The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-04-28
THE CARABAO.
EIS SERVICE AS 4 DRAFT ANI-
 NAL
Is Indispcnsa ble-Thc Army Finds Him

The TelaClVe value OL tHe Hluie anu thG
 carabao, or, as it is commonly called, the water buffalo, for army purposes Tn
 the Philippines has been subject Of speculation and experiment during the
 operations of our army in the archipel-
 ago through the rainy season. The al
 most indispensable character of the car
 aboa to the natives made it seem advis-
 able to try the creature for transport
 service in place of the mule, and several
 trains of ammunition and provisions
 have been carried in the rear of our army by the buffaloes. These bull
 trains for transportation purposes have
 proved a success under certain condi-
 tions. Where haste and dispatch are
 necessary they are dismal failures, but
 if no particular failures, but if no par
 ticular hurry is essential to the eXpedi- | tion, they offer some points of superior | ity to the mule train, They are more
 to be depended upon in hot wet coun-
 tries like the Philippines during the
 rainy season than the army mule, but
 in any other land they would be of lit
 tie use. The bulls are as strong as al
 most any animal in existence rivalins
 the elephant in their ability to haul i whatever they are hitched to; but they
 are large. clumsy, slow and phlegmatc
 animals. They cannot be driven faster
 than their ordinary gait, which at the
 best is almost at a snaips pace. As an
 instance of their slowness, an army
 train of bulls was recently dispatched
 with load of provisions and ammuni-
 tion from the Bagbag river to San Fer
 nando. Although only a distance of twelve miles, it took the bulls over half | a day to cover the distance.
 l The peculiar necessity of their bath
 ing frequently in the rivers in order to
 keep up their spirits and strength dur ing journey is both an advantage and disadvantage In travelling through the country in the rainy season, rivers and
 swollen streams are encountered every mile or so, and crossing these is a pleas ure rather than disadvantage to the
 carabao. In fact, they must batha ire quently or they will succumb to the heat and fatigue of the journey If giv- en all the bathing they want, the cara bao bulls will work continuously, and never show signs of exhaustion; but cut them off from all water for any length of time, they will drop down dead fn harness. This dependence upon water for bathing, and their great slowness are the chief points against them.
 The flies. mosquitoes and other insects in the Philippines are so large and nu- merous that even the mules are serious ly turburbed by them, but the carabaos after bathing in the muddy streams have their bodies so coated with mud and slime that the insects cannot both CT them It Is partly for this protective purpose that they roll in the muddy bottoms, for undoubtedly long expert ence has taught them the value of this coat of dry mud.
 The government has bought up con siderables droves of these animals for stantly in carrying pack trains across the rough country when the mules are needed for other purposes. Our men have not yet thoroughly learned the art of driving and controlling these strange beasts of burden. The Chinamen are the best drivers of the carabaos, and a "Chino" driver is employed for every one that is sent out with a provision train. The animals are quiet and do- cile if handled properly, but if crossed or angered they show temper and power that makes them more formida- ble than the native warriors to fight off The Chino drivers know how to fla vor the beasts and when to give them water and when to make them leave the stream. With stones and loud shouts they force the animals to come out of their bed of water and mud and stand up in line for yoking again. Sometimes, however, half an hour is wasted in getting the carabaos har- messed ready for resuming the journey. They are trained so well that they step into line and over the shafts as careful ly as a gentle horse waiting to be har- messed.
 The animals are rudely yoked to the carts, and are driven by means of a rope fastened to a ring in their noses The "Chino" drivers control them by means of this rope and loud shouts sim liar to those used by farmer in steer ing his yoke of oxen. The animals are so slow of foot that they were ruled off l the principal street of Manila because they impeded the progress of traffic and caused frequent trouble. The beasts 1 are able to strike a good gait, however, as witnessed many times in runaways. Then they show a fieetness of foot that | surprises all who are not thoroughly ac- | quainted with them, but their hide is so | tough that the drivers cannot prod them | deep enough to force them to a faster | trot. A wild carabao is not an agreea- l ble animal to meet, and there are i'm 1 mense herds of them roaming in the is- | lands. Several times they have charged l upon our soldiers in anger and caused a sensation of more importance than a charge of the native soldiers With l their long horns and powerful muscles they are able to give a whole regiment I all the work it needs for a short time The bullets from the rifles do not al ways kill CT even cripple the wild beasts, and a charge cannot be checked by volley or two from well-directed ] rifles. The shooting sometimes serves l to anger the animals instead of intimi- dating them, and they plunge through the deep grass and jungles like mad 1ened herd of elephants, and sometimes prove almost os formidable
 These wild buffaloes come from the interior, where many natives spend heir time in capturing and tanning .hem. It takes a long time to tame the wild creatures and break them into ser vice. Some old bulls absolutely refuse to be tanned and they show their re-
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