xxvii CONCLUSION 447 



yard in Berber. She was secured by two strong ropes around her 

 neck, the ends of which were well manned upon either side to 

 prevent her from seizing her conductors with her teeth. Kicking, 

 rearing, biting, and striking out with the fore legs, this interesting 

 acquisition formed a startling picture of a lady's pet. The question 

 was serious. We could not return it, lest we should offend the 

 donor; we could not let it run away (this wicked idea certainly 

 passed through my mind), as it would be regarded as an insult ; 

 but how should we march this wild animal 270 miles to Souakim, 

 and then ship to Suez? 



Kindness might possibly accomplish this, and my wife took it 

 in hand, to the horror of the Arabs, who would not approach it. 



The savage creature became so tame and affectionate after only 

 three days' personal care and handling, together with gifts of bread 

 and pieces of sugar-cane, that all our people were delighted with 

 the success. It marched to Souakim, being led by a halter, without 

 the slightest trouble, and was delivered in Cairo to His Highness 

 the Khedive Ismail. No one had ventured to mount its back. 



There is another animal whose importance to man cannot be 

 over-estimated, and, although it cannot claim the distinction of a 

 wild beast, it must not be omitted from our consideration, 

 especially as it is so frequently linked with the military operations 

 of our army. This is the camel (Camelus). 



It has been debated amongst naturalists whether this animal 

 has been actually proved to exist in a wild state. It has been 

 asserted that wild camels have been known in the deserts of 

 Central Asia, but were these originally wild ? or were they simply 

 animals that had strayed and become lost during tribal raids, or in 

 the Mongolian migrations of the early ages 1 



Lieut. Younghusband, in his splendid journey from Peking to 

 Rawul Pindi, saw camels in the distance upon the steppes, which 

 were reported by his people to be wild. He described them as 

 smaller than the ordinary domestic camels. There could not be 

 a more trustworthy authority as a traveller ; but considerable 

 experience of a locality and an actual examination of the animal 

 are necessary before it is possible to determine whether it is 

 aboriginal, or whether it may not be the descendant of some lost 

 or strayed ancestors. 



There are two distinct species of camels the Bactrian, with 

 two humps, and the Arabian, or ordinary camel, with only one. 

 The camels in the deserts north of the Himalayahs, which are 

 reported as wild, have only one hump ; this does not favour the 

 assumption of their origin. Where are the progenitors of the two- 



