36 THE MULE. 



slack your rein?, push him round, baoTcward and for- 

 ward, not roughly ; and it' he will not go, and do what 

 you want, tie him to a post and let him stand there a 

 day or so without food or water. Take care, also, that 

 he does not lie down, and be careful to have a person 

 to guard him, so that he does not foul in the harness. 

 If he will not go, after a day or two of this sort of treat- 

 ment, give him one or two more of it, and my word for 

 it, he will come to his senses and do any thing you want 

 from that time forward. Some persons assert that the 

 mule is A very cunning animal ; others assert that he is 

 dull and stupid, and cannot be made to understand 

 what you want. He is, 1 admit, what may be called a 

 tricky animal ; but, for experiment sake, just play one 

 or two tricks with him, and he will show you by his 

 action that he understands them well. Indeed, he 

 knows a great deal more than he generally gets credit 

 for, and few animals are more capable of appreciating 

 proper treatment. Like many other species of animal, 

 there are scarcely two to be found of precisely the 

 same temper and disposition, if we except the single 

 vice of kicking, which they will all do, especially when 

 well fed and rested. And we can e.xcuse even this vice 

 in consideration of the fact, that the mule is not a 

 natural animal, but only an invention of man. Some 

 persons are inclined to think that, when a mule is 

 a kicker, he has not been properly broken. I doubt 

 if you can break a mule so that he will not kick 

 a stranger at sight, especially if he be under six years 

 old. The only way to keep a mule from kicking yon 

 is to handle it a great deal when young, and accustom 



