SAGACITY OF THE MULE. 
191 
exhibited the strongest symptoms of non-compliance, and our 
worthy collectors were soon convinced that we were not the 
party they were looking for; they, however, succeeded in ex¬ 
torting from many, and claimed to be acting under a recent act 
of government. 
As we arrived, at the national bridge, we met a party of 
Senoritas wending their way towards the city; they saluted us 
with “buenos dias, Caballieros,” and said by their looks that 
they would accompany us to the States, if we wished them to. 
Our extreme modesty prevented our making the proposition, 
and we parted with a mutual “ adios.” We soon entered the 
forest, where the gigantic palms, embracing each other, protected 
us from the scorching rays of the sun. Our cavalcade was made 
up of mules and horses, some of them mounted, others packed. 
Our mutual friend, J. R. Foster, whom we had expected for days 
to consign to the ocean, was one of our party; being mounted 
on a gentle horse, in an easy saddle, and buoyed up with the 
fond hope of again reaching home, he astonished all by his per¬ 
severing endurance. The balance of the party were in good 
health, and enjoyed the trip exceedingly. 
I was much struck, as I had often been, with, the sagacity of 
the mule. One of them was packed with Mr. Fairchild’s trunk, 
and my own; feeling some interest in my trunk, I naturally 
paid the most attention to that particular mule; and if he could 
have understood any language excepting the dead ones, I should 
have informed him that I thought him a very fine fellow. But 
just as I came to this very satisfactory conclusion, he was guilty 
of a freak that well-nigh destroyed my confidence in him. We 
had gained the summit of a hill, where the path stretched away 
for half a mile, almost level, when mule took it into his head to 
run, and, to my great amazement, he did run; I presumed he 
was making his escape, and cried out to the muleteer to stop 
him, but, lie replied “mula caro algun per comer,” and so it 
proved, for after running a quarter of a mile, he stopped and 
commenced eating. As soon as the cavalcade came up, he again 
started, and kept repeating until he had satisfied his hunger, 
when he walked along in the most orderly manner, and good 
humored too, for his ears were erect, and a smile appeared 
to beam from his countenance. At our first watering-place, after 
