Page:Travels in Mexico and life among the Mexicans.djvu/376

368 was then that American ingenuity triumphed over asinine perversity, though not even Balaam had more trouble with his burro than we did with ours that day. The path down the hills was narrow, and when a rider was settled in his saddle he could not see the way ahead of him if the donkey carried his ears erect, while if he wore them at his side there was hardly room between the opposite banks for the beast to pass. It was only by getting behind a donkey and pushing him that we could get him

into a run, and then, as it was down hill, we would jump on and ride before he had lost his impetus. This scheme was very successful until the beasts saw through it, when they stopped short as soon as we had done pushing, thereby transferring the impetus to ourselves, who were thrown over their heads, despite their ears, and received sundry bruises. But we did not cherish against them any resentful feelings, and delivered them to their owner little the worse for wear; then we rode into the city at