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You are about to read an extract from Black Beauty, a novel that was written by Anna
Sewell. The story is narrated by a highbred black horse named Black Beauty, who lives on a
farm in England with his mother in the 1800s. Beauty tells us about his life, from the time

he is born until his old age. He spends the early part of his life with caring people, however,
along the way, he faces many hardships.

Let’s read the passage and find out the challenge that Black Beauty faces on one

stormy night.

One day late in the autumn my master had a long journey to go on business. I was put into
the dog-cart, and John went with his master. I always liked to go in the dog-cart, it was so
light and the high wheels ran along so pleasantly. There had been a great deal of rain, and
now the wind was very high and blew the dry leaves across the road in a shower. We went
along merrily till we came to the toll-bar and the low wooden bridge. The river banks
were rather high, and the bridge, instead of rising, went across just level, so that in the

middle, if the river was full, the water would be nearly up to the woodwork and planks;
but as there were good substantial rails on each side, people did not mind it.

The man at the gate said the river was rising fast, and he feared it would be a bad night.
Many of the meadows were under water, and in one low part of the road the water was
halfway up to my knees; the bottom was good, and master drove gently, so it was
no matter.

When we got to the town of course I had a good
bait, but as the master’s business engaged him a
long time we did not start for home till rather
late in the afternoon. The wind was then
much higher, and I heard the master say
to John that he had never been out in

such a storm; and so I thought, as we
went along the skirts of a wood, where
the great branches were swaying about
like twigs, and the rushing sound was
terrible.

‘I wish we were well out of this wood,’

said my master.

‘Yes, sir,’ said John, ‘it would be rather
awkward if one of these branches came substantial: large in size
down upon us.’ meadow: a piece of land that is
mostly covered with grass
awkward: hard to deal with

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