a good deal of work
done for nothing. These are the sort of conditions under which nearly
all the poorer class of day-labourers in India have to labour.

CHAPTER V

THE INDIAN POSTAL SERVICE

The post-runners; their fidelity. The village post. Letters
to rustics few. Popularity of post cards. Indian
train-sorters. Dishonesty. Insurance. Postal privileges. Use
of the telegraph; its abuse; absurd instance of this. The
postman a privileged visitor.

The excellence of the postal service in India is surprising
considering the difficult conditions under which it is worked. The men
engaged in the collection and delivery of letters are perhaps more of
a success than those who are employed within the post offices. These
latter have more temptations to dishonesty.

The lowest grade of all in the service is proverbially the most
dependable. These are the "post-runners," who are illiterate men who
collect letters but cannot deliver them, because they cannot read the
addresses. They often have very long beats in remote country
districts, where sometimes there is risk both from robbers and wild
beasts. The runner may be recognised by a sort of javelin which he
carries, presumably for his protection; and to this are attached some
jingling bits of iron or small bells, so that after dark you can
detect the post-runner by this sound. More often than not his long
journey extends into the night. Considering the lonely tracks through
which his road frequently leads, it is to the credit of the
inhabitants of the country that he is not often robbed. It is also to
his own credit that he is said to run any risk rather than fail to
deliver his mail-bag at its destination. His appearance, as he ambles
along in shabby attire with his letter-bag over his shoulder, is not
calculated to inspire confidence. But the Yerandawana letters are
picked up in the evening by one of these primitive post-runners, and
no instance is on record of any letter failing to reach its
destination.

Post offices are at present only to be found in a few of the more
important villages. The post-master is generally the Government
schoolmaster, who is grateful for any addition to his small income. In
thousands of Indian villages letters are only delivered two or three
times a week, or even less, and they have no post-box. People send
their letter to the post when anybody happens to be going to the
nearest town.

When the Mission fi