PURCHASE OF CAMELS FOR MILITARY PURPOSES. 107 



and out ; notwithstanding the great strength of the car, it was not 

 any too strong for the purpose ; although, with the M'^ood and iron on 

 it, it weighed one thousand pounds ; at times, the camels were so trouble- 

 some to get in and so strong and refractory when they were in, that they 

 started the frame of the car in one or two places ; consequently, the car 

 should he made very strong. The one I had made was 8 feet 6 inches 

 long, 4yV feet wide, and 3fV^ethigh,with light board sides on the inside 

 extending half way up. I am thus minute in mentioning the boat and 

 camel car, as the shipping of the camels is a very troublesome business, 

 and without the above mentioned arrangements it would be almost 

 impossible to get them safely on board. It would never do to hoist 

 a camel on board with a pair of slings like those used in shipping 

 horses. In the first place, their weight is too great, some of them 

 weighing as much as two thousand pounds, the average weight being 

 about fourteen hundred ; in the second place, they would certainly in- 

 jure themselves in their struggling to get free ; by driving and coax- 

 ing them into the car, or putting them in by means they could not 

 resist, (which I will explain,) and then makino; them lie down quietly, 

 they would be transferred from the shore to the ship without being 

 aware of the change. Out of thirty-three camels shipped in this way, 

 not one received a scratch of any kind, and they were put on board 

 at the rate of one in every thirty minutes. I consider our success in 

 safely transporting so many is owing, in a great measure, to the fact 

 that they all came on board v/ithout any bruises. The accompanying 

 drawing of the boat and car will, I trust, be easily understood, and will 

 render any further description unnecessary. 



I also had fitted in the United States a set of harness for each camel ; 

 this harness is made of strong canvas, thrumbed on the inside to 

 prevent chafes, and so arranged on the body of the animal that when 

 the vessel rolls the camel is kept perfectly steady; two strong ropes, 

 one on each side of the cam^l are passed through strong groramets in 

 the side-pieces of the harness, and are set up taut to the ship's side 

 and amidships ; finally, a canvas strap is passed over the camel's neck 

 and down around both knees, which effectually prevents its rising or 

 moving in any direction during a gale ; it is not an uncomfortable 

 position for a camel to be in, as it is their natural one when they lie 

 down. Where there are a number of camels^ it was found necessary 

 to have a strong breast rope (defended by strong gutta-percha air 

 bags) running (or stretched) fore and aft the camel deck in front of 

 them ; this rope, with its fenders, rests against their breasts, the side 

 ropes of the harness are fastened to it, and the ship may be thrown on 

 her beam ends without a camel moving. To prevent any chafe to 

 their knees (which are well protected by callosities,) I always kept 

 under them a thick bed of hay, and large, well filled bags of hay 

 between their rumps and the ship's side ; these are all the precautions 

 necessary to keep them from getting hurt ; a drawing of a camel se- 

 cured for a gale will accompany this report. 



When I first took the Tunisian camels on board, of course the mode 

 of treating them was new to me, and required some consideration ; I 

 adopted a plan, however, and have' carried it out with all the camels 

 on board with complete success. I do not hesitate to say they were 



