The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1894-08-11
A MULE REVIYIFIED.
A REMARKABLE INSTANCE OF sUs-
PENDED ANIMATION.

soaks Up Rain and Aftains the Consist
encv of ,rort.r-A storv M IN. r.
'''' "
We were sitting In the Gringo club at
Panama. telling stories OF travel. The
most of the yarns bordered on the marvel
GUS, and n one could believe them all
strange things do happen In the world.
Senior DelRardo had related story about
the increase OF frogs noted about an arti-
fetal pond he had made on branch of the
Tahasara river, when Jack Hemenway. "A
contractor from Nicaragua. said:
"SpeakinR OF frogs reminds me OF the
curious statements made by naturalists
about them. They have been found In
clay, I'm trees and even in stones, where
they had been incased for untold years.
and yet were soon resuscitated on being
released and became lively Now that al
ways seemed marvellous TO me. but let me
tell you about Nicaragua mule that
owned. IL was when the contractors were
clearing the route of the proposed canal
from the lake TO the Pacific got con
tract to take a lot Of their traps from San
Jorge on the lake down along the line to
the Pacific terminus, and it required Just
80 mules 20 carry the stuff. The route lay
over "A beautiful macadamized road as far
rs Rivas, and then struck out on the trail
to San Juan del Sur. which, "a some OF
you know, crosses what they call the
Jicara plains. Now. in the summer time
that Is, during the dry feason-that
trail IL "A pretty fair one IL you keep your
eyes open, but this contract was got Just at
the beginning OF the wet season.
"Wth couple of men to help me,
started out on the plains lust as one of
those laundering big rain SQUALLS came on.
and you know how the men as well ms
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 the
mules on mad gallop, in spite Of the loads
they carrie,s while the men alternately
swore and crossed themselves In prayer,
and had the whole outfit to 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 deem az 25 and 80 feet-factl You
can cracks U-pleutN tnHt are from = TO
3 feet wide and 25 feet deep that the hot
sun makes in that clay Now, when the
rain comes the water lust fills into those
cracks, and beginning at the bottom soaks
into the ground and makes a 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
-. ~ 4.
out for your mules when you're crossing
the plains. IL they get within jumping
distance of n crack. the crust Just breaks
of and in they 20.
"You bet. / was looking out for my
mules with both eyes and a blacksnake
whip. but it wasn't much use. | simply
trusted to luck and kept the whip snap
ping. and in the course of 20 minutes we'd
crossed the reach OF dangerous ground,
and then we lined up the procession and
took stock IL grieved me greatly to find
that only 90 were there to line up, the
more so as the missing mule was big
burly fellow with piebald head, that
could carry "A bigger load ON less feed than
any beast ever saw.
However, he was gone, and all could
do was to charge him and his load to the
plntT Slut OF lut hCCpunt anu utilNcT Wudl
had saved, which | did, and then got
even for the loss by selling out the whole
outfit TO a 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
alternating 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 Sar
Juan del Sur and catch the steamer fol-
Phnta Arenas and see what | could dc
there. Let me see, that was three years
ago. Maybe YOU remember how hot IL was
the first of that season. I've been in thes,
countries 10 years without seeing tn,
weather so hot. Why, when got to Rivas
and wanted to hire mule for San Juar
they wanted So for the trip, because, as
they said, of the danger that the mul,
would be sunstruck, so put my baggag,
on a CARLOAD of fustic and started down
afoot. had the money, but wouldn't
give in 70 shem.
"Wen, that was the hottest walk OF
the Jicara plains | ever heard Of, but tn,
heat wasn't the worst of IT, The time hat
come for the ground to begin TO crack
dry scale over the top, and then the heat
struck down through to the thin stuff un
derneath, and naturally that scale would
just crack open in all directions like
| hofler with TOO tnnch steam, On The cracl<,