The legendary Indian dak (mail) runner faced many dangers and he was armed with a spear to protect himself against wild animals. A runner carrying mail from Calcutta towards Moondepore Tuppa was grabbed by a tiger and disappeared in the long grass on the 26th September 1831. The incident is reported by Chitra Joshi in 'Dak Roads, Dak Runners and the Communication Networks', a lively narration about the recruitment and working conditions of the runners, the dangers on the road, and especially how the employers tried to rationalize the labour process. In 1899, Rudyard Kipling wrote his famous poem about the dak runner:
"Is the torrent in spate? He must ford it or swim/ Has the rain wrecked the road? He must climb by the cliff/ Does the tempest cry Halt? What are tempests to him?/ The Service admits not a 'but'or an 'if'/ While the breath's in his mouth, he must bear without fail/in the Name of the Empress, the Overland Mail."