The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1894-02-28
A MULE REVIVIFIED.
A REMARKABLE INSTANCE OF sUs-
PENDED ANIMATION.

The Wonderful Jlcara Piains-SoiI That
soaks Up Rain and Attains the Consist-
ency OF Mortar-A Story No One Is Ex.
pected to Believe.
We were sitting In the 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 story about
the increase OF frogs noted about an arti-
fetal pond he had made on branch Of the
Tahasara river, when Jack Hemenway, q
contractor 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 betn 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. 1t 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 to
the Pacific terminus, and 1t required just
80 mules to carry the stuff. The route lay
over beautiful macadamized road ms far
as Riyas, 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 pretty fair one II you keep your
eyes open, but this contract was got just at
the beginning of the wet season.
"With n couple of men TO help me, l
started out on tho plains just as one of
those laundering big rain squalls came on,
and you know how the men as well as
the mules act on such an occasion. The
rain came down in flood, and the light
ming went soooting 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 n mad gallop, in spite of the loads
they carried, while tho 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 III Well, before
we were half way over the ground was all
In Il tremble like Jelly. You see tho earth
there cracks open during the dry season
down as deep as 25 and 30 feet-factl You
can see cracks a-plenty that ure from 2 to
3 feet wide aud IS feet deep that the hot
sun makes in that clay. Now, when the
rain comes the water just fills into those
cracks, and beginning at the bottom soaks
into tho ground and makes n 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
Isn't too solid, and then's the time to look
out for your mules when you're crossing
the plains. If they get within jumping
distance of u crack, the crust just breaks
off and In they go.
"Hou bet, was looking out for my
mules with both eyes and n blacksnake
whip, but 1t 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. 1t grieved me greatly to find
that only 90 We're there to line up, the
more so as the missing mule was big
burly fellow with picbald head, TINT
could carrya bigger load ON less feed than
any beast | ever saw.
"iowever, he was gone, and all could
do was TO charge him and his load TO tho
other side of the account and deliver what
| ! had saved, which | did, and then got
even for the loss by selling out the whole
/ outfit to teuderfoot who had come down
from the States to take contract on dam
! building before ever the engineers haG
/ completed the surveys
I "Until the end OF the wet season was
alternating at Downngs, in Granada,
most of the time, but when at last tho sun
came out TO stay, and times We're too dull
| 10 live by, concluded to go down to San
/ Juan del Sur aud catch the steamer fol
| Punta Arenas aud see what | could dc
| there. Let me sec that was three years
| ago. Maybe You remember how hot il was
! the first of that season, I've been in these
countrics 10 years without seeing the
weather so hot Why, when got to Rivas
and wanted to hire II mule for Sun Juan
they wanted Sb for tho trip, because, as
! they said, of tho danger that the nult
/ would he sunstrick so put my baggage
on a cartlond of flstic and started duNr
afoot. had the money, but wouldn't
| give in to them.
! "Nell, that was the hottest walk on
| the ,Iicnra plains ever hemr,l of, but the
heat WASH + the worst of IT, The time had
come for the ground to begin to crack
open. You see, the clay Just got n thick
! dry scale over the top, and then the heat
| struck down through 10 the thin stuff I'm.
| derncath, and naturally that scale would
| just crack open in all directions like a
! boiler with too much steam on The crgt l.
were opening in all directions, and il was
! positively dangerous. began TO think
that Al crack might open under my fuct at
| any minute and let me down had inst
got myself worked mp to state OF mind
where was ready TO run for il when the
| biggest crack eyer saw ripped open right
beside the trail, and what should | SET
down about ieet but my old piebald
| headed mule''----
",luSt waiting to he rcsuscitated like
| the frogs in IA limestone rock - said Char
! ley Mansfield. ITS wonderful about
/ these Central American mules, but let mt
/ tell you II wasp story that S.
! II didn't expect any one to believe me, :
( continued Jack, "but If You will write tc
4 the alcalde Of Rivas or to DR., John H.
! Theron, formerly OF louisville, but now a
druggist at Rvas, they will tell yOu oi
three well authenticated cases of mule,
that survived burial in the mud of III,
Jiedra plains for periods running up sew
elttl months New York sun
!
| fitzra1ph's Irish Testament.
The first British translation of the New
Testament was not into the English Ian,
g,lage, rs many have Imagined The per.
son who has TINT honor was one Fit.
/ ralph md his version Nug in Iriah IL