208 PACKING AND STARTING. 



packer, placing his foot against the poor animal 

 to get the greater purchase, hauls with all his 

 mio-ht, until one would fancy mule endurance 



O ' 



had been taxed to its utmost limits. Not so, how- 

 ever : the other packer, who has been on the off- 

 side steadying the aparacjo, now comes to aid his 

 comrade ; each this time places a foot against the. 

 mule's ribs, and, by their united efforts, nearly 

 convert the beast into the shape of a dragon-fly ; 

 the lynch fast, the blind is slipped off and the 

 mule turned loose to grunt, kick, plunge and 

 roll, as best suits its temper. 



When all are saddled, packing commences. The 

 ' freight ' is all piled in loads ; under each load 

 lays the riata or long lashing cord, on the load 

 the sling-rope. To describe the manner of 

 4 putting on ' a load, and properly lashing it when 

 on, is impossible. A month's daily practice is 

 insufficient to make an apt scholar a moderately 

 good packer. One may watch the mode of fas- 

 tening the load with a riata for a year twice a 

 day, and be no more able to do it at the twelve 

 months' end than the flute could be learned by 

 looking at another blow and finger it. Hence 



o t - i 



written description would be useless. 



Packs adjusted, the cook starts on the bell- 

 mare, the mules being carefully counted as they 



