THE MULE. S7 



it to the ways and actions of men. You must tliroiigh 

 kindness convince it that you are not going to harm or 

 abuse it ; and you can do that best by taking hold of 

 it in a gentle manner every time it appears to be 

 frightened. Such treatment I have always found more 

 effective than all the beating and abusing you can 

 apply. 



There is another fault the mule has to contend 

 against. It is the common belief among teamsters and 

 others that he has less confidence in man than the horse 

 has, and to improve this they almost invariably apply 

 the whip. The reason for this want of confidence is 

 readily found in the fact that mule colts are never 

 handled with that degree of kindness and care that 

 horse colts are. They are naturally more stubborn than 

 the horse, and most of those persons who undertake to 

 halter or harness them for the first time are even more 

 stubborn in their disposition than the mule. They 

 commence to break the animal by beating him in the 

 most unmerciful manner, and that at once so excites the 

 mule's stubbornness, that many of them, in this condi- 

 tion, would not move an inch if you were to cut them 

 to pieces. And let me say here that nothing should be 

 so much avoided in breaking this animal as the whip. 

 The young, unbroken mule cannot be made to under- 

 stand what you are whipping him for. 



It is. a habit with mule drivers in the array, many of 

 whom are men without feeling for a dumb animal, to 

 whip mules just to hear their whips crack, and to let 

 others hear with what dexterity they can do it. It has a 

 very bad effect on the animals, and some means should 



