THE HORSE AND HIS RIDER. 71 



the absolute powers of the horse ; let us now consider 

 what can be done by horse and man. Wonderful 

 things are related of the Tartar couriers, who used to 

 ride from one end of the Turkish empire to the other 

 in an incredibly short space of time, with a pacha's 

 head dangling at their saddle bow ; but we have had 

 European couriers whose feats were not less aston- 

 ishing and better authenticated. In the days when 

 as yet railroads were not, government expresses that 

 required great dispatch used to be carried by men on 

 horseback, though ordinary messengers usually tra- 

 velled in carriages. Relays of horses were kept 

 ready for the courier all along the road ; a postilion 

 accompanied him from station to station, and he con- 

 tinued his journey day and night without halting ex- 

 cept to take a fresh horse. He ate and drank in the 

 saddle, slept in the saddle, leaning forward on a 

 cushion strapped to the high-peaked pummel, and 

 was lifted, saddle and all, from the back of one horse 

 to another's ; for the attempt to mount and dismount, 

 after his heated limbs had been long fixed in one 

 posture, would have speedily disabled him. The 

 postilion who galloped beside him looked to his 

 safety when he slept, and took charge of his horse. 

 In this way couriers with despatches for London from 

 Vienna, have ridden from the latter capital to Calais 



