Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1877-02-01
Boy COachmen In Russia.

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The Russians are the best coachmen
in the world. In order to acquire the
great skill in driving to which they
attain they begin their training early
in fact, when quite children. It is
wonderful to see the boy coachmen
driving a carriage.and four over rough
and dangerous roads, at full gallop.
for ten or twelve miles at a stretch,
Russia, as all know, is country of
vast extent, being 1000 miles at it's
greatest length, with an average width
of $500 miles and containing, as
some estimate, 100000 of square
niles. The ordinary carriage roads
are nearly the only means of commu'
nication but these are of very infe-
rior construction. Huge hollows and
large stones continually intercept the
travellers progress frail bridges of
wood, without any battlements or out.
side protection whatever, stretch
across wide and rapid rivers and over
the dangerous roads and the still more
dangerous bridges the Russian coach.
man dashes at the fastest gallop. It
seems a miracle that travellers do not
as a rule lose their lives and break
their limbs and coaches every journey.
The latter often takes place, the coach
being stopped for repairs sometimes
half a dozen times on the road.
The marquis de Castine, who has
written an interesting and instructive
account of his travels through Russia
a few years ago, gives an account Of
one of the boy coachmen, and of lit
tie incident connected with him. sin
Russia" says the Marquis, "the desire
of travelling fast becomes passion,
and this passion serves as apretext for
every species of inhumanity. My
courier has communicated it to me, and
I often render myself, without at the
time perceiving it, an accomplish in
his acts of injustice. He is exceeding.
1y angry whenever the coachman leaves
his seat to readjust any portion Of the
harness, or when he stops on the road
on any pretext. Yesterday evening, at
the commencement of a stage, a child
who drove us had been several times
threatened with blows by the feldjager
for a fault of this kind, and l partici.
pated in the wrath and impatience of
the man. Suddenly a foal, not many
days old, and we'll known by the boy,
escaped from an Enclosure bordering
upon the road, and began neighing and
galloping after my carriage, for he
took one of the horses that drew us fol
his mother. The young coachman, al
ready guilty of delay, would again STOP
and go to the aid of the colt, which lie
saw every moment in danger of being
crushed under the wheels Of the car
riage.''
my courier angrily forbade him tc
leave his seat the child obeyed like &
good Russian, and continued to drive
us at gallop, without Offering com
plant. Thus the poor colt and the Uni
happy child were left to mourn in earn
est the one Ivy neighing with all his
might, the other by crying silently. Il
was long martyrdom, for the stage
was six leagues in length. The boy
obliged to hasten the animals he wish
ed to save, suffered with a resignation
that would have touched me had moi
my heart been already hardened by {
residence in the country. Every time
th..t a peasant appeared on the road the
hope of rescuing his beloved foal again
revived in the bosom of the child. HI
made signs from afar off; he shouted
when hundred PAGES distant from the
foot passenger; out not daring to slack
en- the unmerciful gallop of the horses
he never succeeded in making himself
understood in time. If ever peasant
more quick.sighted than the others en-
deavored of himself to turn the foal
the speed of the carriage disconnected
him, and the young animal passed OF
close to the flank Of our horses. A
length the despair of the young coach
man became so great that he no longe1
opened his mouth. The perseverinE
little animal, only eight days old, &C
cording to our driver, had the spiri
and muscle necessary to perform 81,
leagues at gallop.'