148 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



Eiver, and there on May 10 he transferred his cargo to the steamer 

 Fashion under Major Wayne. Four days later Wayne landed the cargo 

 at Powder Point, three miles below Indianola. The animals were in 

 good condition notwithstanding the long confinement — one of them 

 had been on board nine months. " On being landed, and feeling once 

 again the solid earth beneath them/' Porter wrote, " they became 

 excited to an almost nncontrollable degree, rearing, kicking, crying out, 

 breaking halters, tearing up pickets, and by other fantastic tricks 

 demonstrating their enjoyment of the ' liberty of the soil.' Some of 

 the males becoming even pugnacious in their excitement, were with 

 difficulty restrained from attacking each other." The Texans were 

 greatly interested in the camels and Porter wrote later to Davis that 

 " perhaps the love of amusements may render the importation of camels 

 in Texas popular if their utility does not recommend them." He meant 

 that the Texans might possibly take to camel fighting.^" 



Less than one third of the appropriation had been expended and 

 Davis determined to send at once for a second cargo of camels. Wayne 

 was again offered command of the vessel, but he preferred to remain in 

 Texas to conduct the experiment. Major Grossman also declined to go. 

 Finally Porter and Heap were sent. Before leaving Porter carried 

 to Davis the " Camel Deck Journal," his letters rejecting the camels 

 offered by the viceroy of Eg}^t, and some drawings of camels in harness 

 made by Mr. Heap. Porter arrived at Smyrna in JSTovember, 1856, 

 where he found that Heap, who had gone on ahead, had collected a 

 number of young camels. The six dromedaries presented by the Sultan 

 had been sent to Smyrna and these with the others were taken on board. 

 On November 14 the Supply again set sail for Texas. On board were 

 forty-four animals : Two Bactrian males ; three Arabian males ; one 

 Tuilu, cross-bred, male; one Tuilu, cross-bred, female; thirty-seven 

 Arabian females. 



The second voyage homeward lasted eighty-eight days and was 

 rougher than the first. For thirteen days at one time the camels were 

 strapped to the deck. But only three died during this voyage and 

 Porter turned over to Captain Van Bockelen, quartermaster at India- 

 nola, forty-one animals in good condition. There were now seventy in 

 the herd, five of the first number having died since reaching Texas. 



Meanwhile, during the summer of 1856, Wayne had been testing the 

 value of the camel as a burden bearer. Certain of success, he wanted 

 to breed camels until the herd was large, but Davis wanted to ascertain 

 first whether they would be useful. For a few days the animals rested 

 at Indianola. The Texans refused to believe in their burden bearing 

 capacity, so one day Major Wayne had two bales of hay, weighing 314 

 pounds each, loaded on one of the males; the spectators were sure that 



^" The documents in regard to the expedition are in Sen. Ex. Doc, No. 62, 

 34 Cong., 3 Sess. See also Marsh, p. 210. 



