190 THE CAMEL. 



soldier can manufacture for himself; the ex- 

 emption from the trouble and expense of pro- 

 viding for his sustenance, and from dressing, 

 sheltering, or shoeing him; his great docility, 

 his general freedom from disease, his longevity, 

 the magnitude of his burden, and the great 

 celerity of his movements, his extraordinary fear- 

 lessness, 1 the safety of his rider, whether from 

 falls or the viciousness of the animal, the eco- 

 nomical value of his flesh, and the applicability 

 of his hair and his skin to many purposes of 

 military use or convenience, the resources which 

 in extreme cases the milk might furnish, and 

 finally his great powers of abstinence from both 

 food and drink. 2 



A point which deserves to be mentioned is the 

 comparatively insignificant loss involved in the 



continues to labor during the whole period of gestation, 

 (which runs according to climate, from eleven, or in some 

 cases, ten to twelve months,) and even the dropping of a 

 foal scarcely delays her march. Denham and Clapperton, 

 I. c. 3 ; Ritter, xin. 610. The young requires no care and 

 little training, and is already serviceable in his third year. 



1 Carbuccia, p. 34, p. 168. 



2 The use of the camel has enabled the corps which have 

 employed it in Algeria, to dispense altogether with a baggage 

 train, as the animal can transport a very considerable bur- 

 den, in addition to the soldier and his accoutrements, at a 

 much more rapid rate than the ordinary march of a column 

 of infantry or artillery. 



