rolled from inland plantations to the river or bay side;
sometimes the hogsheads were simply rolled by human propulsion, not
dragged on these roads.

The broader rivers soon had canoe-ferries. The first regular
Massachusetts ferry from Charlestown to Boston was in 1639. It carried
passengers for threepence apiece. From Chelsea to Boston was fourpence.
In 1636 the Cambridge ferryman charged but half a penny, as so many
wished to attend the Thursday lecture in the Boston churches. We learn
from the Massachusetts Laws that often a rider had to let his horse
cross by swimming over, being guided from the ferry-boat; he then paid
no ferriage for the horse. After wheeled vehicles were used, these
ferries were not large enough to carry them properly. Often the carriage
had to be taken apart, or towed over, while the horse had his fore feet
in one canoe-ferry and his hind feet in another, the two canoes being
lashed together. The rope-ferry lingered till our own day, and was ever
a picturesque sight on the river. As soon as roads were built there
were, of course, bridges and cart-ways, but these were only between the
closely neighboring towns. Usually the bridges were merely
"horse-bridges" with a railing on but one side.

After the period of walking and canoe-riding had had its day, nearly all
land travel for a century was on horseback, just as it was in England at
that date. In 1672 there were only six stage-coaches in the whole of
Great Britain; and a man wrote a pamphlet protesting that they
encouraged too much travel. Boston then had one private coach. Women and
children usually rode seated on a pillion behind a man. A pillion was a
padded cushion with straps which sometimes had on one side a sort of
platform-stirrup. One way of progress which would help four persons ride
part of their journey was what was called the ride-and-tie system. Two
of the four persons who were travelling started on their road on foot;
two mounted on the saddle and pillion, rode about a mile, dismounted,
tied the horse, and walked on. When the two who had started on foot
reached the waiting horse, they mounted, rode on past the other couple
for a mile or so, dismounted, tied, and walked on; and so on. It was
also a universal and courteous as it was a pleasant custom for friends
to ride out on the road a few miles with any departing guest or friend,
and then bid them God speed agatewards.

In 1704 a Boston schoolmistress named Madam Knights rode