Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-05-13
DONKEYS OF PERSIA
DiMINUTiVE BODIES AND AN OVER
ShADOWING WEALTH OF EARS.

SHADOWING WEALTH OF EARS.
PecuIiarities of the Little Beasts in the
Shah's Dominions-The Donkey I'm the
Army-Extreme Cruelty in Loading aud
Driving.
The facetiousness of calling Persia the
Land of the Lion and the Sun becomes ap-
parent as soon as one enters the country.
Persia contains, may be, 100 lions, while the
Jackasses number not less than 100000 COO. In
no other country is the land SO completely
given over TO the dominion of the jackaSS as
in Persia Within the boundaries Of the
shahs donlinions ears are truIIps every time,
and the universal music is the donkey's mel
llfiuous bray. Nasr-e-din reigns over more
donizeys than he does human beings. Almost
every Persian Owns donkey, and many Of
them own whole droves. The population of
Persia is estimated at 10, 100000 souls. Cur
rent opinion at Teheran places the donkey
population at about the same number. From
personal observation along 2,0G0 miles Of
Persian road. l should have no hesitation in
betting on that number. Reckoning each
donkey's wealth of ear at two feet, twelve
inches for each ear, the aUral appendages Of
the shah's musical toilers wculd, if laid end
to end, reach 1000 miles / might have
wheeled my 2000 miles along narrow car
peting Of donkey's ears.
To such an extent has the jackass insinu-
ated himself into Persion society that almost
every infantry soldier in the army owns one
When ordered to march to some distant point
an infantry regiment musters almost as
many don]ieys as men. The donkeys do not
belong to the government, bit are the private
property of the soldiers. When not required
they are hired out to civilians. Sometimes
two soldiers, or even three, too poor to in
dulge in the luxury of jackasS apiece, pool
their wealth and buy one between them.
The lot of these syndicate jackasseS is any
thing but enviable when ca the march. The
muskets and kits OF the company are piled
across his spine until he says like hammock.
With breezy unconcern one of the joint stock
company then perches himself on his rump.
The other members of the syndicate follow
behind and prod him along with their bayo-
nets, each one of the three riding and walk
ing by turns. Many of the soldiers carry
their wives with them; these, too, are piled
on the donkeys' backs, so that regiment of
Persian infantry on the march is a sight not
easily forgotten.
INTERNAL COMMERCE.
While the trunk line carriers of Persia are
the camel and mule caravans nine-tenths Of
the internal commerce of the country is car
rien on on donkeys. Imported goods brought
from Bushire or Trebizond are carried by
mules or camels, but the cities are supplied
with fuel and provisions by the donkeys of
the peasantl-y and carriers All along the
Persian roads passed drove after drove Of
donkeys laden with fuel, grain aud other
produce, plodding toward the cities. Often
those droves were so numerous as to suggest
focis of sheep, a suggestion that is materi-
ally frightened by their diminutive size. A
gang of a dozen ryots would be driving be-
fore them sometimes as masf as a hundred
donkevs A mile or so ahead of these,
across the open plain, would be seen another
drove, and e short distance back another.
MAJ HersiaTIs make their living by employ
III droves of donkeys in carrying grain
and fuel from one district to another.
As you near large city in Persia you can
look abou5 you and see droves of donkeys
streaming Ill along the various roads that
center there like the spokes in a hub. Some
times as many as 10000 donkeys pass
through the gates of Teherap in one day.
Every gate is closed at dusk, and the droveS
of donkeys streaming cityward too late in
the evening to pass in accumulate by the
hundred outside. In the morning when the
gates are flung opel the space is blocked up
by struggling swarm of donkeys, their dri-
vers shouting vociferously and gesticulating
wildly at the octroi officers to gain first ad-
mittance.
In dealing with the donkey the Persian
Fyot or carrier regards hun simply as a
means to an end; he never pauses to consider
that the wretched jackaSs has any feeling.
! have seen the most diabolical cruelty prac-
ticed on donkeys in Persia TO persuade them
into the performance of impossible tasks
The regulation donkey goad of the country
is a thong with few inches of chain at the
end At the slightest provocation this is
laid on with mercileSs severity. \ still more
favorite method of persuasion is TO keep an
open sore at some tender spot and prod him
therein with a sharp stick.
DROVE OF DONKEYS.
Near Tabreez l overlook a drove Of at
least 100 donkeys laden with fuel. Thousands
OF donkeys pass their whole lives carrying
camelthorn and tezek into Tahreez from the
surrounding country. Some were well nigh
Invisible beneath small mountains of camel
thorn, their loads being several times larger
than themselves. To hold the big loads in
place rough rope or rawhide breech straps
were worn These i'll fitting trappingS had
in many instances see sawed their way into
the flesh almost to the bone, and were still
rasping deeper and deeper every day. Far
from considering this Il cause for humane
treatment, the brutal drivers rather regarded
the raw sores rs handy places to prod with
sharpened sticks
The roads on the Tabreez plain. near the
city. have been worn down by the traffic of
these multitudes of donkeys that have daily
passed in and out for many centuries, until
they are deep trenches, in places deep enough
below the general surface to hide mounted
Lorseman. Whcl { short distance off the
road one can hear the big dToveS Of donkeys
passing without seeing any signs of life, and
yet the country all around IS an open level !
plain. In urging the donkeys along, besides !
physical measures, the Persian utters cry /
not unlike the bleating of a sheep To stand I
off the Vabreez roads and listen, an uniniti- /
ated person might readily be excused for /
thinking the pattering OF feet and the bleat- |
ing the noise of passing hoclls of sheep
The Persian donkey coGia scarce sink 10 |
lower depths of degradation and :.lisery Than (
that IN which he now exists. He Is small, /
ea1-y-decidedly eary-and possessed OF a .
voice TINT every time he eSplodeS seems IN .