Mules, and occasionally horses, were harnessed together and linked by rope to canal boats, then trudged along the towpath pulling the boats through the water while the tillerman, or steersman, guided them from on board. The animals walked about a foot from the canal’s edge, sometimes even closer, and sometimes fell in. They worked hard, typically walking about twenty miles a day and three thousand miles per season, eating and sleeping as they walked. Mules were soon found more efficient than horses because they were stronger and easier to maintain, and when they fell sick they died quickly, unlike horses, whose lingering illness caused great inconvenience. The canal’s opening amazed local residents, who had never seen a towpath or animals pulling a boat through the water, and despite strong discouragement from the canal company, some families and courting couples used the towpath for leisurely Sunday strolls when canal traffic was inactive.