Evening journal., 1899-11-11
CONCERNING PACK TRAINS

HOW MULES FOLLOW THE BELL
MARE WITH BLIND CONFIDENCE.
In the government service" said an
ex-soldier "the pack trains are led by
q bell mare and the mules learn to fol-
low her with a blind confidence that
is astonishing. After the surrender of
Santiago the army of occupation had
several pack trains that We're kept in
q big corral near the camp. One day
General Breckenridge came to visit
General Shafter, who at that time had
shifted his headquarters to a point near
San Juan Hill, and how to provide him
with a saddle animal was a serious ques-
tion. The climate of South Cuba had
proved very hard on our horses and
they were nearly an dead or disabled
In fact, the only respectable looking
beast we could scrape up was q bell
mare belonging to one Of the trains,
and the order was accordingly given to-
saddle her up. The general mounted
and was riding away toward head
quarters. when suddenly a most hid
eOus and unearthly tumult broke loose
from the corral. The mules had caught
sight of their leader and were frantic
ally endeavoring to get out and fol-
low. each one braying at the TOP OF
his lungs and every bray in a different
key 1t was the most horrible row ever
heard in the province since the bonn
bardment OF MORO Castle and for the
I time being it looked as if the crazy
mules were going to tear down the
stockade General Breckinridge was
Fstartled and reined up to investigate,
but meanwhile a dozen packers had
| Jumped into the corral and went to
work on the brutes with clubs. trying
to get them running around in a cir
/ Gle so as to distract their attention. At
/ last they succeeded, and the general
| fortunately disappeared down the road
before the drove came to o standstill
lagain. He would have cut a unique fig
ure IL he had ridden up to Skaters
/ tent leading q solemn cavalcade of six
| ty-four government mules. and that is
exactly what would have happened had
/ it not been for the presence of mind Of
the packers.
"A pack mule that has seen service
gets very cunning" continued the ex-
soldier 81 remember we had one old
J fellow who had been in the army for
twelve or fifteen years and he knew
as much as most of the men. He was
occasionally used as a leader and was
very fond of the job. because i'm that
case he had no load to carry To see
him maneuVering 20 eet TO the front
was very comical. The regulation pack
weighs 200 pounds, and the mules soon
learn to size il mp to a nicety, refusing
to carry anything more. For that rea-
son they are blindfolded while being
loaded. otherwise they would be con-
ltinually looking around TO see whether
the pack was inside the limit. On one
Occasion we received q coffin to be sent
to SibOney and the old mule I refer
red TO was selected to carry it, The
lcofiin weighed only twenty-five
pounds, but the mule must have con-
u cluded from its size that It weighed a
ton, and he Immediately began to groan
lin the most pitiful manner. exactly like
q human being When the coffin was
put on his back he pretended TO stagger
land sagged down as if he was carrying
a ten-inch gun At the same time be
turned his head and looked at me with
a mOurnful expression that was as
easily read as so much print. Good
iheavensN he seemed to say. are you
going TO allow me to be crushed by this
enormous burden?' We were all shrek
ing with laughter and tried TO make
him take his place in line, but not an
Inch would he bulge. Finally he de-
liberatelv rolled over and knocked the
coffin Off That settled It, We let the
old rascal take the bell and ] could al
most hear him chuckling as it was
.looped around his neck. Another mule
was then blindfolded and took on the
coffin without trouble. New Orleans
Times Democrat.