174 RIFLE AND SPEAR WITH THE RAJPOOTS. 



across the liills. The camel-men say the road is too 

 steep and rocky for their animals, and they must take 

 an easier road, which is of course longer. So we sent 

 them on with all the heavy baggage yesterday evening, 

 and hired coolies to carry the tent and kit we are 

 obliged to keep for the night by the shorter path across 

 the hills. 



It was late last night before I got to sleep, for the 

 noise the camels make whilst being loaded is awful. 

 They scream and roar, grunt and groan, like a menagerie 

 of wild beasts at feeding time. Why they are called 

 "patient" I could never understand. In reality they 

 are most spiteful animals, and whilst being loaded not 

 only complain loudly in their own fashion but snap and 

 bite at everybody within reach. 



If they do no more, it is only because out of their 

 extreme stupidity they have been unable to evolve more 

 practical means of displaying their impatience. The 

 camel-men consider it due to their dignity not to make 

 less noise than their beasts, and occasionally burst into 

 fearful yells, varied by what I take to be a string of 

 strange Punjabi oaths, whenever a camel attempts to get 

 up, or turns his head to expostulate with his loader. 



We ourselves started at daybreak : the track at first 

 very bad, winding round, and in and out of ravines, 

 without appearing to get much " forrarder." After about 



