The Red Cloud chief., 1879-06-19
RUNNING.

SURPRISING RUNNING.
o>a>~ sr~~ Psrss - nssssv b Lass tAaa
earss Days.
lYrom the Bosom JouSnal.l
The lsass Of our pedestrians, th0ogh
surprising encugh, are cast into tAs
shade By the recorded sxploits Of
Ernst Nensen. Norwegian MfloT
in the English Navy, early In
The present century. Although
for Q long time known TO his shipmaies
- an extraordinary runner, be hrss ~
trscted public attention BY running
from London to Portsmouth. . distance
Of IS miles, in nine hours, on . v.ger
that be could not accomplish the feas in
10 hours, and soon after he raa from
London to Liverpool. $50 miles in 81
hours. Mensen aid not quit the sea IN
III be had distinguished himself in the
battle of Navarino, in 1927, but shortly
after that date he became . professional
runner. After winning . number Of
lesser matches be vas inducedto under
take the great feat Of running from
Paris tn Moecow. He started from the
Place Vendome at 4 O'Clock in the after
noon of June IL, 1891, and entered the
Kremlin at 10 O'Clock o. m. OF June Is.
having accomplished the distance Of
l,76O miles in Is days and 10 hours.
This feat. As might he supposed, ere
ated o decided sensation throughout
Europe, and the employment of Mem
sen a. . courier extraordinary by Kings
and Princes became . popular amase-
ment in European courts. He q from
country to country, and from court TO
court, bearing messages Of congratula-
ton, coincidence, or dispatches Of great
er importance, and whenever matched
against the regular mounted couriers,
easily succeeded in beating them. He
always carried with him q map, . CON-
pass, and as many biscuits and ounces
Of raspberry strip as there were to be
days occupied on the journey. In win.
ter be took with him . pair Of long,
slender Norwegian snow-shoes, and in
travelling he always chose the most di.
rect line, turning out neither for noun
tains nor rivers, but climbing the one
and swimming the other. He never
walked, but invariably ran, keeping up
. long, swinging lOpe for hours at .
time, without rest. His only refresh
ment was one biscuit and an ounce of
raspberry strip per day, and two short
rests Of 10 or Is minutes each IN "a
hours. These rests he took while stand.
ing and leaning against a tree or other
object of support. At such times he
covered his face with q handkerchief
and slept, and, after such q nap, he
would pursue his way, apparently IS
refreshed Is though be had slept for
hours.
In 1888 he started from Munich at l
p. m. June 6, with dispatches from the
King of Bavaria to his SOC Otto, King
of Greece. These dispatches were de.
livered at Nauplia at 9 a. m. July l, or
seven days sooner than il they had been
sent by the regular post. In 1886,
while in the employ Of the British East
India Company, Mensen was charged
with the conveying of dispatches from
Calcutta to Constantinople through
Central Asia. The distance is 5,6l5
miles, which the messenger accom-
plished in SO days, or in One-third Of
the time made by the swiftest caravan.
On this wonderful journey he made his
way across terrible deserts, awful salt
swamps, where for hundreds of miles
he saw 10 living being, and through
countries whose Inhabitants we're saw
age robbers, and who lived in q state of
continual warfare.
At last the project was preached to
Mensen to explore the Nile and attempt
to solve the most interesting geographic
cal problem of the age-the discovery of
the PURGE of that great river. He set
out from Silesia on May IL, 1912, and
ran to Jerusalem, and thence to Cairo
and Up the western bank of the river
into Upper Egypt. Here. just outside
Of the village Of Syane, he was seen to
stop and rest, leaning against q palm
tree, with his face covered by . hand
kerchief. He rested SO leng that some
persons tried to wake him, but they
tried in vain, for he was dead. He was
buried at the foot OF the tree, and it was
years before his friends in Europe knew
what fate had befallen him.