PUECHASE OF CAMELS FOE MILITAEY PUEPOSES. 233 



from the fact, that being in daily intercourse and in business relation 

 with all the most powerful personages of the country during a resi- 

 dence of fourteen years, it has been impossible for me to speak of them 

 without finding myself mixed up in what concerned them. There, 

 where manners and customs are so different from ours, the European 

 finds himself too conspicuous to avoid an active participation in most 

 of the important occurrences. It is not to be concealed, that after the 

 efforts and inducements held out by General Marey-Monge during his 

 government of Algiers, and the researches as proibund as judicious of 

 General Carbuccia, that there remained but little for me to say on 

 the subject. Indeed, this author, enlightened by his own investiga- 

 tions, has given us the most minute details of the usefulness of the 

 dromedary in Africa for military transportation. His work is truly 

 a manual which should be consulted not only by officers employed in 

 active service in Algiers, but by those of all powers having intercourse 

 with the East. It may one day be of great service to them ; and, 

 without any doubt, they will find in it inexhaustible resources upon 

 the natural history of the dromedary, its hygean, and breeding. The 

 expedition of Khiva in 1840 by the Russian army, composed of 6,000 

 men and of 10,000 camels, as also those made in Cabool in 1839 and 

 1842 by the English army, which numbered 30,000 dromedaries, 

 prove to us the utility of this study; and the invasion which our civ- 

 ilization aims at over all Asia gives indisputable interest to its inves- 

 tigation. However, encouraged by those only who have so knowingly 

 treated the subject, I determined to relate not only what I have seen 

 and done, but more — the modifications I have attempted for the im- 

 provement of this portable artillery. 



To understand clearly what were the improvements required by the 

 zembourek, we must state what the arm was in its primitive condi- 

 tion, and how it was served. 



The zembourek, with the exception of finish in the workmanship, 

 was of the same dimensions as we have described, less the lock which 

 now replaces the pan on the fight side of the barrel. Having no re- 

 coil, and being pointed by hand, it had the great inconvenience 

 (which it still has) of kicking violently whenever the load was in- 

 creased ; this was endeavored to be remedied by twisting rags around 

 the breech _, (fig. 1.) The pack (fig. 2) was made of two wooden 

 forks — one resting upon the withers, and the other upon the croup of 

 the dromedary, from 0"\'70 to O^.TS (from 2 feet 9 inches to 3 feet) 

 apart, joined together by cross-bars; behind. this pack were fixed 

 vertically two staves, from which hung bannerols, one of which be- 

 sides was used as a rammer, linstock, and whip. The animal was 

 guided by means of a halter, headstall, and cordlonge. 



The cannoneer wore a high sheepskin cap, ornamented with a cap- 

 plate ; a long coat, the flaps of which were turned back under the 

 belt, and decorated on the breast with small pendants of metal, which, 

 striking together during the march, produced a continued jingling. 

 His weapon was a cama, or sort of long poinard. The service of the 

 piece was performed as follows : The right guide, after the captain, 

 placed himself at a certain distance in front of the line, and by mo- 

 tions with his arms and legs indicated the manoeuvre, using the voice 



