THE MULE. 41 



give at least fifteen dollars more for mare mules than I 

 would for horse. They are superior to the horse mule 

 in every way. One reason is, that they possess all 

 their natural faculties, while you deprive the horse of 

 his by altering. 



The most disagreeable and unmanageable, and I was 

 going to say useless, animal in the world, is a stud mule. 

 They are no benefit to anybody, and yet they are more 

 troublesome than any other animal. They rarely ever 

 get fat, and are always fretting ; and it is next to im- 

 possible to keep them from breaking loose and getting 

 at mares. Besides, they are exceedingly dangerous to 

 have amongst horses. They will frequently ^j at the 

 horse, like a tiger, and bite, tear, and kick him to 

 pieces. I have known them to shut their eyes, become 

 furious, and dash over both man and beast to get at a 

 mare. It is curious, also, that a white mare seems to 

 have the greatest attractions for them. I have known 

 a stud mule to take a fancy to a white mare, and it 

 seemed impossible to keep him away from her. Mules 

 of all kinds, however, seem to have a peculiar fancy for 

 white mares and horses, and when this attachment is 

 once formed, it is almost impossible to separate them. 

 If you want to drive a herd of five hundred mules any 

 distance, turn a white or gray mare in among them for, 

 two or three days, and they will become so attached to 

 her that you may turn them out, and they will follow 

 her anywhere. Just let a man lead the mare, and with 

 two men mounted you can manage the whole herd 

 almost as well as if they were in a team. Another 

 way to lead mules is, to put a bell on the mare's neck. 



