Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-08-27
MEXICAN MULES.
For individuality They Beat All Other
Hybrids.

"It Is trite to say that mules are
brainy, but the mules Of old Mexico, l
believe, have something on all mules
the world over for individuality OF
character and, II may be credited,
sort Of prescience of their own" said
a man who had spent many years In
the neighboring republic.
"a Mexican mule will do just 50
much work and no more. They're
used for all sorts Of purposes down
there. We vastly prefer them to
horses for riding over the mountains
on account of their superiority In the
matter Of surefootedness, their instinct
for the correct path without being
guided, and their undertaking endur-
ance. This Mexican mule has twice
as much of what you might call get
thereness as the horse. He'll stick at
his amble without break until he has
done what he knows to be his days
stunt, and that stunt Is invariably
big one.
But you can't get Mexican mule
to do anything more than what ne
knows to be his days work. Such
thing would be impossible. The riding
mule Is fully aware Of the distance,
down to the rod, he is supposed and
required to traverse in the progress OF
one days travelling day, and all the
sharp sticks or goads or dynamite on
earth won't get him to do bit more
than what he knows to be the correct
distance.
1.-THE Mexicans have got a peculiar
saying in connection with this Stub
bornness Of the Mexican mule when
he Is asked to do more in a day than
he knows to be right. You ask a
Mexican for instance, how far 1t Is, by
mule back, to such and such point.
1.-Two days journey II you are not
rushed, but three days If you are in
a hurry the Mexican will reply.
"He means that If you don't ask any
more Of your mule than you should
ask Of him the mule will be able to
make the trip you have in mind with
in the two days. But II In a hurry
and not acquainted with the ways OF
Mexican mules you attempt to drive
the animal he'll soldier on you, will
that mule, and delay and hold you at
every stage Of the game once he finds
you are trying to make him do more
than the contract and the tradition
calls for, and in consequence the jour-
ney will take you three days.
There's no chance on earth OF
pushing a Mexican mule forward once
he makes up his mind that he's done
his bit for the day-and 1t should be
said for him that he never makes up
his mind until he has performed the
whole task. He doesn't want any IA
vors from you and is willing to go
through the days performance with
out the least urging. But when his
portion of the entertainment Is finish
ed that's sufficiency, so far as he's con-
cerned. He's through. You might as
well hay him down If he makes up his
mind that it's time to quit when you
reach a camp, or II you're out In the
open when he reaches the same con-
clusion it's up to you to dismount and
make yourself and him comfortable
for the night, for that's as far as he's
going. No Mexican will think Of urg-
ing a mule when the mule stops of his
own volition at the end Of his days
stunt. The Mexican knows that 1t
can't be done and the tenderfoot who
tries 1t soon finds 1t out. The mule,
stock still, merely regards the tender
foot out Of his eyes with the inscruta-
bleness of the Sphinx, but he doesn't
locomote any more. You can build
q fire under him and he'll take a few
steps out Of the way Of the blaze and