PRETTY SMART MULES.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 5, Issue 209, 15 September 1916, Page 3 (Supplement)

PRETTY SMART MULES.

HOW THEY BEHAVED IN GERMAN WEST AFRICA. "Curious thing about them mules," mused the Soutli African, as he finished a yarn about Botha's great march into German West Africa, "they got to know the bugle calls so well, though really they are such stupid beasts. "Yen see, every morning, when we. was on the trek across the desert after 'em, the Germans used to send either their Taube or the other aeroplane over us to reconnoitre and to drop a tew bombs. We got to know the t'nie quite well —just on the edge of morning — and we got ready our 'anti-aircraft <nm' for them.

"It was really a mountain screw-gnu as had missed its way, and it had to be bolstered up on all sorts of things to get a sight at the beggars. Then, when it did go off, there was a day's job pulling together all the fixings it had scattered about the soft sand m its recoil and back-jump. One round per day was its greatest requisition at the ordnance store, provided the aeroplane came right over the baggage and nicely within range. THEY SCATTERED OFF. "Well, as I was saying, we used to spot th"s aeroplane and every man scattered like blazes to the outside of the camp (except the gun-team) so taht the bombs got nothing more than a tent if they were w-ell aimed and managed to go off. "They used to plunge yards deep :i the soft sand, and by the dust they kicked up one might have thought the whole camp had gone into smoke tor the next half-hour. Guess the Germans did report so pretty often, too.

"Weil, we had a sort of water-tower, a big tank on a trestle on wheels, and up there was always posted a bugla" look-out. The moment he spied the enemy aeroplane coming along, lie sound ed a good long 'G' and the camp cleared one-time.

"After the first few days the mulesgot into the game all right, and you should hava seen them hop it. You sec, with nothing but soft sjind abo.it us we couldn't tether them to p ns as could really held. The guard could easily keep them in as they were never anything but tired, and thy only feel and water witlrn fifty miles was in camp with them. No matter what so:L cf feed was going on. they didn't wait a second after Tommy up-aloft tooted his little tene. HADN'T THE SENSE TO COME BACK. "Worst cf it was—and there's always a worst with mules—it took an hour or two to round up the beggars, and then maybe there would be one or two missing, look where you would,, and we'd find the r carcases two or three miles from camp. The silly beasts could hop it smart enough, but didn't have. :io compass lifted to bring '.em home, and they used to go round and rond in c'rclcs in the soft sand until they were right worn out and died." "Mules, says you," intervened an in. terestiug invalid from th. j East, "then I bet you'd you'd some, trouble seeing taht you hadn't any Tommy Ghurkns or Sikhs to drive them. They're the boys to make the mule chalk, I can tel! you. The mule trains went through hell-fire at Gall ; pol: all right, I can tel: vol!.

'"Dunno what them bloomin' darkies dd with them, but somehow after .> mulo team got headed in the right direction they simply walked on. and took blessed c;ood care that the horseguard didn't get up to them from behind, or that they didn't crowd too much on the guard in front. A mule <? nothing but a bloomin' mule at best, but ho's got some sense!"