52 PURCHASE OF CAMELS FOR MILITARY PURPOSES. 



unsuccessful, either from a want of knowledge of tlieir care, or from 

 neglect, superstition, or jealousy on the part of those with whose 

 peculiar avocations it was thought they would interfere. 



The English word camel (Latin, camelus) is, without doubt, origi- 

 nally derived from the Hebrew, gainal ; or Arabic, djmel, djemel^ or gi- 

 mel, meaning, according to Capbuccia and others, " the riches, or the 

 wealth, or the gift of Heaven." And here, before going further, it 

 will be necessary to determine the exact meaning of a few words, that 

 I may be precise in my narrative, and tliat it may be clearly understood. 



Science has classified the animal into "the camel," or two humped 

 species, and " the dromedary/' or one humped group. This division, 

 as Linant Bey justly observes in his "Notes," (see No. 1,) would 

 exclude "the camel" or " gimel" altogether from Africa, and from all 

 of Asia, except a small region about Tartary. Yet, throughout ' 'camel 

 land" the one humped animal is universally known as gimel, djmel, 

 djemel, or gamal, and the word dromedai-y, or anything like it, is un- 

 known. Moreover, the word dromedary, derived from the Greek Spo/^evg 

 (dromeus) meaning "a runner," "a racer," "a courser," is really 

 applicable to but one variety of the camel, that devoted to riding pur- 

 poses ; and is actually only so applied by the Europeans living in the 

 countries where that variety is known and used. With the natives of 

 "camel land," the European residents recognize the generic term 

 camel or gimel; and to the Asiatic and African, terms of delool, devideh, 

 hagine, herie, dc. ; add also the Greek derivative dromedary, to dis- 

 tinguish that particular variety used, as the saddle or riding animal, 

 without regard to its blood, whether it be fine or common. 



Guided, then, by the actual nomenclature of " camel land/' rather 

 than by what seems to be an arbitrary distinction of science, I shall 

 use the word "camel" as generic, including both the two humped 

 and the one humped species, which I will distinguish from each other 

 by the qualification of the countries from which they are said to have 

 originally come — Bactria and Arabia. I shall call the two humped 

 animal " the Bactrian camel," and the one humped "the Arabian 

 camel /' confining the term dromedai^y to the saddle or riding variety 

 of the Arabian camel, there being no riding animal, as far as I have 

 been able to ascertain, of the Bactrian species. 



THE BACTRIAN CAMEL. 



This species is found only on the southern border of Siberia, in a 

 portion of Tartary, and in the Crimea, and is a much heavier built, 

 stouter limbed, and stronger animal than the Arabian. From the 

 difficulty of loading it, on account of its two humps, its usefulness as 

 a beast of burden is limited. It is sometimes, however, used for 

 draught, being yoked to a wagon as oxen are. Its great value is as a 

 breeder, for crossing the male Bactrian upon the female Arabian, the 

 produce being a powerful one humiied hybrid ; and for this purpose it 

 is kept throughout Asiatic northern " camel land " as breeding stal- 

 lions are with us, where it is called houlioum or houliour, (see No. 4.) 

 It is altogether unknown in Africa, and a Bactrian camel there would 

 be as great a curiosity as it is with us in the United States. 



