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70 miles), ami thus striking a blow and inflicting panic on on 

 enemy which was under the impression of being beyond striking 

 distance. Also by means of camels small detachments may bo 

 conveyed for keeping open communications with distant posts, 

 or for relieving far outlying pickets, for bringing up supplies 

 rapidly in emergency, and for staff escort and reconnoitring. 

 The camels are essentially a means of rapid carriage of infantry 

 from place to place, and for the purpose of making long marrhes 

 " the camel is a long traveller, but a slow mover" (Redvers 

 Buller), so he is not to be used as a means of advance to or retreat 

 from attack. The camel soldier is to fight only on foot. He ca.n't 

 mount his camel quick enough to retire in haste, so must fight for 

 his camels. Either the drivers must be able to defend the camels, 

 or else some or all of the fighting men have to do so. The best 

 plan seems to be to make the corps consist really of two regiments, 

 the Fighting and the Transport ; the latter to carry the former and 

 to be capable of defending itself ; some consider it may at times 

 prove auxiliary to the fighting body. Chevalier's Corps paraded 

 with other troops, went through special manoeuvres, and the men 

 fought behind their couchant camels. The animals were trained 

 for a week or longer — first to lead, next to follow ; after this they 

 were mounted and taught the use of the reins. The men learned 

 the Arab " camel language," which is, doubtless, an accomplish- 

 ment French troops would learn with more facility than British. 

 Carbuccia calculated that in two years a soldier of the French 

 Army would become as good a driver of camels as an Arab. A 

 month's training suffices to make a man fairly useful with a 

 camel. His camel corps manoeuvred well, and fought in line of 

 skirmishers of 7 men to every four camels (one man being left in 

 charge of the latter. The difficulty in mounting was got over 

 by use of a double stirrup as a ladder). Our soldiers up the Nile 

 had to be cautioned against the danger of causing rupture by 

 jumping off a standing camel. At Suakim it was apparently 

 practicable to dismount the rear man without making the camel 

 sit down. Napier's fighting men were light infantry carried by 

 camels. The drivers of the latter were armed with carbine and 

 tulwar ; when attacked, they made the camels sit down in hollow 



