192 THE CAMEL. 



end of the cord around the neck. When both 

 legs are thus shackled, the camel can rise only 

 to the knee ; if one only is hoppled, he rises with 

 difficulty, and moves very slowly ; and if an In- 

 dian were to cut the loop, and thus free the ani- 

 mal, and even succeed in mounting him, he 

 would not be able, without a previous practice, 

 which he has not the means of acquiring, to put 

 him up to such a speed as to elude pursuit. 



There is another point which I have never 

 heard insisted on, but which has often struck me 

 with some force in riding the camel. I mean 

 the greater range of vision which, in a level 

 counti'y, the greater elevation of the seat gives 

 the rider. The eye of the horseman is upon an 

 average scarcely eight feet above the gi'ound. 

 Upon the dromedary it is two feet higher, and 

 commands a wider range accordingly. 



To all these advantages there are, so far as I 

 am aware, but few drawbacks. The whole ques- 

 tion has been much discussed among the military 

 men of France, with reference to the employ- 

 ment of the camel in Algeria, and the examina- 

 tion of the various points presented in these 

 discussions forms the most valuable part of 

 Carbuccia's work. He reviews the various ob- 

 jections, which have been urged against the in- 

 troduction of the camel into the military service, 

 and I think disposes of them all satisfactorily. 

 I do not discover any local objections growing 



