The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-04-14
THE FINEST ANIMAL on EARTH.

quamic Pass Of the Cascade mountains In an
urgent journey that began ut Seattle. on Puget
Sound. and will end at tho mouth Of the Wen
atchee river. tributary Of the Columbia. l am
at Thorp's rauch east Of the divide.
Ny horse Is used up. His back is SORE and
he is generally stiff: 80 talk to Thorp about a
mule. He has the best mule in the world n
large mule. Rcntle mule. strong mule. and u
fast mule. all combined in one animal. lie
is not handsome. but so good. was the i'm
preston received from tho old mans dcscrip-
ton Of this beast. He will have him brought
up; so, calling to an Indian boy. he tells him to
find another Indian and drive up some horses
and mules, and to be sure to drive up " that big
mule" / see the shadow OF a smile play across
the young braves face as he hears the words
big mule. and he glances at me with sup
pressed mcrriment l sit and talk to Thorp.
and in an hour or 30 we hear the thud. thud
of many hoofs rs tho horses gaIlop up the val
ley. They soon canter past the house and turn
into the corral about $50 Of them-horses Of all
sizes and shapes. mules Of all sizes and shapes.
Among the latter is one huge. hideous animal.
a great rawbonod beast. with ears q foot long.
He has. apparently no control over these orna-
ments.
Now be II understood that am not vcrsed In
horse flesh. / can tell good horse only by
what he docs. II ] can ride him four or flve
hundred miles and he comes in In good order.
that horse call good. II he gives out on the
trail for want Of water. or finds that am too
heavy for him. and is used up. 1 call him poor
horse SO about this mule. l am assured by
man whose business 1t is to raise horses and
mules that this mule Is fine one. very fine.
He would have no object for playing stranger
for Chinaman." not he. No Western man
OF the poor traveller who might be set afoot in
his country. How could you think Of such Il
thing when the books and articles in the papers
about the West all speak VI tho princely hos
pitality Of the fronticrsman?"
Ono word about the prlncely hospitality Of the
frontiersman, in whose house you will invari-
ably pay at least four times more for all you eat
md drink than 1t Is worth; where YOU will DO
gouged until you think San Francisco hack
men are Good Samaritans and honest gentle
men. had rather. II were hungry and out OF
money. stop at the first Indian lodge | came to.
than risk asking any white man who lives In
the Cascade Or Rocky mountains for anything
10 eat Before you got through your meal. the
hospitable frontiersman would hint that two
shirts were too many for traveller out Of
money; or that you surely could not want both
n revolver and rife or thnta hundred rounds
game was scarce whore you were going. and
there were no Indians. or that he for ono could
not see what man who was on ne trail wanted
the worth Of his bacon and coffee out OF you. If
he had 10 unstrap the spurs from. your heels or
pull the shoes on your horse. Prlnccly hos
pitaity Of the irontcrsman" is all bosh. AS a
clnss. fronticrsmen are tho most grasping AID
nyarcious men in the world. ,,,,
To resume my mule. Thorp told me that this
mule was the finest animal on eQrth. believed
him i was young in the country then and bought
return him II I did not like him. / could find no
fault with this. but i afterward saw through
gaG Th9 mHe wa sn s1uEn nd and ma S Shd
Cascade range 10 the Columbia river. He was
we started. The trail led across the valley, a
deep ford OF the river. then we turned to the
northwest and rode up the valley.
This mule Of mine soon began 10 show on his
fine points He would not move out OF walk.
and a slow walk at That. / would spur him,
whip the indians use. spurrcd MIN and beat
him till the blood fell from his belly in drops.
No usel The beast had a low. deprayed taste
for the GIGANTIC thistle that grows in the valley
ofthe Upper Yakima. II grows some I'VE or
six feet high. and IL about as good eating as n
gct into the thistcs. Imagine my horror and
evaporation when md my mule has fond
ness for these vegetable junks. His mouth is
nothing nj ali ior the bit. but with tho groa,cst
elaboration; with slow stage step. leaves ne
pulls II up straightens II out 50 that he can eat
il. rs n boy does stem Of celery slowly returns
he walks along. nodding his head. his great
| ears Tapping to and fro. and the stalk OF this
thistle waving ny and down. as though he were
| beating time to slow music.
Do you blame me for getting wild with rage
| howled. | cursed tugged at the bit d; kicked
on on and mg STS5bns hold Of the thistle pSe i
| ont Of his mouth and threw IT away. What did
| he care We're there not plenty more Of them
ursf an ia M hr Ian yea
the trail and with the utmost composurc stops
and adjusts another six-foot thistle in his
mouth, and then resumes his course. i give
up in despair. a;id lot him have his way.
The Indian is out OF sight He has probably
ridden ahead 10 some point where there Il
water. come around the point OF thicket
| and there lies my guide in the shade. One look
at the solitary .horsem9n that's mel, whose
really a walking blOtch on the Taco Of this beau
| tful earth. and the child Of nature that's The
| Indian. not me, ms ! am child OF sin by this
| tmel IA convulsed with mcrriment. he rolls
aud kicks aud screams aloud with laughter.
look sternly a him aud reproye, him for his
| unseemly mirth. He says that do not under
| stand mules. This il undoubtedly tho only
! truthful remark he evor made in his life.
| don't understand mules and from that trip tc
| the present time | have never endoaNored t.
| learn anything about them Tho Indian says
| TINT he understands mules, and II l Will rid,
his horse he will show me how to make tn.
mule 20. III have revenge on this red man i
| once get my leg over the back Of his beautiful
white mare. dismount. and We exchange
There was some misunderstanding between
US about how we should ride. He understood
that was To hover around him and be instruct
cd in the art Of mule RI innnH'-thc art o
| making mules, and especially this particular
mule. unhappy /. on the other hand. though
| | was to ride ahead and camp. aud when h
brought the mule UP ! could see the results o.
his toll by moonlight, and be instructed. SO
| when get seated In my saddle. address few
| loving words Of farewell to him, wish him sue
cess in his undertaking. and with wave of M,
| hand canter OF. ALL the look of amazemen
that is on his face the look OF sorrow as he sect
| that he has boen deceived by the fair SIX inneC
| stranger and ns he slowly realizes that he vii
| do more work this afternoon than he has eve
| done in his whole life before. these expression
change TO one OF blank dsmay.
| "IIA! ha hal why don't you laugh. Alexis 2
/ call back TO him. Softly waited through thu
pure mountain air. and echoed back from cllffs
and dying away in the far distance are III
Waving more adieus to him, set spurs 10 thu
Hanks Of his mare. and quickly disappear from
his sight. | ride up the valley following tn
trail in its winnings in and out OF thlekets
crossing the brook numberlcss times, rldinl
gayly along the sides of precipitous bluns
smiling and happy rs king. For mile o
two hear Alexis swear.
| come on n little mountain glen. which has
small stream of clear cold water running
through II md being by this time some nitcel
miles ahead OF the mule. ! resolve " camp
H. al. uah haR hNn hE.lal