should return; and the messenger, com- | by whatever means they may have occapulsorily resigned to his fate, proceeded sion to travel," but higher qualifications to make himself as comfortable as circum- than these are sometimes demanded. stances would permit during this enforced leisure at the little mountain inn. Towards evening, however, a private carriage arrived occupied by one traveller, with a sleigh, several spare horses, and plenty of servants, evidently the equipage of a personage of distinction. The traveller halted at the posting inn, and after a short parley determined to enter and have dinner, the journey across the pass to be continued at nightfall, when a clear moon might be expected. Under these circumstances the king's messenger and the other traveller naturally dined together and entered into friendly conversation, with the result that an offer of a place in the traveller's sleigh was gladly accepted by the former.

At nightfall the journey across the pass was commenced, the messenger carrying in his hand a small despatch bag containing his despatches. The route wound up and up the mountain-side, all being soon covered deep in snow. The horses seemed fresh and high-mettled, and were urged at full speed by the driver. Suddenly, at a turn of the road, a man jumped out from a rock; the horses seemed to shy, and in less time than it takes to tell, the sleigh was rolling over and over in the snow, with its occupants tossed hither and thither. Some moments elapsed before the half-stunned messenger came to his senses, and when he did so, the first thing which struck his astonished eyes was the sleigh tearing back down the pass at breakneck speed. No human being was to be seen beside him; his late companions, and worse still, his bag of despatches, which had escaped from his grasp in the tumble, having vanished like magic. Nothing remained but to plod wearily through the snow back to the inn, where all that he could ascertain was, that the strange traveller was unknown to the landlord, and that he had returned by the way he came with his own horses, explaining that there had been an accident. Neither the mysterious traveller, nor the bag of despatches was ever traced, nor has the full history of the adventure ever come to light up to the present day.

Ready wit, courage, and resource in difficulty are amongst the cardinal points in a good messenger. He must not only be able to attend to his duties on the road, those duties being, in the words of the regulations, "to convey the despatches entrusted to them safely and expeditiously

In the earlier half of the present century a burning political question had arisen at a certain European capital, in which question both Great Britain and another great power were largely interested. Two messengers were despatched from that capital one evening. The one, an English foreign service messenger, conveying despatches of a most pressing nature, regarding the pending controversy, to be delivered to the secretary of state for foreign affairs. The other, a courier of the great power in question, charged with the conveyance of similar intelligence to his ambassador in London. Both messengers were strictly enjoined to lose not a moment on the road, but to press on at the highest possible rate of speed. The Englishman, however, was privately informed that, if he could by any means outstrip his colleague, or delay him on the way, so as to place the despatches in the hands of the secretary of state before the foreign ambassador in London could have received the same information, the time thus gained would be of great advantage to the State.

The two messengers fraternized on the journey, the Englishman all the while casting about for any scheme whereby he might delay his companion, or advance himself. No possible opening presented itself until Calais was reached, when fortune favored his enterprise in the shape of a severe storm, which prevented the packet from crossing the harbor bar on that night. The messenger at once saw and seized upon his opportunity. Approaching his travelling companion, he proposed that as the boat could not start that evening, they should at once seek quarters for the night at the neighboring hotel. No sooner said than done; the foreign courier, seeing no help for it, and safe in the consideration that his English colleague was in the same plight as himself, willingly consented, under the circumstances, to take a night's rest, and the two had speedily reached the hotel, and engaged their sleeping accommodation. Directly, however, the English messenger had seen his companion safe into his bedroom, he himself instead of proceeding to his apartment, and in real fact quite wide awake, quietly slipped out. By dint of liberal offers of money he at length succeeded in persuading the owner of a lugger in port to face the passage of the Straits under sail, notwithstanding the tempestu

ous character of the weather, and to con- | good as their officers, and that the officers do vey him by this means at once to Dover. not know much more than the privates. HowA start was soon made, and after a stormy but prosperous voyage, the stout-hearted queen's messenger had the satisfaction to place his foot on British soil a good twelve hours in advance of his rival. He hurried up to London, and safely delivered his despatches, wearied, almost worn out, but with the proud consciousness of duty well fulfilled. It is said that the popular English secretary of state for foreign affairs of the day, presented the messenger on the spot with a gratuity of one hundred guineas, as a token of his admiration for his pluck and resourceful energy, which had gained the valuable hours necessary to enable the minister to deal with the critical international question as the sole possessor of most important information, and in such a manner as to secure the best interests of his country.

war.

ever, they consented to let the man with the greyhound live till the morning, and departed, warning the landlord that it would go hard with him if the bird had flown when they rethey thought they had waited long enough, turned. At 3 A. M. some of them came back; and they thirsted for the messenger's blood. The house was so full, the landlord said, that there were two or three persons in every room, and they might make a mistake and shoot the wrong man, and so he put them off till daylight arrived. Before it, Captain Robbins, whose horse by this time had rested, was out of the window and into his carriage; he shooters on the road, and reached a place of was lucky enough not to meet the Freesafety, whence this brief narrative of his adventures and perils was brought to me by a sympathizing colleague. Speaking in all seriousness, queen's messengers, who at this time are sent through the French lines, whether going to or coming from the Prussians, perform the duty at the risk of their

lives.

If such incidents are unlikely to occur now during the daily railway routine of a queen's messenger's life, the outbreak of It is not only in the actual duties of the hostilities between European powers may road, however, that the messenger may at any time render the service one of be exposed to disagreeable incidents and danger, and expose the messenger to hair-adventures. Compelled by the nature of breadth escapes and all the vicissitudes of his profession to pass much of his time in strange lands, he is peculiarly liable to be the object of that singular aversion to foreigners which may still, even in this nineteenth century, be noticed in many European states. If, in any land, aversion to foreigners amounts to a national charthe nationality to win exemption from the acteristic, Englishmen are certainly not rule. The Britisher, with his tweed jacket, and free-and-easy, domineering ways, often acts as the red rag to the bull.

An adventure which befell Captain Robbins when employed on queen's messenger service during the Franco-German war in 1870 was thus reported by the Times correspondent:

Some years ago a queen's messenger had, in the course of his duty, to travel to a northern capital; and one day, shortly after his arrival, was spending the evening in the public gardens, in company with a member of the British Embassy in that capital. After a short time spent in conversation and in watching the nu

Captain Robbins having formerly served in the Austrian army is fluent in German, and I believe was on that account selected to go to the king's headquarters at Versailles. I don't know whether serving in Austria makes a man look like a Prussian, but it seems that some Free-shooters took it into their heads that he was a spy, and accordingly doomed him to death. Nothing would convince them of their mistake, and of the captain's true nationality, official character, and important mission. The passport and other papers he produced were totally disregarded, and the enamelled Queen's Arms and running greyhound which her Majesty's messengers habit- merous promenaders, his friend went to ually wear, were looked at with some curiosity, talk with a group at a little distance, leavbut without the slightest respect. Although, ing the messenger seated all alone, abtherefore, there could be no moral doubt of sorbed in his cigar and in contemplation his guilt, a compassionate inn-keeper sug- of the beauty of the prospect. From this gested a reprieve, in order that the criminal reverie he was abruptly and disagreeably might have time to write to his wife and say disturbed by a sudden blow from behind, his prayers, and go out of the world like a which knocked his hat off. Fully expectChristian. I believe the worthy aubergiste also suggested that it might be as well to have ing that this must be a somewhat unmanan officer present at the execution, for the nerly and unseasonable joke on the part proposers of summary punishment were only of his friend, the messenger started up full privates; but there is a good deal of equality among the Free-shooters, and it may often happen that the privates are quite as

with wrath in his soul, to find himself confronted by an officer in the local regiment, glaring with anger, and showing not the

least trace of compunction. Roused to fury by this impenitent demeanor, the messenger promptly administered the truly British argument of a scientifically delivered knock-down blow, which measured the length of his antagonist on the path. The latter, when he had recovered himself, clapped his hand to his sword and demanded satisfaction. Nothing loth, the queen's messenger, himself an officer in the English army, gave his address at the British Embassy, his military rank, and for all details for the arrangement of a hostile meeting referred his antagonist to his friend from the Embassy, who had hurried back on observing the disturb

ance.

excursion to the plains of Marathon, were captured by brigands, with the shocking result that, on arrival of troops to the rescue, the captives were murdered in cold blood by the cowardly villains who had demanded their ransom. Shortly after this terrible occurrence, it became necessary to send important despatches upon the subject to her Majesty's minister at Athens. All the regular queen's messengers were fully engaged upon duties at that moment of a more than usually onerous character. A young Foreign Office clerk was therefore entrusted with the duty of conveying these despatches to their destination. He was instructed to proceed to Syra, where the Greek deAll preliminaries being thus arranged, spatches should be delivered to the conthe foreign officer, who throughout the sul, and the journey then pursued on affair had manifested an extraordinary and board the Austrian Lloyd steamer to Conuncontrollable excitement, was at last per- stantinople, despatches for which capital suaded by his friends and the bystanders were also placed in the acting messenger's to retire and enter a carriage which was charge. Arrived at Trieste, the regular waiting close by. No explanation did he and experienced messenger would at once offer as to the sudden and unprovoked have telegraphed to the consul at Syra to attack of which he had been guilty, but apprise him of his approach and of the dashed off, and sprang into the carriage, name of the steamer by which he would which instantly set off towards the town. come. In the present instance this preArrived at the centre of the bridge, the caution was somehow or other neglected, carriage was observed to be suddenly and to his dismay the young Foreign Office stopped by command of its occupant, who clerk found himself entering the port of leapt from the seat, sprung upon the par- Syra at one o'clock in the morning. Pitch apet of the bridge, and plunged into the dark; every one gone to bed; no consul swift-flowing tide. Assistance was im- to be seen; and, worse still, the unaccompossible, and he was quickly swept away modating captain of the steamer declared to death. It was afterwards ascertained that he could not spare any one to pilot that the unfortunate young officer in ques- the messenger to the consul's private tion had escaped from the regimental in-house. There were two hours to wait, firmary in a fit of mania; and that roaming through the city, he had expended his mad fury in an attack upon the first object which excited his wrath-naturally an English stranger · - with the unhappy results above related. The regular foreign service messenger readily acquires experience and savoirfaire in the arts of travel, and in the arrangement of necessary modes of communication. These minor difficulties and anxieties of the road, though of constant occurrence, are frequently apt to embarrass and disconcert a novice at the game, or any one who may be casually entrusted with the charge of despatches for a single journey.

Most of our readers who have reached middle age will readily call to mind a sad event which occurred in Greece rather more than twenty years ago. A party of English gentlemen, amongst whom was a well-known member of her Majesty's Legation at Athens, whilst on a pleasure

and nothing remained to be done but to go on shore and try, with an imperfect knowledge of the language, to obtain a guide to the desired spot. After locking up his Constantinople despatches in his cabin and pocketing the key, the young messenger passed the gangway, and plunged into the darkness of the quays and surrounding streets. With some hesitation, and after much parley, he at length engaged a dirty-looking Greek loafer to become his guide; and the two at once proceeded through a maze of steep, ruinous streets, unlighted, and alone. Further and further they seemed to go, until at last the very confines of the town were reached; visions of brigands and murder arose in the mind of the young messenger, who, with recollections still fresh in his mind of the recent tragedy, passed a veritable mauvais quart d'heure upon this unwonted quest. His guide, however, proved a good man and true; the house, situated in the outskirts of the old town, was safely

reached; and, having with difficulty awak- | hopes to build up from the lakes to Cape ened the sleeping consul, and delivered Town. At present there are three degrees his despatches with a thankful heart, the of intensity of British influence in Bechuacting queen's messenger was soon again analand, in proportion to the proximity to on board the steamer, and en route for headquarters: Firstly, the crown colony Constantinople. to the south, with its railway, its well-todo settlements at Taungs, Vryberg, and Mafeeking, and with its native chiefs confined within certain limits. Secondly, the British protectorate to the north of this over such chiefs as Batuen, Pilan, Linchwe, and Sechele, extending vaguely to the west into the Kalahari Desert, and bounded by the Limpopo River and the Dutchmen on the east. Thirdly, the independent dominions of the native chief Khama, who rules over a vast territory to the north, and whose interests are entirely British, for with their assistance only can he hope to resist the attacks of his inveterate foe, King Lobengula of Matabeleland.

With the above incident we must close this article, which would otherwise swell to unreasonable proportions. We have endeavored to describe the conditions and organization of the queen's messenger service, and the incidents, perils, and adventures which might occur on the road in the past, or even at the present day. Any one who may wish to become better acquainted with the daily life of those engaged on this duty, cannot do better than read Major Byng Hall's little book, the title of which is prefixed to this article, and which, though first published more than a quarter of a century ago, still retains much of its freshness. In it will be found recorded not only many stories of travel, but notes of social life in various cities which had become familiar to the author, who, in the course of many wanderings on the public service, had acquired a curious and intimate acquaintance with Continental life and habits. The tales and traditions attaching to this well-known service are scattered far and wide. Here a little work like that of Major Byng Hall - there an isolated literary fragment. Mostly, however, they are to be discovered in newspaper paragraphs, in after-dinner stories, or in anecdotes current in Downing Street or in her Majesty's embassies abroad.

The history of the queen's messenger service as a whole remains, however, to be written. No one, so far as we are aware, has hitherto attempted to publish these disjointed fragments in a collective shape; but to any one who should be disposed to attempt such a task, we can promise that, with a little patience and research, there lies ready to his hand ample material for the compilation of an unique record of travel and adventure.

From The Fortnightly Review.

AMONG THE CHIEFS OF BECHUANALAND. BECHUANALAND is about as big as France, and a country which has been gradually coming under the sphere of British influence since Sir Charles Warren's campaign, and which in a very few years must of necessity be absorbed into the embryo empire which Mr. Cecil Rhodes

As for the country itself, it is but a sorry one; down by the Limpopo and wherever there is water it is fertile, but these places are barely sufficient to support the natives themselves, who cannot, taken altogether, amount to eighty thousand souls. The chief area of Bechuanaland is dry and waterless, even after the rains; a long, elevated plateau covered for the most part with scrubby bush, featureless and intensely wearisome to travel through.

Two roads through Bechuanaland to Mashonaland were open to us from Mafeeking: the shorter one is by the river which, after the rains, is muddy and feverstricken; the other is longer and less frequented; it passes through a corner of the Kalahari Desert, and had the additional attraction of taking us through the capitals of all the principal chiefs; consequently, we unhesitatingly chose it, and it is this journey which I now propose to describe.

We may dismiss the crown colony of Bechuanaland with a few words. It differs little from any other such colony in South Africa, and the natives and their chiefs have little or no identity left to them. Even the once famous Montsoia, chief of the Ba-rolongs of Mafeeking, has sunk into the lowest depths of servile submission; he receives a monthly pension of £25, which said sum he always puts under his pillow and sleeps upon; he is avaricious in his old age, and dropsical, and surrounded by women who delight to wrap their swarthy frames in gaudy garments from Europe. He is nominally a Christian, and has been made an F.O.S.,

low hills well clad with trees. It is a collection of huts divided into circular kraals hedged in with palisades, four to ten huts being contained in each enclosure. These are again contained in larger enclosures, forming separate communities, each governed by its hereditary sub-chief, with its kotla or parliament circle in its midst. On the summit of the hill many acres are

many in the valley below. Certain roughly constructed walls run round the hill, erected when the Boers threatened an invasion; but now these little difficulties are past, and Batuen limits his warlike tendencies to quarrelling with his neighbors on the question of a border line, a subject which never entered their heads before the epoch of British influence.

From Mafeeking to Kanya, the capital of Batuen, chief of the Ba-Ngwatetse tribe, is about eighty miles. At first the road is treeless, until the area is reached where terminates the cutting down of tim-covered with these huts, and there are also ber for the support of the diamond mines at Kimberley, a process which has denuded all southern Bechuanaland of trees, and is gradually devastating the north. The rains were not over when we started, and we found the road saturated with moisture; in two days, near the Ramachlambana River, our progress was just one mile, in the course of which our wagons had to be unloaded and dug out six times. But Bechuanaland dries quickly, and a fortnight after this we had nothing to drink but concentrated mud, which made our tea and coffee so similar that it was impossible to tell the difference.

On one occasion during our midday halt we had all our oxen inoculated with the virus of the lung sickness, for this fatal malady was then raging in Khama's country. Our wagons were placed side by side, and with an ingenious contrivance of thongs our conductor and driver managed to fasten the plunging animals by the horns, whilst a string steeped in the virus was passed with a needle through their tails. Sometimes after this process the tails swell and fall off; and up country a tailless ox has a value peculiarly his own. It is always rather a sickly time for the poor beasts, but as we only lost two out of thirty-six from this disease we voted the remedy successful.

I think Kanya is the first place where one realizes that one is in Africa. Though it is under British protection it is only nominally so to prevent the Boers from appropriating it. Batuen, the chief, is still supreme, and, like his father, Gasetsive, he is greatly under missionary influ

ence.

He has stuck up a notice on the roadside at the entrance to the town in Sechuana, the language of the country, Dutch and English, which runs as follows: "I, Batuen, chief of Ba-Ngwatetse, hereby give notice to my people, and all other people, that no wagons shall enter or leave Kanya on Sunday. Signed, September 28th, 1889." If any one transgresses this law Batuen takes an ox from each span, a transaction in which piety and profit go conveniently hand in hand.

Kanya is pleasantly situated amongst

All ordinary matters of government and justice are discussed in the large kotla before the chief's own hut; but big questions, such as the border question, are discussed at large tribal gatherings in the open veldt. There was to be one of those gatherings of Batuen's tribe near Kanya on the following Monday, and we regretted not being able to stop and witness so interesting a ceremony.

The town is quite one of the largest in Bechuanaland, and presents a curious appearance on the summit of the hill. The kotla is about two hundred feet in diameter, with shady trees in it, beneath which the monarch sits to dispense justice. We passed an idle afternoon therein, watching with interest the women of Batuen's household, naked save for a skin loosely thrown around them, lying on rugs before the palace, and teaching the children to dance to the sound of their weird music, and making the air ring with their merry laughter. In one corner Batuen's slaves were busy filling his granaries with maize just harvested. His soldiers paraded in front of his house, and kept their suspicious eyes upon us as we sat; many of them were quaintly dressed in red coats, which once had been worn by British troops, soft hats with ostrich feathers in them, and bare black legs.

Ma-Batuen, the chief's mother, received us somewhat coldly when we penetrated into her hut; she is the chief widow of old Gasetsive, Batuen's father, a noted warrior in his day. The Sechuana tribes have very funny ideas about death, and never, if possible, let a man die inside his hut; if he does accidentally behave so indiscreetly they pull down the wall at the back to take the corpse out, as it must never go out by the ordinary door, and the