THE MULES OF HYDRA
Mules
at the harbourside
The winter months in Hydra are used for construction work.
The sand, cement, bricks and other materials are brought from the mainland
opposite.
Cold
January morning
For the last two days, January storms have prevented
the arrival of the island’s cargo boats. However this morning the wind is
veering from north-westerly to southerly, so conditions are calmer. The morning
is cold; there is snow on the mountaintops in the distance.
One
of the island’s cargo boats
From the early hours the island’s muledrivers have
been at the harbourside helping to discharge the boat’s cargo. They work with
teams of three mules per driver.
The
first load of cement
Patiently
waiting
The
mules have special pack-saddles designed to carry both people and freight. They
are made of wood and leather, with iron fittings. They are padded at the point
of contact with the animal’s back.
A new pack saddle
Leather, wood, cloth and
iron fittings
Saddles
are made by a craftsman in Epidauros, on the mainland, who visits the island to
make saddles to order. The harness and trappings are made of leather, worked
with decorations. There is a harness-maker, Mastro Elias, who lives and works
on Hydra. The animals sometimes wear ornamentations of beads and bells.
Intricacies of loading
Each
mule has 25 metres of rope attached to its saddle, half on each side.
Generations of experience have created particular knots and loopings which
guarantee the safe carriage of goods in transit.
Insulation materials in
transit
With
deft movements the muledrivers arrange ropes and slats of wood into the
configuration required for the freight in question. Bags of cement, three at a
time; stacks of aerated bricks; sacks of sand; scaffolding timbers.
Riding into town
On
another occasion it might be crates of bottled water (another of the island’s
necessary imports), or crates of oranges, or a full-size fridge. Care is taken
to ensure that the loads are evenly balanced on both sides of the animal.
Loading goods from the
passenger ferry
Donkey carrying ferry
passengers’ luggage
When
they are not off-loading building materials, the muledrivers may transport
luggage and parcels from the ferries and hydrofoils that arrive throughout the
day from Athens.
Heading round the harbour
This
morning the work is completed in a couple of hours. Trains of mules can be seen
heading round the opposite side of the harbour. Periodically they might stop
for a minute or two – the muledrivers are required by law to clear away their
animals’ droppings (and to carry a special bag for this purpose).
Moving off
The
drivers with their mules are a striking sight as they make their way through
the town.
Not
least because they sport some of the finest moustaches in the Mediterranean.
Hydra town: the view from a
mule shed
Hydra,
17.i.05
Text
and photos: ed.emery@britishlibrary.net