Field and Forest; Or, the Fortunes of a Farmer
1870
Field and Forest; Or, the Fortunes of a Farmer
1870
Thirteen-year-old Phil Farringford lives where the American frontier meets the wild itself, in a rough cabin along the upper Missouri River under the watchful eye of his guardian, old Matt Rockwood. The story kicks into gear when Phil returns from a successful fishing trip to find their horses have been stolen. Rather than waiting for danger to pass, Matt pushes the boy to act. What follows is a test of nerve and ingenuity as young Phil must outthink, outmaneuver, and outbrave men who know these lands far better than he does. The novel captures the raw reality of frontier survival, where a boy becomes a man not in a schoolroom or through gentle lessons, but through genuine danger and the need to protect what little he has. It's a story about courage forged under pressure, the bond between guardian and child, and what it means to grow up when the world offers no safety net.
Editions
X-Ray
“Because the Indian was running ahead of you, and you couldn't have hit him on the side of the hip. Phil was up by the house, and his shot did it. Half his nose is gone, and he has a wound on the back of the head.””
— Oliver Optic
“Shall we take their horses?" I asked, rather startled by the proposition. "Certainly; we must teach them a lesson which they will remember. We are in the world as instructors of those who are less wise than we, and it is our duty to impart wisdom to those who need it." "They will come down after them, when they are sober." "They will do that if you take only your own animals. They will fight just as hard to recover the property they stole as to obtain what is justly their own." Without stopping to debate the matter any further, we mounted the Indians' horses.””
— Oliver Optic
“Them pesky Injuns hes stole our hosses," added old Matt, as he fired his rifle the second time. "'Tain't no use; I might as well shoot at the north star.””
— Oliver Optic
