The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-08-09
A SMART MISSOURI MULE.
Always Managed to Lose His Load
and Thus Got Out of Working.
New York Press.)

| THE Missouri mule" said the west
ern man, lis a creature full OF charac-
ter and temperament Missouri is the
| great breeding state for the big work
mules used throughout the southwest
and a team of them costs from $500 10
$500. They are more valuable work
animals than horses, for they are larg-
er. stronger and will live on hay where
a horse requires grain. They are also
slower. more shrewd. cunning and OBJ
stinate than the horse. For instance.
IL load is too heavy the mule will not
stir. A horse will strain at it until he
breaks his harness or his heart. But
the mule will stand iTnpervious to any
suasion, moral or physical. There is
nothing to do but tighten the load. He
Will turn around and look at the load
also. and bray.
This rubbering is a characterist
of the mule. If anyone passes near his
| stall while he is eating he will stop
long enough TO look around. A horse
never does that. A mule will look
around in order to aim his kicks cor
rectly. The boys in camp used TO have
fun with one old mule who was an cX-
pert at this. They would annoy him
| from the rear. and he would look
around, locate the annoyer and aim "A
kick like lightning in his direction. It
was SpOIls DtIduSt iol
unmixed with danger. At 1870 a. m,
half an hour before worked knocked
off for dinner, regular as clockworlI
every mule on the job would begin to
bray. They knew il was getting dinner
time, and wanted to hurry things up a
little. The horses never did that. But
when the animals were let loose the
horses would start off at a gallop for
the grub pile. The mules. however,
| L
good. fast walk. They knew the grub
wouldn't get away, and they have fixed
prejudice against haste.
"A contractor, for whom I worked
in building a reservoir near Pueblo.
Colo. had once met with an accident
while riding a mule. He was alone at
some distance from camp, and, through
some cause which l now forget. fell off
the mule and broke his leg. The mule
rubbered around saw his master on
the ground, and stood perfectly still.
The contractor was thus enabled to
pull himself up on the animals back
and get TO camp; while, if the mule
had followed any other course. il might
have resulted in very serious incOnven-
fence for the injured man. Consequent
ly the contractor always kept a soft
spot in his heart for this mule, who
was named Billy.
when Billy reached an ICe which
entitled him to a pension, he was hon.
orably retired. The contractor for
some reason or other. took him to camp
on every fresh job. though he never put
him to work any more. Pc. maps he
thought Billy would enjoy being around
in the scenes he was used to more than
aristocratic seclusion in a lonesome
pasture. At any rate. Billy did enjoy
the life. At the camp near Pueblo he
ranged the whole country. free and in
dependent. Frequently when the team
from the commissary department went
down to Pueblo for supplies Billy wculd
come trotting along back with il. He
would notice the team in Pueblo or the
outskirts. recognize it and join il for
the home trip.
AFTER the reservoir was finished, we
went up in the high hills to build a
railroad. The contractor was absent
while supplies were being hauled hyy
pack animals TO point far away from
the road, and the men put Billy to
work, although they knew they had no
right to do it, At one point the trail
wound along a narrow bank with a
ledge of rocks on one side and a preci-
pice on the other. AT the psychological
point Billy's load tumbled. over the
precipice. 1t required time and labor
to get II up and cinch il onto Billy
again The next day Billy's load went
over the edge again at exactly the
same point Then the men gave IL up
They saw that Billy knew they were
imposing on him. and was cunning
enough TO breathe out when they
cinched him up and breathe in when
he got to just the right place TO shake
his load off On account of the par
TALLY of his owner Billy could not be
disciplined by the underlings and so
afterward he insolently went up and
down the trail with the rest of the
train when he pleased, but never with
load"