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But the colonists were brave, strong people. In spite of the forests and the rivers,
但這些殖民者很勇敢，很強壯，盡管有森林和湖泊，
they sent their letters back and forth and kept the news moving from Boston to Albany,
他們來回運送信件，持續將消息從波士頓帶到奧爾巴尼，
from Albany to New York, from New York to Philadelphia, and so on;
從奧爾巴尼到紐約，從紐約到賓州等等；
and from all these places the news traveled slowly but surely across the mountains to the daring pioneers in the Mississippi Valley.
所到之處訊息傳遞速度很慢，但卻穿越了山峰，運送給密西西比河谷那些勇敢的開拓者。
Many of our highways and railroads today follow these old paths of the first mail carriers.
如今許多高速路和鐵路就是沿著最開始郵遞員所走的線路。
At first the colonists sent their letters by couriers, or runners.
起初殖民者通過郵遞員，跑步者運送信件。
Often these runners were Indians who knew the forest trails and could run for miles and miles without stopping.
通常這些跑步者是印第安人，他們知曉森林小道。可以不停歇跑數英里。
The Indian trails were the first paths of the white men, too,
印第安人所走的路也為白人開拓了道路，
and the heavy boots of the settlers slowly deepened the paths that the soft moccasins of the red men had made.
殖民者沉重的靴子加深了印第安人平底鞋所踩過的道路。
The colonists had no horses at first, but as soon as they got them, the couriers went on horseback wherever they could.
起先殖民者沒有馬匹，但一旦有了馬匹，郵遞員就騎馬去任何地方。
Sometimes the snow was too deep for any horse, and then the courier had to wear snowshoes,
有時大雪太厚馬匹無法前行，郵遞員不得不穿上雪鞋，
as he sometimes does today in the far North.
就像如今的郵遞員在最北端所穿的鞋。
We are told that one courier on snowshoes took nine days to go forty miles through snowdrifts from six to fourteen feet deep.
據說一名郵遞員穿雪鞋用了九天穿過了40英里，雪堆厚度從6英尺到14英尺。
The colonists asked the King of England to help them start a regular mail service,
殖民者要求英格蘭國王幫助他們開設常規郵件配送服務，
but the king was too far away to care. So they slowly began to help themselves.
但國王身在很遠的地方，無暇顧及，但他們慢慢自己操作，
Massachusetts, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and some of the other colonies
馬塞諸塞州，弗吉尼亞州，賓夕法尼亞州等其他殖民地，
gave to certain men the right to carry letters and to be paid for it.
給予一定郵遞員郵遞信件的權利，并可以為此獲利。
These men were supposed to keep the mail carefully locked, to make regular trips between certain places,
郵遞員應該將信件安全鎖好，從而實現特定地點的常規郵遞，
to be courteous at all times, and to help travelers in any way that they could.
要時時刻刻保持熱情，盡可能地幫助旅行者。
Sometimes they took travelers with them, and we know of at least one woman,
有時他們會帶著旅行者，至少有一名女性我們很熟知，
Madame Knight, who made a journey riding on horseback behind the postman
奈特女士，她在郵遞員后面騎馬旅行，
as he made his way through the forests and forded deep rivers.
郵遞員會穿過森林，渡過深深的河流。
