يُقال إن عدد الرجال والخيل الواقفين على طول الطريق يساوي عدد أيام الرحلة كلِّها، فيقف عند كل مرحلة يومِ سفرٍ رجلٌ وفرس، ولا يصرفهم ثلجٌ ولا مطر ولا حرّ ولا ظلام عن إتمام مهمتهم المقدّرة بأقصى سرعة.

“It is said that as many days as there are in the whole journey, so many are the men and horses that stand along the road, each horse and man at the interval of a days journey; and these are stayed neither by snow nor rain nor heat nor darkness from accomplishing their appointed course with all speed.”Herodotus — Herodotus (1961)