146 By Mountain, Lake, and Plain 



gering along with hocks knocking against one 

 another from the weight of the portly Persian, 

 who sits open knife in hand. 1 



With a mixed caravan of camels and mules, 

 such as ours, the fact has to be reckoned with 

 that the former only march during the day, the 

 latter only at night. Native servants are quite 

 likely to put the tents on one and the tent- 

 poles on the other, an arrangement that saves 

 them trouble of one sort, though it may provoke 

 trouble of another ! Persian mules are good 

 walkers, swinging along over four miles an hour, 

 but the camel's pace is nearer two than two- 

 and-a-half. The camel -driver is rather a won- 

 derful human being when you come to regard 

 him. After marching the greater part of the 

 night, he arrives, as I should imagine, haggard 

 and hollow-eyed for want of sleep. But early in 

 the morning he has to be off with the camels to 

 graze, and during the day his charges are scattered 

 over some square miles of country, often far from 



1 Used as a goad ! The Mahommedan religion inculcates kind- 

 ness to animals : " An adulteress was forgiven who passed by a dog 

 at a well, and the dog was holding out his tongue from thirst, 

 which was near killing him. The woman drew off her boot and 

 tied it to the end of her veil and gave him to drink, and was 

 forgiven on account of that act. It was asked the prophet, 

 * Verily, are there rewards for doing good to quadrupeds and 

 giving them water 1 ' He said, ' There are rewards for benefiting 

 every animal having a moist liver. ' " 



