With the Night Mail: A Story of 2000 A.D.

By: Kipling, Rudyard

At nine o'clock of a gusty winter night I stood on the lower stages of one of the G. P. O. outward mail towers. My purpose was a run to Quebec in "Postal Packet 162 or such other as may be appointed"; and the Postmaster-General himself countersigned the order. This talisman opened all doors, even those in the despatching-caisson at the foot of the tower, where they were delivering the sorted Continental mail. The bags lay packed close as herrings in the long gray under-bodies which our G. P. O. still calls "coaches." Five such coaches were filled as I watched, and were shot up the guides to be locked on to their waiting packets three hundred feet nearer the stars.From the despatching-caisson I was conducted by a courteous and wonderfully learned official-Mr. L. L. Geary, Second Despatcher of the Western Route-to the Captains' Room (this wakes an echo of old romance), where the mail captains come on for their turn of duty. He introduces me to the Captain of "162"-Captain Purnall, and his relief, Captain Hodgson. The one is small and dark; the other large and red; but each has the brooding sheathed glance characteristic of eagles and a ronauts. You can see it in the pictures of our racing professionals, from L. V. Rautsch to little Ada Warrleigh-that fathomless abstraction of eyes habitually turned through naked space.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B08J5CSYX5
• ISBN13: 9798684592157
• Release Date: January 1
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 30 Pages
• Weight: 0.13 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.1" x 6.0" x 9.0"