THE MULE. 51 



was packed with one hundred and eighty pounds, as 

 near as we could possibly estimate, and the train was 

 given in charge of a man of the name of Donovan. 

 The weather and roads were bad, and the pack proved 

 entirely too heavy. Donovan did all he could to get 

 his train through, but was forced to leave more than 

 two-thirds of it on the way. At that season of the 

 year, when grass is poor and the weather bad, one hun- 

 dred and forty or one hundred and fifty pounds is enough 

 for any mule to pack. 



There were also, in 1857, regular pack trains run from 

 Red Bluffs, on the Sacramento River, in California, to 

 Yreka and Curran River. Out of all the mules used 

 in these trains, none were packed with over two hundred 

 pounds. To sum up, packing never should be resorted 

 to when there is any other means of transportation 

 open. It is, beyond doubt, the most expensive means of 

 transportation, even when the most experienced packers 

 are employed. If, however, it were necessary for the 

 Government to establish a system of packing, it would 

 be a great saving to import Mexicans, accustomed to 

 the work, to perform the labor, and Americans to take 

 charge of the trains. Packing is a very laborious busi- 

 ness, and very few Americans either care about doing 

 it, or have the patience necessary to it. 



