Redemption - Leon Uris [214]
“Alternative,” Modi said. “The mule comes to a dirty paddock. The mules must stand in muleshit. Millions of biting flies attack. They attack ears, the genital areas, and open sores. I have seen jacks and janets attacked so bad, half their ears are chewed off. I have seen mules attacked so viciously, they go insane and have to be destroyed. The mule does not want to stand up all night. It uses his strength. But he cannot lie down and sleep in muleshit. What you will have the next morning is a weak animal, half-crazy, with not enough stamina to go on the trail. In this battalion the mule comes home to a clean paddock. We have been collecting bacon grease from the mess halls. Each night you will rub ears, sores, and genital areas with grease. It will give animals some relief from bites. Questions?”
“Is there anything we can use to drive off flies?” he was asked.
“Pine tar,” Modi answered. “No trees in Egypt, no pine tar. I am trying mixtures, citronella, petrol torches, and such. Pine tar is best if we can find any.
“So,” Modi went on, “when trains leave Paddock A for trail, it is then cleaned. However, Paddock B is already clean and mules return to Paddock B. Get it?”
They got it.
“Anybody don’t get it?”
“We’ve got it!”
“How do we get rid of the muleshit, Dr. Modi?”
“With shovel. With luck, we can capture prisoners. Is good healthy work for prisoners. Better to guard prisoners than clean muleshit yourself. Otherwise, anyone in battalion who fucks off goes to muleshit detail.
“As soon as you muleteers return for day, you will go over every animal with his packers. You check for rope burns, skin bunches, watery places, swellings, sore withers, sore loins. You must check for constipation. A constipated mule is an unhappy mule. Later, you will check piss for kidney problems and muleshit for stomach parasites. Check for screw worms…use crysilic ointment. Look for snake bites. Ammonia is in everyone’s kit. Every man in battalion will get some lecture, but you are specialist. I depend on you. You are my corporals.”
* * *
First Serjeant Landers spoke to Company C in the stadium ring.
“If your animal needs new shoes, take him to the blacksmith the night before. After you have seen to the welfare of your mule and have bedded him down with praise, you may then get yourselves cleaned up and fed. No one goes to sleep, however, before cleaning and repairing your mule’s leather, lashes, slings, and liar ropes. You will clean down your animal’s saddle and reins, and polish all brass. I will personally inspect all mules and their equipment before they go to load. In this battalion, mules will not be pulled out of the line because of sloppy equipment. Sloppy equipment breaks and puts an added burden on your animal. Now, you think about it…suppose your mule is pulled out of the train and some ammunition doesn’t reach the front lines because of it…”
Serjeant Yurlob Singh stood in a circle of fifty sawhorses representing fifty mules. He was speaking to fifty men he had selected as lead packers and trail masters, who would be promoted to corporals and serjeants when…and if…they could pass the bloody raghead’s course.
His eyes were forever reflecting some sort of disdain. Before and after every lecture, Yurlob repeated the same invocation.
“The basic reason for a mule’s failure is almost always the packer’s stupidity in preparing and loading his animal.”
Yurlob described the mixture of mud and straw that was blended into a featherbed blanket to lay over the mule’s back. As it hardened, it retained a claylike consistency to protect the peculiar bone structure of the individual animal, a jell-like shock absorber between skin and saddle.
He held up wooden crossbars. “These are ribbings. Likewise, they must fit the contours of the mule’s body to perfection. You must work these ribbings, bending them, carving them until they form perfectly.”
Yurlob had examples of each type box and load the mule would pack to the front lines, ammunition boxes of all sizes and weights, rifle ammo, light and heavy machinegun ammo, mortars, water cans,