MANUAL OF PACK TRANSPORTATION. 23 



hard to compress, while the fresh willows would readily yield to 

 compression. 



I had set up one aparejo with hickory slats, providing a suitable 

 taper on each slat from front to rear, and testing each slat before 

 inserting it in the aparejo. The results obtained were satisfactory. 

 Mr. Moore, however, abandoned the hickory slats without sufhcient 

 reason. 



It was the custom until 1880 to insert the "boot" sticks after 

 ribbing the aparejo. This method on cinching the aparejo caused the 

 sticks at center of boot to spread apart and override the sticks adjoin- 

 ing, and also forced the- boot sticks upwardly by the action of the 

 lash-rope cincha. 



The insertion of the boot stick before ribbing held the boot from 

 gathering or crumphng and gave a guide to measure the length of 

 sticks between the center line and lower edge of boot stick, and pre- 

 vented the displacing of the sticks at center of boot, as the boot stick 

 offered resistance to action of the aparejo and lash-rope cincha. 



The method of ribbing the aparejo by providing a gradual lessening 

 of diameter to each stick from front to rear and from bottom toward 

 top with as many sticks as the boot would contain, laid side by side, 

 the butt ends resting on the flat surface of the boot stick, was not 

 practiced until the spring of 1880. At first the custom was to alter- 

 nate the butt end of sticK between boot and center line (bottom and 

 top). 



I have also seen packers place a stick across the ribs close to the 

 center stitch line, sometimes called the "eve," or comb, of the aparejo, 

 and one or two midway, for the purpose, it was said, of keeping the 

 sticks in position; in fixing for a bunch the cargador would locate 

 the position of the bunch by observation, take out the hay, teaze it 

 up, and replace it. This flattened or spread the bunch, which, if of 

 medium size, always resulted in a steadfast; instead of cutting out 

 the callous flesh and saving the mule further misery, it was permitted 

 to spread, from a desire to hide the condition of the animal and as 

 was usually the case, in not properly understanding how to arrange 

 the hay or padding, and so prevent the bunch resulting into a 

 steadfast. 



It was about this time also (1880) that the practice.of wetting the 

 surface of the bunch (only) so as to locate its position on the aparejo 

 was first introduced, by placing the aparejo on the mule, without 

 corona or blanket or turning the crupper; and exactly over the posi- 

 tion on the animal's body, where it rests, when cinched to the ammal, 

 and by rocking the aparejo with each hand the wet imprint was 

 shown on the belly or body piece of the aparejo; then all the hay 

 down to the sticks,beneath the wet surface marked by the bunch was 

 taken out without, in any manner, disturbing the rest of the bed of 

 hay; on the next day's travel the bunch disappeared. 



It was in the fall of 1883, while pack master of Lieutenant Gate- 

 wood's train at Fort Apache, that I discovered the cause of belly 

 bunches and sore tails. 



In 1884, General Crook stated that Mr. Moore, then chief packer, 

 had said, "Pack animals were bound to become sore and there was 

 no known way to avoid it." 



The Geronimo campaign, lasting from May, 1885, to September, 

 1886, proved this statement to be a fallacy. 



