Evening star., 1901-01-12
LONG-EARED HEROES
Mules Are Held in High Esteem in
Modern Armies. u
FAMED FOR GRIT AND ENDURANCE
When 1t Comes to Driving Them
Genius is RequTed.,3
FURNISH MOTIVE POWER

Written for The Evening Star.
| There is an eminent American army off,
Ger in the philippines who has revised the
proverb about heaven giving the victory to
| the side with the best guns Heaven
gives the victory to the army with the
| most mules,'' is his version. Today the
mule is regarded as the sine qua non of
| modern warfare. Should his muleship rise
as unit and balk on the firing line there
would be no more up-to-date wars.
| The continued demand for army mules in
western markets has almost doubled the
price. Four years ago a velvetyeared
gh-kicking, 16-hand mule could be bought
for $75, and a good mule for $50 Now
western farmer who owns a sound 16-hand
mule will not look at less than $135 for
him, and almost any sort of specimen will
fetch $1OO.
In South Africa.
Since the occupation of Manila 10000
mules have been shipped to the Philip
pines alone. Three times that many have
been sent to Cuba and Porto Rico. En-
glsh mule buyers have drained the st.
Louis and Omaha markets since the COM
mencement of the Boer war, in spite of the
alleged unsoldierly behavior Of a squad of
| American mules in Gen. Buffers command,
who, on three occasions, 1t is said, delib-
| erately led their English drivers into a
| Boer ambush, and baked at every attempt
to retreat. If this is true 1t is the first in
| stance Of disloyaty ever recorded against
| the army mule. He has his faults, but he
| is game, and he is faithful.
Just before the breaking out Of the Span
| 1sh-American war Spanish buyers shipped
| $4,000 mules from American markets Our
| army buyers were equally busy. 'It was
| 1or inn at fha fr,o hot
| Uncle Sam holding back to get his
| warships ready says an old army officer.
! 'He wasn't; he was buying mules. l my
| self bought 900 on contract during the
Maine investigation"
Problem of Transportation.
| Army officials have expended more worry
! in the transportation of mules to the Phil
| ippines than in the carrying of troops.
| Up to a year ago nobody had any idea that
| a mule could stand on his sea legs during
| a voyage of forty-one days and trot down
| a gang plank In better condition than he
| trotted up. The American mule has
| achieved this.
Formerly in attempting to transport mules
| over long distances the beasts were sup
| ported in their stalls hy d sort OF sling,
like a hammock. supposed to give them an
! opportunity to rest themselves. This pro-
cess killed from 20 to 90 Der cent of the
| animals, and the rest were III a state Of
| collapse at the end of the voyage. This
| plan has been abandoned. and mules are
now carried to Manila from Portland, Ore,
| with a loss of not more than 2IIper cent.
AT Manila they swim through the surf a
| mile in landing, and within a week are at
| for work.
A subtle Affinity.
1t has been discovered that between The
| mule and the Filipino there is a. subtle SYM
pathy. 1t is the same with the niue and
the Porto Rican. the Cuban the Mex-
! * ~ -
| 50 worn out that he will show no sign %
resentment if an American soldier tickles
his heels, pet him bit ana talk to him IN
! his own jargon, jump on his back and trot
| him hundred miles. " -~ =
Before the advent Of the American army
| In the Philippines the only draft animal
in use (excepting the donkey and the hi
| nese coolie) was the OK. The mule, of
| course. is slow compared with a horse. but
he is chain lightning beside a team Of oxen.
| The FiliDinos consider him a marvel OF
rapid transit. V
| There are great many reasons why
the mule is particularly Indispensable in
| the wars now going on. He thrives IN a
| hot climate and is immune to everything.
| Yellow fever and swamp fever and break
| bone fever are all the same to him, for he
| never catches any Of them, while the horse
| does.
| Do the Hard Work.
| Mules furnish the propelling power for
| all army vehicles The proud war horse is
| not in it with the mule when it comes to
actual work. An army crawls on Its stom-
ach, as Won Moltke remarked; the mule
packs and hauls the necessary victuals.
| When battery Of artillery is limbered up
| ard galloped over battlefield 1t Is drawn
by plunging. rearing horses: when that bat
| terry is to be dragged slowly and painfully
over hundreds of miles of sitting hot roads
| patient siX-mule team does the work,
| and more than likely goes without water
| and forages for Its food on the journey.
| mule is the type of toughness. He will
| do more work than horse and live on a
third of the food. He is a fine pack ami
NAL, and in his ability to go without water
he rivals the camel. The mule can live
| on any kind of provender and work, and
| instances are on record where in a soldier
ing career a siX-mule team has travelled
for a week on what it shipped from the
| roadside. Also, he thrives on ill-treat-
| ment.
Both Tough and Smart.
| "It an't kindness that a mule wants;
| it's abuse says the sage army teamster.
| Certainly the patience of the mule is the
patience of job He is somewhat stubborn
| and hardheaded, but he has a sort of mule
sense, ideal in its way. His ears are not
big for nothing. He is as watchful as a
cat Any unusual sound awakens him. He
| can tell the tread Of the enemy at any hour
| of the day or night, and he Is not baShful
| about lifting up his voice and warning his
superior officers.
"A mule will speak out and tell you about
| a thousand things that a horse would let
| pass without saying word' says the old
| army man. Hes better sentry than
the average man, who would resent being
| called by his name"
mule never gets ratified. He has intui-
ton, but he never jumps at conclusions,
and he does not know the shape of fear. A
| mule can discover water two miles off, and
| he always speaks up and tells the driver
| about 1t. He will go without water for
days If necessary. but when he gets within
shifting distance Of it. he halts and re-
AUToMoBILEs A