The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-12-17


the government has bought $500
mules to carry troops and sup
plies from the coast TO the scene
Of war OF these 5000 or 5000 were bought
In the United States and several thousand
Of them are already in active service. The
rest are on the way from New Orleans
and Charleston. The remainder came from
Italy and Spain, and thus we see the
Spanish and American mule laboFing sido
by side against common foe.
On general principles we may suppose
It was the Spanish variety of mule that
was directly responsible for the great ca.
lamty ut NichoIson's mex, causing the
capture Of 1900 British troops and the
death Of several gallant officers. The thing
never would have happened II the mules
had not stampeded and run away with the
ammunition. In a private letter which an
infantry officer wrote from Ladysmith
some days previous to this disaster. stat
ing that lot of unbroken mules had just
been received. he predicted that they
would stampede the first time they got
into action.
The mule was responsible not only d.
rectly for the first great reverse Of the
war, but II was the lack OF him that de-
layed the embarkation of the First army
corps and enabled the Beers to have a
brief hour OF triumph. The humble AMI.
mai figures bit in diplomacy, for the
fact that he had not been bought when
hostilities became certain was held to be
adequate refutation OF the charge that
Mr. Chamberlain deliberately brought on
war.
Boom In the Mule Market.
Up to date the war office has bought and
paid for mules about 81 100000. The latest
mule quotation IL 500 beast, and am
informed that the market IL firm and that
no difficulty whatever has been found by
the government in getting all the mule
f.atx. Iv4 fax 10 Arx<se
representatives in Cape Colony have been
gathering in all the mules In that neigh
borhood for the last six months, and got
about 1000 there alone. No further than
three months ago officers were sent to
Europe and America hunting. The men
taking them have orders ITO proceed to
the Cape for instructions"
In buying these mules the officers have
been careful, as far as possible. to get
those that have been trained. This word
trained suggests a possible mule curr-
culum, but It means merely those which
knocking about already-although, as my
informant, an army officer, who knows,
mules from A to z. remarked, you get
even raw mule in front of a stout wagon
with q couple Of tons In 1t, and he can't
do much HARM"
These new mules are to be used only
for transportation purposes-that Is, for
twelve mules to each--aItd none OF them
Is destined to carry packs, the former
function OF the mule In war. None of the
new recruits will be pressed into the SER
vice as members Of mounted batteries,
either, for there are two mule companies
that have been accustomed for years to
act as flesh and-blood gun carriages at
the Cape. These last animals served their
apprenticeship at the government bar
racks at Newport. and have become used
to the smell Of powder, and are entirely
blase about having small cannon upon
their backs.
Mule Has Center Of stage.
In fact, the humble mule is playing big
ger part In this campaign than any repre-
sentative Of his species ever did before.
for. as my informant puts 1t, this is the
biggest expedition sent out from England
since the Crinea, and the use of mules in
the Franco-Prussian war is only frac-
ton of what 1t IL in this one. You see, 1t
would be next to impossible to carry on
our war In the Transvaal without the
mule. We chose him for this expedition
especially because he will stand the cl-
mate of South Africa better than the
horse. OF course. he's slower; but then
he's stronger, too. and he stands the work
better. fancy / know all about mules
I've handled them in India and In South |
America and at the Cape. too. We usually !
get twenty years work out OF a mule.
and that puts the horses record nowhere. I
Mules don't contract diseases as early as |
horses, but on the other hand, when a !
mule does get some trouble he plays out |
faster than the horse does Why, as far |
as We know, out of the 5000 mules now |
under observation, we haven't lost over |
three. What do they eat? Oh. practically /
the same as the horse-only a deal less
than he requires"
| asked what would become Of the mules |
that come out of the present campaign |
with whole skins.
There's no reason he said, why they |
can't be sold right there on the ground; |
that's what we expect to do with them. |
You know, the TranEvaal h going to be |
different sort of place after this war Ia |
ended from what 1t was before. rye just |
got back from there. and I think know |
what I'm talking about. The Boer farmer. |
although owning say 100 acres Of land. Is |
entirely content to sit in one little corner
Of 1t and smoke his pipe and make perhaps |
IS week or bit more. But after the |
war capital will step In and things will |
BOOM That Is where the mules come in. !
There won't be any trouble over dlsposing |
of them. |
Mule story Called yellow.
81 know where you got your idea that |
there might he scarcity of mules at prea- |
ent. That comes from the yellow press OF /
London, but it's the merest rubbish. 1t |
was stated In yellow journal that one Of |
our officers was sent to Spain to collect |
lot of mules and WAS limited to q certain
sum for each animal. Then Il added that !
he succeeded In getting only thirty at q !
price several figures above the limit which I
the war office had set, and that, when he !
returned rather juhilant over his small |
!: