National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1871-06-23
The Old.Tine l'ony.Express.

However, in little while, all interest
was taken up in stretching our nccks
aud watching for the "pony-ridcr the
fleet messenger who sped across the CONT
nent from st. Joe to Sacramento, carry
ing letters nineteen hundred miles in
eight DAYS Think of that for perish
able horse and human flesh and blood Ia
do? The pony-rider was usually little
bit OF n man, brim full OF spirit aud en-
durance. No matter what time of the
day or night his watch came ON, and no
matter whether IL was winter or summer,
raining, showing, hailing or sleeting, or
whether his beat was level, straight
road, or "A crazy trail over mountain
crags and preciplces, or whether II led
through peaceful regions, or regions that
swarmed with hostile Indians, he must
be always ready to leap into the saddle
m II be of ike the wind There was
no idling time for a pony-rider on duty.
He rode fifty miles without stopping, by
daylight, moonlight, or through the
blackness Of darkness, just MS 1t hap
pened.
He rode a splendid horse, that was
born for II racer, ~ and lodged like
gentleman, kept ut his utmost
speed for ten miles, and then, us he
came crashing up to the station, two
men stood holding II fast, fresh horse
the transfer of the rider aud the mail
bags were made in the twinkling of an
eye, and away flew the eager pair, and
were out of light before the spectators
could get hardly ghost of II look. Both
rider and horse event flying The
riders dress was thin and fitted close
and tucked his pantaloons i'll his boots
like II race-rider. He carried no arms
he carried nothing that was not abso-
lutol y necessary for even the postage
ON his literary freight was only two dol
lars an ounce He got little frivolous cor
respondence to carry ; his bag had bust
ness letters i'll it mostly. His horse was
stripped of all unnecessary weight too.
He wore little wafer of riding saddle
and no visible blanket. He wore light
shoes or none at all. The little flat mail
pockets, strapped under the riders thighs
would each hold about the bulk of
chld's primer.
They held many and many an impor-
tant business chapter and newspaper let
ter, but these were wri.ven on paper as
airy and as thin as gold-leaf, nearly, and
thus bulk and weight were economical.
The stage-coach travelled about hun
bred to Il hundred and twenty-five miles
day (twenty-four hours ) the pony
rider about two hundred and fifty.
There were about twenty pony-riders in
the saddle all the time. night and day,
stretching IN long, scattering process
sion, from Missouri to California, forty
flying eastward and forty toward the
west and among them making four hun
bred gallant horses They earn IA stir
ring livlihood and see very great deal
of scenery every single day in the year
We had consuming desire from the
beginning to see ponyrider, but some
how or other, all that passed MS and all
that we CHANGED to meet in their Jour
neys managed to streak by in the night,
and so we heard only whiz and hail,
and the swift phantom of the desert was
gone before we could get our heads ont
of the windows. But now we were ex-
pecting one along every moment, and
could see him in the daylight. Present
ly the driver eXclaims
Here he comes
Every neck is stretched further, and .
every eye strained wider Away across .
the endless dead level of the prairie,
a black speck appears against the sky, |
and it is plain that it moves. Well, | |
should think so In second or two it |
becomes horse and rider, rising and |
falling, rising and falling-sweeping to-
ward us, nearer and nearer and nearer
growing more and more distinct, more
and more sharply defned-nearer and .
still nearer, and the tiutter of the hoofs
comes family to the ear-another instant
A whoop and hurrah from our upper
deck, IA wave of the riders hand, but no
reply, and "a man and horse burst past
our excited faces. and go swinging away
ike the belated fragment of IA storm
SO sudden is it all, and so like flash
IF unreal fancy, that, but for the flake
If white foam left quivering and perish
ng on Il mail sack, after the vision had
dashed by and disappeared, we might
nave doubted whether we had seen any
lctual man and horse at all, may be.