HOAY TO BREAK MULES. 59 



There is a clever invention attributed to a certain lazy Hindoo, 

 for overcoming the proverbial laziness of the mule. It appears 

 that the man was employed to oversee a mule working one of 

 those primitive mills ii^ use to this day in India. The man 

 ?eems to have been slightly inclined toward laziness himself, 

 and was anxious to contrive some plan which would enable him 

 to keep the mule in motion and monopolize all the indolence 

 himself. This he at last accomplished with the aid of a clever 

 device, shown in the accompanying illustration, which explains 

 itself. We give it as a curiosity in the " art of training ani- 

 mals," without vouching for its sti'ict fidelity to the truth. 



The following instructions are given by ]^ir. Riley, an experi- 

 enced authority, for breaking mules : 



" In breaking the mule, most persons are apt to get out of 

 patience with him. I have got out of patience with him myself. 

 But patience is the great essential in breaking ; and in the use 

 of it you will find that you get along much better. The mule 

 is an unnatural animal, and hence more timid of man than the 

 horse ; and yet he is tractable and capable of being taught to 

 understand what you want him to do. And when he under- 

 stands what you want, and has gained your confidence, you 

 will, if you treat him kindly, have little trouble in malting him 

 perform his duty. 



^' In commencing to break the mule, take hold of him gently, 

 talk to him kindly. Don't spring at him, as if he were a tiger 

 you were in dread of. * Don't yell at him -, don't jerk him ; don't 

 strike him V\^ith a club, as is often done^ don't get excited at 

 his jumping and kicking. Approach and handle him the same 

 as you would an animal already broken, and through kindness 

 you will, in less than a week, have your mule more tractable, 

 better broken, and kinder than you would in a month, had you 

 used the whip. Mules, with very few exceptions, are born 

 kickers. Breed them as carefully as you will, the moment they 

 are able to stand up, and you put your hand on them, they will 

 kick. • It is, inde^, their natural means of defense, and they 

 resort to it through the force of instinct. In commencing to 

 break them, then, kicking is the first thing to guai-d against and 

 overcome. The young mule kicks because he is afraid of a man. 

 He has seen those entrusted with their care beat and abuse the 

 older ones, and he very naturally fears the same treatment as 

 soon as a man approaches him. Most persons entrusted with 

 the care of these young and green mules have not had experi- 

 ence enough with them to know that this defect of kicking is 

 soonest remedied by kind treatment. Careful study of the 

 animal's nature, and long experience with the animal have 



