“We’ll jest see what we can do, boys,” said Jack. “Regulations try to make us think that a hundred and seventy pounds is all a mule’ll stand; but the gin’ral knows more’n ary regulations issued by those folks at Washington. I wouldn’t insult a good sound mule by puttin’ only a hundred seventy on his back—not if he’s packed right. Pack him right, so the load slings even, an’ he’ll carry his two hundred fifty an’ three hundred pounds at five miles an hour for twenty-five an’ thirty miles a day, week in an’ week out.”
Old Jack was the pack-master or patron (pa-trone). Frank Monach was assistant pack-master, or cargador (car-ga-dore). “Slim Shorty” was cook or cencero (cen-say-ro). Frank Cahill was blacksmith. The packers or arrieros were Jim O’Neill, “Chileno John,” “Long Jim” Cook (six feet eight), Charley Hopkins, Sam Wisser the Pennsylvania German, and Lauriano Gomez who sang Spanish songs.
The pack-train was called an atajo (ah-tah-ho); the packs were “cargoes,” and the pack-saddles or aparejos, and such stuff, composed the “riggings.”
Pack-train service had a language all its own. Yes, and an army train as organized under General Crook had a discipline all its own, too, as Jimmie soon found out.
The trail from Tucson to Bowie was the main Southern overland stage road between the Rio Grande River in New Mexico and San Diego of the Pacific. Therefore the traveling up hill and down was good.
It was Jimmie’s business to help herd the mules, in the evening and the early morning, while the regular herders were eating; and to come in and rouse the cook, at daybreak, and get him wood and water, if needed.
In half an hour after the cook was up, the men were wakened. While they were folding their blankets (which were the pack-blankets) and taking the canvas coverings off the “riggings” and “cargoes,” Jimmie brought in the herd.
This was not difficult, because when he started the wise old bell leader, all the mules followed; and so well had they been trained that except for a few “shave tails” they took their own places, in a sort of company front, each facing his pile of “rigging.” Every mule had his own, individual “rigging,” adjusted to fit him perfectly.
The packers saddled their riding mules, and ate breakfast. After breakfast they put the “riggings” and “cargoes” on the pack-mules.
They worked in pairs, and each pair attended to ten mules. A full pack-train was composed of fifty mules; ten mules were assigned to a troop or company of soldiers. The thirty mules in this train of Patron Jack called for six packers.