154 THE CAMEL. 



test hours of the day. The preparing and par- 

 taking of breakfast, breaking up the camp, 

 packing the luggage and loading the camels, 

 consumes about two hours, and therefore if you 

 mean to be off, ere 



Phibbus' car 

 Doth shine from far, 



you must stir and conclamare vasa betimes. 



" As the camel regularly is fed only at night, 

 he is impatient for his morning's meal, which 

 he picks up for himself from the shrubs that dot 

 the desert, and takes, as hypocritical old Sen- 

 eca pretends (falsely, I doubt,) he did his, sine 

 mensa. Each animal makes off as soon as he 

 is loaded, and as the loads frequently require to 

 be re-secured or otherwise changed, and the 

 camels scatter widely in search of food, it is 

 some time before the caravan is collected, and 

 steadily advancing in regular order. 



" When the country is safe, and the order of 

 march fairly established, and all is going on 

 smoothly, the sheikhs and others who have 

 dromedaries, often pace ahead of the caravan, 

 in order to gain time for a cup of coffee and a 

 pipe, or an hour's nap in the shade of an acacia 

 or a manna bush, which they may very well do, 

 as the speed of the dromedary is nearly double 

 that of the ordinary burden camel. I earnestly 

 advise you not to stop the caravan for the fool- 



