THE MUSEUM. 



227 



About the only regret expres^sed in 

 any of the letters relates to the scar- 

 city anci hence the high price of cam- 

 els. This beast of burden, absolutely 

 essential upon an expedition into Afii- 

 ca, doubled in price in a short time, 

 caused by the Italian government pur- 

 chasing several thousand for its ci-rps 

 of new soldiers sent into Africa against 

 the Abyssinians. However, the prof- 

 essor finally secured a herd of sufficient 

 dimensiohs and began his trip into the 

 interior. 



The last conmiunication, dated 

 April 27, gives a humorous account of 

 the professor's men breaking camels. 



"You can imagine," it reads, that 

 there's a circus around here while the 

 instruction is going on. When the 

 untamed camels arrived I heard a 

 tremendous growling in front of the 

 door, and on going out I saw one of 

 these amiable beasts being led by his 

 keeper, but walking along with every 

 e.xpression of disgust, both in his coun- 

 tenance and voice. The man stopped 

 (ditto camel) and attempted to tie the 

 beast's forelegs together, "hen it 

 reared and striking out with its fore 

 feet, landed on the keeper's stomach 

 and head, sending him fl\ing through 

 space as if shot out of a cannon. The 

 man picked himself out of a ditih with 

 a hand on each bruised part, and the 

 ■ camel which had never ceased roaring, 

 was taken in charge by two other and 

 more robust natives and led to the 

 tents, or rather induced to go by the 

 energetic assistance of a very sharp 

 iron rod, applied in a inost vigorous 

 and mij-cellaneous manner. Similar 

 exhibitions are being conducted (iaily, 

 and ue are now ready to lead the re- 

 cently broken camels. Within three 



or four days they are said to become 

 tractable. I formed my opinion of a 

 camel forty years ago when I rode 

 across the Arabian deserts, and I see 

 no reason to alter it in any way. The 

 creature has so many ta'ents and so 

 many ways of exhibiting them. And, 

 to btgin with, it can kick harder, high- 

 er, swifter and oftener than a Virginia 

 mule, and can use all fonr feet at one 

 time in a kicking match. Then it can 

 bite worse than a vicious horse and 

 buck in a way to make a broncho 

 blush with absolute shame. No cow- 

 boy ever lived who cin stay on that 

 perch seven feet from the ground dur- 

 ing a camel's exhibition of gymnastics. 

 Then he can run away whenever he 

 feels like it, and he is often seized 

 with a desire to slope. Upon an oc- 

 casion of this kind his rider experien 

 ces a sensation between being blown 

 up with dynamite or struggling against 

 the throes of an earthquake until all 

 his joints are dislocated, and he drops, 

 a limp, inert mass, to the ground. 



"Then this sweet creature has a 

 way of evincing his displeasure that is 

 at least effective and convincing. He 

 twists his snake like neck into a circle 

 and, poking his ugly nose into the face 

 of the ridts, opens his cavernous 

 mouth and lets out a roar of disgust in 

 such a fetid breath that the elevated 

 human victim is fairly blown into the 

 middle of the coming month (a week 

 being too short a distance). And yet, 

 with all these high recommendations, 

 which some people might consider ob- 

 jectionabl , these are the dear animals 

 I am yearning for I enclose proof of 

 a photograph of my official headquar- 

 ters in an old Egyptian bungalow, 

 taken by a hunter. You will notice 

 that I am in full dress with all my 

 flags around me, " 



The. museum officials expect no 

 further advises by mail about the ex- 

 pedition until about June 20, when a 

 report of the success in the wild ass 

 country may be anticipated. 



