Without ancestral pride or hope for offspring, the mule, along with buffalo, hound, and longhorn, made Texas history. In war he carried cannon on his back. Because he was available to haul freight, forts rose on frontiers. Indians ate horses hitched to cart or coach, but let tough mule meat go by. His small hooves scaled rock and steep untrod by horse or ox, but big ears endangered him in lake or river. He went fast, endured much, ate sparingly. Since the beginning of the Christian era, he has helped all over the world to bear the burdens of mankind.