The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-09-18

IS an incentive to wrath. disgust and
dismay on the part of the average tray
eler. This is why travel on the island
ss conducted chiefly on the back of some
domestic quadruped. The horse and
donkey, the mule and OK. share the
honors of transporting their human
owners. OF the four the favorite steed
Is the mule.
There are mules and mules. I have
seen one on Broadway. New York. bid
successful defiance to two policemen. a
greater feat than any lion could ac-
romplish, but the mules of Porto Rico
are as docile. humbl and long suffer
ing as the ancestral donkey. | have
tried many Of these ~long-eared crea-
lures, and can testify to their virtues.
They are superior TO the horse in
Porto Rico on account of their being
surer footed on steep hill sides and Of
their possessing a remarkable instinct
which enables them TO determine
whether marshy soil is safe or danger
Gus. When q come To "A meadow
which looks substantial n secure your
mule is apt to halt. paw the soil vigor-
ously for a minute and then sniff and
Jock al the place abraded by the hoof.
When satisfied that the ground that
the ground will bear his weight he goes
along without further hesitation. u If
ne turns aroun and refuses the path
10 Hpl Try 10 gel MN 10 ItAIdfR MS
steps. In all probability there Is a
qusgmire or a quickmud within a
few yards, in which both beast and
rider may be engulfed.
/ noticed in my Journeys through the
island that women ride a great deal
tn Porto Rico. the same as in Mexico,
and much more than In the United
States. The better classes use the En-
elish side saddle, though a few prefer
the more picturesque and safer but
less graceful Spanish saddle. In the
country districts the pillion is occasion
ally employed. while among the lower
classes many women ride astride with
out exciting comment. When the ma
tiyes are both pretty and good riders
they display considerable coquetry ia
the saddle. ] noticed one rider near
Juana DiaZ who took my mind bach
20 the old days OF chiyalry. She was
a lovely girl OF about l. or Is with a
face like a Madonna and a figure like
an artists model. one little foot crept
put beneath her silk riding skirt and
10 my surprise was devoid Of hosiery.
The skin was like polished velvet and
was Of a pinkish gold OF an exquisite
INIT. 1t was shod with a slipper Of
satin or silk embroidered in color with
an arched instep which made the foot
all the more charming by its setting.
The time TO see the women at their
best is on Sunday morning. when they
ride from their homes 10 mass in the
nearest church or cathedral or one
Sunday morning. while riding leisurely
into a small village On my way 10 this
town, / met a crowd Of worshippers on
their way TO mass. Nearly all the wo-
men were on mule back and sat or
lolled as II they were in an easy chair
in their own homes. A few. probably
wealthier than the others. or else deli
cate In health, were accompanied by a
little darkey boy on a working mule
held over them a parasol or an um-
brella. These umbrellas are as gorge
Gus as those Of the Mandarins of China.
They are family affairs, large enough
n cover the mother and all her little
brood. They are embroidered. cover