their door every morning, or can get it by simply calling at
the post-office, ever think of the way in which letters and
papers were carried across the continent before railroads were
built there ?Up to the year 1867 the only means of carrying
mail from the Mississippi River to the coast was by means
of coaches, or horsemen. The stage coaches of those days were very
largeand strong, as they needed to be to stand the rough usage which
they received. They were drawn by six horses and traveled at a rapid
rate; about every fifteen miles were relays—as they were termed—
that is, horses were kept at these points, and when the coach dashed
up with its six foaming steeds, fresh horses were attached, and the
‘ coach went on tothe next post. These coaches carried not only mail,
valuable packages, but passengersas well. The coach would carry twenty pas-
sengers very comfortably inside and out. The route lay through a country full
_ of savages and the stage was frequently attacked by them. At such times
driver and passenger knew that they could expect no mercy and fierce battles
often ensued. The coach, however, contained a guard of armed men to pro-
tect the passengers from the savages, yet in many instances this was not suffi-
cient, and oftentimes nota single passenger escaped to tell the story.

It was my lot once to ride on the overland coach from Omaha to Denver.
‘We had but about two days journey before us, and we were all congratulating
ourselves upon our good fortune in having escaped the savages so far. The driver
was asilent man, somewhat past middle age, and seemed to have but little to
say; his whole attention seemed to be directed to his steeds. As we were roll-
ing merrily along one morning chatting gaily, the driver said, ‘There are tracks
on the roadside and you may all look for a little brush with the savages before
the day closes.” The guards seemed to believe there were savages before us,
and as we saw them looking carefully to the priming of their guns and examin-
ing their cartridge boxes to see that they were full, we became somewhat sober.
We did not, héwever, forget to look to our arms—such as we had. But a short
time passed ere the driver spied a single savage some distance ahead. He said
nothing—but gathering the reins carefully in his hands, and putting his big
whip where he could use it, he urged the horses onward; after a few moments
we saw another savage, then another—and in less time than it takes to tell the
story we saw ahead of us a large band of mounted savages. ‘There was noth-