, 1874-09-06

hoods ho had published7 Dut Marco stuc55 tut,
declaring that every wurd ho had x,;tts, ~
true. After many yeaIs, otner traTelar, ~
shown that Narco had really not told h,,f@ nm an
marvellous things he had scon III the coaa.':& , "
he had visited. Among many other po,nsss.:a.
things which ho describes in moss f.er;sss!lsa
wav. he tells Of tho first pony-exprass ~ s
service that probably ever existed in t.a ~ sa
WereTez he travelled in Tartary, Narc ~ S.;
says he FAM tho coa1iers, OF tho Kahn :, "a "a
Enperor's swift messengcrs rho carried ls.,ss "a
from city to city, we're called DA- md ~
they fitted by him, on horseback and m ~ w.
over tho great highways; never stopping =.
writes, - for an instant. aave at the nost4.s a
tions," where froeh horses or runaers Fa,. =
wayB on hand. Z"
There were both mounted and foot -or,;.
among the Tarta1s. The stations for hcrss-ssesa1s
were rs miles apart. Each courier had to !fa ~
this distance in two hours On single ho-sa a y
the station. however, both horse and 1idarb,Sa
good long rest, for fresh horse and freeh coaea
WeEo ready to take his message and snes5 "a
ward with it to the next station, where in 10 10
the jadcd horse and rider 1ou1d frd reet ,h,. III.
the message would speed onward in .he b,n1..
of another courier on fresh. feet steed ~
foot-couriers had stations miles apart. W.
a message WAS to be carried. it would be 1iren. :
foot messenger. who would inst3nt]y ~
running with might and main to tho next tat;a.
where he would deliver the message II -.
courier in waiting. The trained courier coa:,
20 this distance in very short time n;thsn.
much injury to themselves. and, indeed silhos.
much fatigue.
Foot-couriers OF the samo kind were h mai
England about $50 years ago, though not e.anhr|
ed By the nonarchs OF that country, but hr II
vate gentlemen and noblemen. 1t was theif dr.s
to run by the side or in the rear Of u.
coaches, when their masters vera trs,al
ing or riding for pleasure. These sttena.
nnts were called "footmen," as the sttend
ants on carriages nowadays a1e cslls,.
but tho first footman did NOT ride On the h.
With the driver, or on the seat behind, u no,
coaches, not to open the door for their mssst~,
and mistresscs as in the present time, bu, fr ).
purpose you will never guess, a1n sure. h,
rau after the carriage to help it out OF the rza
and mire! in the "gooc old times"-wh,ch. f.,
all that you may hear said in praise OF then, ID
not half the pleasure and conyeniencee. nor
indeed. half the virtuc and goodness, Of H.
present time-tho public roads in Englapd ss,s
80 poor TINT it YVES almost impossible to t,ayI
over them; every few miles ths footmaa h.d "a
help the coach out of tho miEe. When u.
Prince Charley from orer the uxter," aho ~
afterwards King Charles II. went to visit .ncste,
Prince, his coach-and-six vas six hours in epr=
. miles After the roads wero improved, tss
footmen died out, OF rather we're replaced a7
what nc call ''Guards." These vera at1uuk,
stout men, who rode on astace-coach or toI!orei
it on horseback partly to protect it from robber.
but mainly to help 1t ont OF the mud. Wien
the stage-coaches gave way to railway cara i,
guards became rorters and brakenen.-Fra
'' The Pony Express" in St. Nichola, for 81.
feY1ter