# 12 The Pony Express

Would you want this job? The ad was in a newspaper. "Expert riders wanted. Young, light, lean, and wiry men. Orphans are preferred." What was the job? A Pony Express rider! It may sound scary. But the pay was high for those times. It was $100 to $150 a month. Buffalo Bill went for a job. He fibbed. He was only 14. He got the job. His father was dead. He had a mother and family. He had to support them.

The Pony Express carried U.S. mail. The route started in Missouri. It ended in California. It covered 1,966 miles. Service began April 3, 1860. The first trip took ten days. Later trips took eight to nine days. Speed was prime. The Express had to beat the stagecoach. The coach carried mail too. But it took over 20 days.

Why was the Express so fast? The riders rode top speed. They dashed from one station to the next. Stations were 10 to 15 miles apart. A fresh horse was always ready. Riders only stopped for two minutes. Each one rode about 75 miles. They rode night and day. They went out in all kinds of weather.

The Pony Express owned 400 horses. Buyers first went through the route. They bought horses from the Native Americans. They took only the fastest. This was the secret of success.

The Express ended on October 24, 1861. It lasted only 18 months. Here is why. The telegraph was now coast to coast. News could travel even faster. But riders had gone over 650,000 miles. And the mail was lost only once. It is a great record.

# 12 驛馬快信

你會想要這份工作嗎？廣告登在報紙上。「徵求熟練騎手。年輕、體重輕、精瘦且結實的男子。孤兒優先。」是什麼工作？驛馬快信騎手！聽起來可能很嚇人。但在那個時代報酬很高。每月100到150美元。水牛比爾去應徵了。他說了謊。他只有14歲。他得到了這份工作。他的父親去世了。他有母親和家庭。他必須養活他們。

驛馬快信遞送美國郵件。路線從密蘇里州開始。終點在加利福尼亞州。全長1,966英里。服務始於1860年4月3日。第一次行程花了十天。後來的行程需要八到九天。速度是首要的。快信必須勝過驛站馬車。馬車也運送郵件。但需要超過20天。

為什麼快信這麼快？騎手以最高速度騎行。他們從一個站衝到下一個站。站點間隔10到15英里。總是備有精力充沛的馬匹。騎手只停留兩分鐘。每人騎行約75英里。他們日夜兼程。在任何天氣下都出發。

驛馬快信擁有400匹馬。買家先沿路線走一遍。他們從美洲原住民那裡購買馬匹。他們只挑選最快的。這就是成功的秘訣。

快信於1861年10月24日結束。它只持續了18個月。原因如下。電報現在已橫貫東西海岸。消息可以傳遞得更快。但騎手們已經行駛了超過65萬英里。而郵件只遺失過一次。這是一個了不起的記錄。