The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-02-11
v|hD|CAES ARMY MULE
One American Institution
Proves Worth in Grim
NEST Of All Wars.

| With the British Armies in France
--tcorrcspondence of the Associated
Press.D--Two years and a half ot the
grimmcst war in history have wroucht
the triumph of ut least one American
| institu,ion-thc army mule. he has
been weighed anew in the scales OF bat
tic, proved on the fire swept fields Of
| France and Flanders, and not found
wanting. In warm winter coat and
with long. inquisitivc ears Hopping back
and forth in the breeze. he marches mp
among the roaring guns with II steady
nonchalancc that lends confidence
and faith to the fighting men who de-
pend so much uron him.
From Missouri. eGorsia, Tennessee,
Mississippi. Texas ana other stockfarms
in the south. he has iourIcycd to the
war and come into his own. The much
| maligncd. supposedly stubborn. balky
| and generally pestferous mule. has
Won a place in the heart of the British
army from which he can never be dis
| lodged. lie was quite an asset in the
South African campaigns. but now ia
a real aristocrat of the transport serv-
| ice
! "A most magnificent creature" re-
piled British brigadicr when asked
| for an opinion of the lowly American
| mule. And he has q much better
| character than generally is given to
! him. He is something like u camel in
that respect. Most people cry down
and bcratc the poor old camVl, but once
you get to know him he is much to be
| admired. 1t is just the same with the
mule. He has some ways with him
which the British Tommy didn't quite
appreciate at first, but now that they
are better acquainted and have formed
sort of entente cordiale. the two have
| the utmost respect for each other and
carry on at the front with complete
understanding ana effectiveness"
The mule had his supreme test on
! this front in the battles of the Sommc.
There were days and nights of unceas-
ing labor. short rations and little or no
! attention. The strain was constant
and terrific. In exact ratio to the
number employed, six horses size
cumbcd where a single mule gave way.
The horse, of course, is an animal of
finer fibre and is far more sensitive.
If he stumbles into a shell hole filled
with water he will strive and struggle
to get out until - actually dies of a
| hn,,i
has no imagination and not much Of IN
outlook on life. He calmly and phiio-
sophically lies in the shell hoic until
some one comes along and digs him
| out
| The mule. some suppositions To the
contrary Notwithstanding. Is vunera-
bic at times to shot aud shell. Many
of them have Accn killed in action
along with the horses, and others have
died of wounds. But mAiern veterin-
AIRY skill is working wonders for the
| animals of war and one must be badly
| thick skin of the mule saves him from
many of the troubles that bcsct the
I horse, II wards off blisters ana the
, affections that come from wet aud
damp and long exposure.
As TO working values, the horse be-
ordinarily accomplish as much as one
and one-third mules. Some horses do
| the work Of a mule and n half. I.nt
they cannot stick it, so long.
| Visiting veterinary hospital where
there were hundreds of horses under
medical repair, it was striking to n,,icc
bnt a solitary mule among them. some
ono suggested this was strange, be-
| cause the army had found the mule
such fine animal he had been i'm
| ported by the tens Of thousa nds.
That's precisely it," said the doctor
in charge; IFS because he is such a.
fine animal that yon see so little OF
| him here
Because no is generally civil and
sometimes goes to sleep just abaft u
bowling niDeinch gun. 1t must not be
supposed the American mule has lost
all his old craft and mulish CUNNING.
At one Of the hospitals there IN a sui
-phur dip, or bath. like the cattle dips
on western ranches. Most of the horses
Will plunge in over their heads AMI
swim through. getting the fun benefit
OF the disinfection. But Mr. Mule is
rather too suspicious TO sake such
chances. He liz drawn in with great
reluctance and holds his head high
above the yellow liquid One old fell
low went through six times one day
but not once did h" get his head wet
until the spOngcs were resorted to.