ad the
smoke from the weapons cleared away, when the tailor pulled out a rusty
old horse pistol, and in turn politely requested the highwayman to shell
out everything of value about him--his pistols not excepted. So the
highwayman had the worst of the meeting on that occasion. The incident
will perhaps help to dispel the sad reproach of the craft, that a tailor
is but the ninth part of a man.

It should not be forgotten that these perils of the road had their
effect in preventing intercourse between different parts of the country.

In such outlying districts as were blessed with postal communication a
hundred years ago, the service was kept up by foot messengers, who often
travelled long distances in the performance of their duty. Thus in 1799
a post-runner travelled from Inverness to Loch Carron--a distance across
country, as the crow flies, of about fifty miles--making the journey
once a week, for which he was paid 5s. Another messenger at the same
period made the journey from Inverness to Dunvegan in Skye--a much
greater distance--also once a week, and for this service he received 7s.
6d. The rate at which the messengers travelled seems not to have been
very great, if we may judge from the performances of the post from
Dumbarton to Inveraray. In the year 1805 the Surveyor of the district
thus describes it: "I have sometimes observed these mails at leaving
Dumbarton about three stones or 48 lbs. weight, and they are generally
above two stones. During the course of last winter horses were obliged
to be occasionally employed; and it is often the case that a strong
highlander, with so great a weight upon him, cannot travel more than two
miles an hour, which greatly retards the general correspondence of this
extensive district of country."

These humble servants of the post office, travelling over considerable
tracts of country, would naturally become the means of conveying local
gossip from stage to stage, and of spreading hearsay news as they went
along. In this way, and as being the bearers of welcome letters, they
were no doubt as gladly received at the doors of our forefathers as are
the postmen at our own doors to-day. Indeed, complaint was made of the
delays that took place on the route, probably from this very cause. Here
is an instance referring to the year 1800. "I found," wrote the
Surveyor, "that it had been the general practice for the post from
Bonaw to Appin to lodge regularly all night at or near the hou