petebrownuk: On larger estates bicycles are a good way of carrying messages between base and the ove
petebrownuk: On larger estates bicycles are a good way of carrying messages between base and the overseers in the outlying fields. It should be remembered that there can be a mile or more involved, and of all the methods tried the bike has proven the most satisfactory - a trained pony is too expensive for run-of-the-mill work, and with a trap behind him he has to stick to established tracks and roads; using a runner can result in exhaustion for the slave if many miles are to be run because many messages are to be carried; and so the bicycle, which in its “mountain bike” form can traverse almost any terrain with less effort for its rider than for a runner, has come to dominate. Whilst mobile phones can be used for very rapid communications, it’s the “small packages” that provide the need for a messenger - record sheets of the field slaves’ performance, a forgotten item from an overseer’s lunch box, and so on. Following the widespread adoption of bikes, astute owners found another advantage. A slave who performed well as a rider could be converted into a pony more reliably and easily that a “novice” slave straight from the dealers, so saving on the heavy training costs - he already had sound wind and muscular legs, was used to being naked outdoors in all weathers, and knew the importance of working to schedule if punishment was to be avoided.Kevin here with his bike is just such a slave - he’s been working with it for two years and has as we can see achieved a wonderfully strong physique. Now he’s 18 years old it’s time for him to move on, and his owner has arranged to send him to the other end of the state to a respected pony trainer for a quick 3-month conversion course. On his return his body will be even more honed, and with his light colouring should make a pony that a fashionable owner will be pleased to use. -- source link
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