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Beyond Rope and Fence
This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1922. Not illustrated.
Excerpt: ... chapter X the doors of the trap shut he years rolled by. Old tragic hurts were dulled by the mists of passing time and every hour of the unfettered present came bringing some new joy. New children came to Queen and in the love of each succeeding one, Queen rejoiced as if it were the first and only one. Carefully she led them all to the doorway of maturity and there, since life willed it so, she gave them over to the herd, to live and provide for themselves and to abide by the unwritten laws of the herd in the finest exemplification of the Golden Rule on earth. The friends who died or who suddenly disappeared she would miss for a long while, sometimes spending months in search of them, then she would transfer her love of them to some other member of the brotherhood, just as she transferred her mother-love from the older to the younger of her offspring. The shadowy creatures of the receding past often came, walking into the dozing memory at nightfall. Queen would remain lying, chewing absent-mindedly and watching them, her contentment undisturbed, loving the sadness that clung to them, as we love the sadness that clings to our sweetest music. There came a spring of unusual activity on the part of man, and his daily appearance intruded so threateningly upon the herd, that they abandoned the land which had become endeared to them and journeyed north almost steadily for many days. They came upon a pleasant valley abounding in delicious, virgin grass and many small ponds; and they took possession of it But at midnight, while they were resting, they were suddenly aroused by a shrieking noise which was followed by a long-drawn rattle, like distant thunder. The sound died out and did not come again, but an attenuated cloud of smoke swept across the valley....
Excerpt: ... chapter X the doors of the trap shut he years rolled by. Old tragic hurts were dulled by the mists of passing time and every hour of the unfettered present came bringing some new joy. New children came to Queen and in the love of each succeeding one, Queen rejoiced as if it were the first and only one. Carefully she led them all to the doorway of maturity and there, since life willed it so, she gave them over to the herd, to live and provide for themselves and to abide by the unwritten laws of the herd in the finest exemplification of the Golden Rule on earth. The friends who died or who suddenly disappeared she would miss for a long while, sometimes spending months in search of them, then she would transfer her love of them to some other member of the brotherhood, just as she transferred her mother-love from the older to the younger of her offspring. The shadowy creatures of the receding past often came, walking into the dozing memory at nightfall. Queen would remain lying, chewing absent-mindedly and watching them, her contentment undisturbed, loving the sadness that clung to them, as we love the sadness that clings to our sweetest music. There came a spring of unusual activity on the part of man, and his daily appearance intruded so threateningly upon the herd, that they abandoned the land which had become endeared to them and journeyed north almost steadily for many days. They came upon a pleasant valley abounding in delicious, virgin grass and many small ponds; and they took possession of it But at midnight, while they were resting, they were suddenly aroused by a shrieking noise which was followed by a long-drawn rattle, like distant thunder. The sound died out and did not come again, but an attenuated cloud of smoke swept across the valley....
- GenresHorses
188 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1947
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 20, 2020
This book popped up at Project Gutenberg quite recently and I thought I'd give it a try but I am giving up.
Yes, you read correctly. ME giving up on a horse book!
Two reasons:
1. I felt that the author made the horses too much like humans in horse costumes and did not leave them to be horses. He obviously understood the animals, but in my opinion he was unable to portray them naturally. Perhaps later in the book he improved, but this leads me to.....
2. The very first chapter is pitiless and cruel, just as humans often are with horses and any creature they wish to dominate. It is the danger of most horse books. Writers spend many pages torturing their subjects so that we readers will have sympathy for them.
But I don't need to read about cruelty in order to have feelings for any horse. They have my love just because they are alive, sharing this world with me. The horse in this story might have things easier in later chapters, but I could not even finish the first one. Way too much was happening that turned my stomach.
And there is enough stomach turning reading around these days: I certainly don't need more of it.
DNF before the end of the first chapter.
Yes, you read correctly. ME giving up on a horse book!
Two reasons:
1. I felt that the author made the horses too much like humans in horse costumes and did not leave them to be horses. He obviously understood the animals, but in my opinion he was unable to portray them naturally. Perhaps later in the book he improved, but this leads me to.....
2. The very first chapter is pitiless and cruel, just as humans often are with horses and any creature they wish to dominate. It is the danger of most horse books. Writers spend many pages torturing their subjects so that we readers will have sympathy for them.
But I don't need to read about cruelty in order to have feelings for any horse. They have my love just because they are alive, sharing this world with me. The horse in this story might have things easier in later chapters, but I could not even finish the first one. Way too much was happening that turned my stomach.
And there is enough stomach turning reading around these days: I certainly don't need more of it.
DNF before the end of the first chapter.
September 29, 2025
4 1/2 stars
I first read this book as a young child. It was a gift from my brother. I believe this is one of the books that started my life-long love of reading. It is about a wild horse in the prairies of western Canada. Queen is constantly seeking freedom as man encroaches on the wilderness. She is captured and "tamed" but never loses her quest to find complete freedom. It is a delightful book, even for the much older me.
I first read this book as a young child. It was a gift from my brother. I believe this is one of the books that started my life-long love of reading. It is about a wild horse in the prairies of western Canada. Queen is constantly seeking freedom as man encroaches on the wilderness. She is captured and "tamed" but never loses her quest to find complete freedom. It is a delightful book, even for the much older me.
October 31, 2024
Good horse story for horse lovers. Queen is the wild lead mare of a herd of horses and you follow her adventures in Canada’s prairie. Clean, interesting and fun.
September 4, 2010
I became sensitized to the relationship between horse and human through his writing. I ended up with Arabian horses and Irish setter dogs due to the influence of other writers - their sensitive personalities better suited me, but that initial building was through a well-done childhood birthday gift, probably selected by topic and a perfect fit by serendipity.
March 2, 2018
Nostalgia. First read this book in the 1950's as a young person. It was written in the 1940s and is still a well-written book from a horse's (Queen) point of view. Takes places on the prairies of North Dakota and Canada. Reflects the beginning of the end for wild horses on the open plains.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews