The Elbert County tribune. [volume] (Elbert, Elbert County, Colo.) 18??-1920, 1918-06-28
Has PecuIiarities That Can Be
Played Upon or Must Be
HUNDRED.
FOLLOW THE BELL MARE
When Leader Starts for Drink Of Wa
ter Every Mule In Place Fol-
lows Her in Single
File.

~ohiSNiiie, hy--AH ofu. utu-Ditlen,
hammer-headed. ewe-necked bell mare.
slowly picking her way across the cor
ral at the remount station at Camp
Zachary Taylor, followed by long
string of mules walking in single file,
heads down and cars wagging. served
as illustration for an officer attached
to the big environment who had just
finished remarking that "horse nature
and mule nature and human nature
were mighty contrary things anyway
you take them"
Now TAKE those mules" he said.
The education of a pack mule is
thing that must be begun early He
has just two purposes in life. One
Is to carry 225 pounds day after day
patiently and uncomplainingly. and
the other is to follow the bell mare
of the train. regardless of where that
animal may go. Well, there is In that
corral an illustration of the effective
ness of our training. The old mare
has started after drink of water.
and there goes every dad-blasted one
of those fool mules after a drink of
water"
Investigation revealed that the pack
mule is not the only member of his
family that has pecuiarities that can
be played upon or must be humored
1t was learned that the larger mules,
once teamed up or paired. must there
after be worked together If each is not
to suffer loss in efficiency.
Mules of High Quality.
The government requires three types
of mules: Animals that weigh from
1,15O to 1880 pounds for wheel mules !;
mules that weigh from $50 to 1,15O for
leads, and the little fiat-necked, short
bodied mule which may weigh almost
anything under $50 provided he has
the legs to hold up the 225 pounds
he is supposed to carry
In this connection 1t might be re-
marked that the comparative differ
-ence in the quality of horses and mules
observed In the stables of the diff
ferent units Mt Camp Zachary Taylor
and In the corrals of the remount depot
furnishes an excellent Illustration of
the effects of the world war on the
supply of such animals held in this
country.
The country has been combed for
horses and good animals, which appar-
emily are difficult to obtain. When the
good animals" terms Is used II means
cavalry horse true to type conforma-
ton and having the ability to carry
weight. 1t is true some fine animals
are to be seen among the horses now
obtained by the army and the pro-
portion Of good artillery horses is fair
ly high,
The horse and the mule are not
used INTERCHANGEABLE by the army.
Therefore the lack of good horses is
to the arrsy men particularly lnmenta-
BILE. If the task requires quickness
and courage. II 1t is one that a sense
of pride or love of parade will carry
through, the horse is chosen. There
fore. the cavalry and artillery use only
the horse
Use Mules for Hard Tasks.
II there is hard. thankless job to
be done day after day through any con-
ditions and over all kinds of trails, IL
there must at times be short rations !;
then the mule gets the call He will
go forward uncomplainingly, doing
more work day In and day out than
any horse. and at night he will ask