The Oxen and Muees. 149 



its own "waggon, each ox its own 23lace in the span. 

 The mules are not so interesting or attractive, and 

 it is possible that a mule is one of the few animals 

 on whicli kind treatment is absolutely thrown awa}'. 

 Our mule waggon, which loads over 2000 lbs. ol" 

 transport, has a fine team of twelve mules. They 

 are a most vicious set, and would readily bite or 

 kick at any one except Myberg, the conductor, or 

 Gideon, his "boy." Myberg tells me that they 

 would even go at him if he happens to wear a 

 different hat or coat from that which they are 

 accustomed to. These mules have their idiosyn- 

 crasies. One of them is that they like to be 

 accompanied by a mare. This mare is tied up 

 alongside the span, but does no work herself. She 

 goes out grazing with them on the veldt, and I am 

 told that "svlien mules have a mare along with them 

 they never stray. Another curious habit of theirs, 

 which it often anuises me to watch, is that of 

 gnawing each other. This gnawing appears to be 

 a regular matter of baroain between them. Tavo 

 mules approach each other, one wants his shoulder 

 gnawed, the other his quarter. Their conformation 

 makes it necessary for the j)roceeding that each 

 slioidd gnaw the same place on each other at the 

 same time. The mule with the itching shoulder sug- 

 gests to the mule with the itching quarter, " If you 

 will gnaw my itching shoulder for a few minutes I 

 will gnaw your shoulder which does not itch, but 

 will then gnaw your quarter "which does itch, and 

 allow you to gnaw mine which does not." 



Just before inspanning this evening the dead 



