The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1908-09-24
MULE .. PROVED RIGHT
DID WELL TO STAY OUT IN OPEN
DURING STORM.
Gail Il Stubbornnsss or Preselence, Or
Anything You Wish, But His 40
ton Saved the LIE OF
He Rider.

Everybody knows that oil mules
are brainy, but the mules OF Old Mexi'
CO have something on other mules ror
a sort Of precedence Of their own" SAID
a man who has spent many years IN
the neighboring republic, to New
York Sun writer. "A Mexican mule
will do Just 30 much work and not a
bit more.
1.-THE riding mule, for instance, Is
fully aware of the distance, down 70 .
rod. he is supposed and required to
traverse in the progress Of one travel
ing day, and all the sharp sticks or
goads or dynamite on earth won't get
him to do a bit more than what ne
knows to be the correct distance. The
Mexicans have peculiar saying IN
connection with this characteristic OF
the Mexican mule. You ask MeIi'
can. for instance. how far 1t Is by
muleback to such and such a point.
1.-TWO days journey II you are not
rushed, but three days II you arc
in a hurry the Mexican will reply.
Ills meaning is that If you don't
ask any more Of your mule than you
should ask of him the mule Will Do
able to make the trip in two days. But
II YOU attempt to drive the brute he'll
soldier on you, and in consequence inc
| tourney will take you three days.
"Now for the prescience OF winch !!
spoke. don't know what else TO can
It. The latest instance l saw OF IL
was when was riding through the
state of Sonora a month or so ago on
an old gray mule that knew every turn
and twist of the road was taking SO
thoroughly that I let the bride reins
hang and permitted him to go 1t alone
"Along toward evening a terrinc
thunder storm came up. The air was
heavy with the fumes of sulphur
something I had heard about but mad
never experienced beforehand the
crashes were deafening. The road was
rocky and bad and there was only an
occasional scrub pine alongside.
THE old gray mule, when the storm
reached it's height, stopped his JOG
of a sudden and stood in the middle
Of the road, peacefully enough. he
wasn't worried. apparently, but ne
considered that that was a pretty gooe
Mace to stand during the continuance
Of tho tremendous electrical STORM
for It was out in the open.
For myself, I wanted to get undel
the shelter Of a pine tree about a hun
dred yards ahead Of me. But the null
couldn't and wouldn't see that. Hin
for the open, and there he stood.
81 prodded him with the spurs, bu
he merely looked around at me in
. dusgusted sort Of way. Then l dif
, mounted and tried to lead him. Notn
, I ing doing. He wouldn't bulge.
80 at length, giving In to MIN ina
, no knew more about 1t than l die.
: wrapped my ponsho about my hea
, and stood at his head, waiting for tn
= storm to pass. hadn't stood by Tn
, mule in that way for more than thre
0 minutes before I saw a couple OF ball
Q of red FIRE playing around the trun
Of the pine tree that I'd wanted to e
5 under the shelter Of. Then ther
}. came a positively deafening crash an
when I could see again there was thu
pine tree stretched across the roa
!, and a good part of 1t in kindling WOO
=, "I suppose maybe that old gray mu
). didn't know. give 1t to him, anyho'
ID that he did"