The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-02-03

the British officers VINO have been max
ing their headquarters in New Orleans
have bought and shipped upward i.
1000 mules. The specifications called
for small, active animals, sound in wine
and limb, and weighing between sol
and 900 pounds, and they have beer
culled from droves in all parts Of the
country. They came from northern
: Illinois and southwestern Texas, and
all the intermediate region. AS far as
answering the stipulated requirement
they were an exceptionally satisfactory
lot, but, unfortunately, there was no
educational qualification, and in the
language of stockmen, they were
green 1t is doubtful whether one in
hundred ever cav such a thing as a
pack.
An effort was made to remedy this
difficulty by engaging a number Of ex-
pert American packers and sending
them over with the different consign-
ments to break the animals upon their
arrival at South Africa, but much to re-
greet of the officers, but very few could
be secured at any figure. The packers
of the West are undoubtedly the best
in the world but they belong to the up
per ranks of skilled labor and find en-
ployment too easily at home to care
to make a long journey across seas At
any rate only a handful were obtained,
probably not more than four of five to
each vessel that has sailed.
| According to experts, it takes at least
three months to properly break mule
for packing. In the United States army,
| where the art has been brought to It's
highest perfection, that is regarded as
the minimum time. The regulation
train In the service consists of GA ami
mails 50 of which carry packs and IA
being used under the saddle The train
is in charge ola chief packer, who is
paid 500 a month, and an assistant, or
"cogadore" at SIS. Under them are IA
packers. who get $50 a month. A train
en- route is an interesting spectacle
The mules move along In solid COM
pact lines, either single or double file,
led by mare carrying bell suspend
ed around her neck. The chief packer
rides ahead, the "cogadore" keeps a
general eye on the cavalcade from the
rear, and the packers trot back and
forth at each side, seeing that nothing
goes wrong. The bell-mare, as may be
supposed, plays star role in the or
ganization. She carries no load, and
her sole duty is to push on at a steady,
even gait. The confidence the mules
learn to repose in her, Is amazing and
amusing. If they are well broken to
the work they will follow the bell to
the ends of the earth, and as long as 1t
Ia tinkling it Is next to impossible to
stampede the train. If a mule gets in
to trouble of any kind, it makes bee
line to the bell-mare for aid and COM
fort.
In the American army trains no bride
or tie of any kind ie used TO keep the
animals in line and they march one
behind the other with the regularity Of
veterans. The Spanish system is to tie
them together headsGnd tail, but when
a few native packers attempted to put
that method into execution at Santiago,
they became the butt of the whole 9Th
corps. The average distance covered
per day is 20 miles, and the character
of the ground makes less difference than
one would suppose. 1t is proverbial In
the service that a mule can go any
where goat can,
Keeping the mules in line is only one
complishment upon which he really
pumes himself is adjusting the load, a
feat that a novice would find nothing
short of an absolute impossibility There
are two kinds Of pack saddles in use in
the West-the Moor and the Arapahoe,
the latter an Indian Invention which is
vastly the most popular. 1T is very
large and covers almost the entire back
Above it a canvas Is spread, and the
load is then divided, If possible, into six
or eight compact parcels. These par
cells are evenly distributed on each side,
the canvas brought over, and the pack
secured by what Is known as a "dia-
mond hitch"-a really wonderful inter-
lacing of ropes, which secures each
bundle in it's proper place and prevents |
clipping. OF course, there are some |
loads that cannot be sub-divided as de- |
scribed, and in that case there is simply |
one bundle for each side. A greater |
number, however, facilitates the |
hitch"
In addition to security the great de- |
sideratum in packing is to avoid gall
ing teh animals back. The skin Is /
very sensitive, and the least abrasion Is /
almost certain to produce an Obstinate
sore that may put the animal out Of
service for months. A prolific cause Of
calling is crease In the canvas. and
this is a point upon which the expert
packer exercises special care. He sees
to it that the under side of the load is
perfectly smooth In a week or two
few clumsy hands can easily disable a
whole train. The standard weight of a
pack is 200 pounds.
The foregoing will give fair idea Of
the difficulties under which the British
army ia certain to labor through lack
Of competent trainers and packers. In
the hands of lot of clumsy Kaffirs,
the fine animals sent from this port
are more apt to prove a source of dan
ger and annoyance than Of actual utlli~
ty. Moreover the trains are wanted for
service, and even IL skilled
men were on the ground they would lack
the necessary time for training. 1t Is a
serious problem, and entitled to con-
sideration among the greatest of the
that beset the present cam