating the use of the bearing rein, a device that forced the horse s head into an unnatural upright and painful position. Cecil Aldin's illustrations for Black Beauty, first printed in 1912, contributed to what is considered one of the finest and most loved editions of Black Beauty ever published. Born in Slough, England, Aldin was well known for his paintings and drawings of hunting, coaching, racing, and dog scenes. In 1894, prior to illustrating Black Beauty, he illustrated Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Stories. His original works continue to be very popular with collectors. 12

14 Contact and Copy'ght Red Cat Dreams: ISBN: This edition of Black Beauty copyright 2012 Red Cat Dreams Published by Red Cat Dreams Oceanside, CA All rights reserved First published 1877 ISBN: No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher, except where permitted by law. xiii

15 PUBLISHED BY PUBLISHED BY RED CAT DREAMS CHAPTER Publ$hed by Red Cat Dreams Oceanside, CA xiv