THE MULE. 93 



Musty corn will also produce it, and should never be 

 given to animals. I recollect, in 1856, when I was in 

 New Mexico, at Fort Union, we had several mules die 

 from eating what is termed Spanish or Mexican corn, a 

 small blue and purplish grain. It was exceedingly 

 hard and flinty, and, in fact, more like buckshot than 

 grain. "We fed about four quarts of this to the mule, 

 at the first feed. The result was, they swelled up, 

 began to pant, look round at their sides, sweat above 

 the eyes and at the flanks. Then they commenced to 

 roll, spring up suddenly, lie down again, roll and try to 

 lie on their backs. Then they would spring up, and 

 after standing a few seconds, fall down, and groan, and 

 pant. At length they would resign themselves to what 

 they apparently knew to be their fate, and die. And 

 yet, singular as it may seem, the animal could be accus- 

 tomed to this grain by judicious feeding at first. 



We did not know at that time what to give the ani- 

 mal to relieve or cure him ; and the Government lost 

 hundreds of valuable animals through our want of 

 knowledge. Whenever these violent cases appear, get 

 some common soap, make a strong suds and drench the 

 mule with it. I have found in every case where I used 

 it that the mule got well. It is the alkali in the soap 

 that neutralizes the gases. There is another good 

 receipt, and it is generally to be found in camp. Take 

 two ounces of saleratus, put it into a pint of water, 

 shake well, and then drench with the same. Above 

 all things, keep whisky and other stimulants away, as 

 they only serve to aggravate the disease. 



