The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-01-01
4 MULE REyIVITTED.
A REMARKABLE INSTANCE OF sUs-
PENDED ANIMATION.

poctet to Believe.
We were sitting in tie Gringo club at
Panama, telling stories of travel. The
most of the yarns bordered on the marvel.
Gus. and IL one could believe them all
strange things do happen in the world.
Senior Delgardo had related a story about
the Increase OF frogs noted about an arti-
fetal pond he had mNle on branch OF the
gahasara river when jack Hemenway, "a
fcntractor from Nicaragua. said:
"Speaking of frogs reminds me OF the
curious statements made by naturalists
about them. They have been found in
clay. In trees and even in stones, where
they had been incased for untold years,
and vet were soon resuscitated on being
released and became lively. Now that al
ways seemed marvellous 10 me, but let me
tell you about a Nicaragua mule that
owned. It was when the contractors were
clearing the route of the proposed canal
from the lake TO the Pacific. got con-
tract to take lot of their traps from san
Jorge on the lake down along the line 10
the Pacific terminus, and it required just
80 mules TO carry the stuff. The route lay
over a beautiful macadamized road as far
Ss Rivus. and then struck out ON the trail
TO San Juan del Sur, which, as some OF
you know, crosses what they call the
Jicara plains. Now, in the summer time
that is, during the dry season-that
trail is a pretty fair one il you keep your
eyes open, but this contract was got just ut
the beginning of the wet season.
"With a couple of men to help me,
started out on the plains just rs one of
those laundering big rain squalls came on,
and Won know how the men as well as
the mules act on such an occasion. The
rain came down in a flood, and the light
ming went scooting about over the clouds
and down to the ground and from bush TO
bush, till you would have thought perdi-
ton was at hand. and away went tho
mules on mad gallop, in spite OF the loads
they carried, while the men alternately
swore and crossed themselves In prayer,
and had the whole outfit 30 look after
and no time even to properly cuss or pray.
"Let me see, it's about three miles
across those plains, amt itS Well, before
we were half way over the ground was all
lin a tremble like jelly. You see the earth
there cracks open during the dry season
down as deep as 25 and 30 feet--factl You
can sec cracks a-plenty that are from to
3 feet wide and % feet LsSp that the hot
sun makes in that clay. Now, when the
ram COints tuo N0otA JhCe hiAAo aAAsV e'tS'~
cracks. and beginning at the bottom soaks
into the ground and makes regular thin
mortar of it. And then more rain comes
and soaks up more and more of the clay
underneath until at last there's only a
thin layer of solid clay on top, and that
tissa ,t too solid, and then's the time TO look
out for your mules when you're crossing
the plains. IL they get within jumping
distance of crack, the crust just breaks
off and in they 60.
"You bet, was looking ont for my
mules with both eyes and blacksnake
whip, but it wasn't much use. simply
trusted to luck and kept the whip snap
ping, and in the course of 90 minutes we'd
crossed the reach of dangerous ground,
and then we lined up the procession and
took stock. 1t grieyed me greatly to find
shat only 90 were there to line up, the
more SO as the missing mule was big
ibnrly fellow with-a piebald- head, that
could carry bigger load on less feed than
yay beast ever saw.
"Ifowever, he was gone, and all could
do was TO charge him and his load TO the
other side of the account and deliver what
] had saved, which L did, and then got
even for the loss by selling out the whole
outfit TO tenderfoot who had come down
from, the States to take a contract on dam
building before ever the engineers had
completed the surveys.
"Until the end of the wet season was
lhibernating at Downings, in Granada,
most of the time, but when at last the sun
came out TO stay, and times were too dull
to live by, / concluded TO go down TO San
Juan del Sur and catch the steamer for
Punta Arenas and see what | could do
there. Let me see, that was three years
ago. Maybe you remember how hot it was
the first Of that season. I've been in these
countries 10 years without seeing the
weather so hot. Why, when got TO Rivas
and wanted to hire n mule for San Juan
they wanted $5 for the trip because, as
ithey said, Of the danger that the mule
would be sunstruck, so put my baggage
on n CARLOAD of fustic and started down
afoot. / had the money, but wouldn't
give in to them.
| "Well, that was the hottest walk on
the Jicare plains ever heard of, but the
heat wasn't the worst OF il. The time had
come for the ground TO begin to crack
open. You see, the clay just got thick
dry scale over the top, and then the heat
struck down through to the thin stuff un-
derneath, aud naturally that scale would
just crack open in all directions like
boiler with too much steam on. The cracks
were opening in all directions, and it was
positively dangerous. l began TO think
that n crack might open under my feet at
any minute and let me down. / had just
got myself worked up to n state of mind
where was ready to run for IL when the
biggest crack ever saw ripped open right
beside the trail, and what should ] see
down about s feet but my old piebald
headed mule''--
"Just waiting TO be resuscitated, like
the frogs I'm "A limestone rock, ;" said Char
ley Mansfield. sits wonderful about
these Central American mules, but let me
tell you a wasp story that'sn--
"I didn't expect any one TO believe me-"
continued Jack, "but il you will write TO
The alcalde OF Riyas. or 10 DIR. John b.
Theron, formerly of Louisville, but now
druggist at Rivas, they will tell You of
three well authenticated cases of mules
that survived burial In the mud Of the
Jicara plains for periods running up sew
tral months. New Work sun.