The little creature was, after the death of the general, domiciled at the family country seat, West Hampton, Long Island, where almost luxurious accommodations were provided for his comfort; but old age, and the absence of those who, in days gone by, patted his shaggy coat, and the sound of whose voices he would recognize and greet, no doubt tended to hasten physical ailments, which necessitated the request that an officer of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals should put an end to the suffering of an endeared and most affectionate animal who, although he outlived his master and mistress, at last succumbed to the inevitable. He was buried near where the waves of Long Island Sound wash the sandy shore of West Hampton, and a mound of green sod marks the spot where lies the body of the humble friend of the honored soldier, who issued the famous patriotic mandate: “If any one attempts to haul down the American flag, shoot him on the spot.”
“Does the mule equal the horse or donkey in intelligence?” George asked.
“It is generally conceded that he does not,” was the reply, “but he is far from being the stupid animal that many people suppose. He has a keen nose, and can often scent danger of which his rider or driver is ignorant. He has a great dread of an Indian, and it is a common saying in the Far West that a mule will always give warning when Indians are about. On this subject Dr. William A. Hammond tells a good story:
“One day, while the Doctor was stationed at Fort Webster, in what is now Arizona, he started down the canyon on a very fine large mule. The beast suddenly stopped abruptly and would not budge a step. Spurs were used to no purpose. There he stood as firm as a rock. Dr. Hammond pulled him around and galloped back to the fort. The next morning it was ascertained that at a point scarcely a hundred yards in advance of where the mule gained his victory some Apache Indians had ambushed the road; and, but for the brute's keen nose, and ears, and in resisting an obstinate man, short work would have been made of mule and rider.