Page:Edward Ellis--Alden the Pony Express Rider.djvu/268

 the relief sped' away for the next station, and if all went well, completed his task in schedule time.

The stations as has been stated were scattered over a line nearly two thousand miles long, through the wildest and most dangerous seetion of our continent. This distance had to be covered in eight days, which was an average of two hundred and fifty miles a day, the like of which had never been known before and probably will never be known again. We recall that the number of these stations between Sacramento and St. Joseph, Missouri, was a hundred and ninety. No regular intervals, however, could be established, for a great deal depended upon the physical nature of the country. From what has been already said, it will be understood that a horseman often had to do double duty because of some accident to his partner. Thus more that one Express Rider covered two and in a few instances three hundred miles never leaving the saddle except for a minute or two when changing horses. While the system was wonderful in its completeness, many breaks were inevitable.

The three men who were standing in front