294 ANIMAL MANAGEMENT. 



must be carefully adjusted to exac'ly correspond with the shape of the 

 back. 



Great care must be taken that the seam joining the lining and outer 

 cover does not come in contact with the back. 



The rear point of the pad (khoote) should be ten or twelve inches 

 above the level of the back and eight inches above the level of the 

 central opening ; it should be firmly stuffed and strongly sewn, as its 

 object is to prevent the load shifting backwards and forwards on the 

 saddle. 



In no case must the pad be so long as to bear on the loins, or a bad 

 gall of this part is inevitable. 



It is essential that each camel should have its own saddle and that 

 the stuffing of this be altered from time to time, in order to conform to 

 alterations in the shape of the back, or relieve pressure from parts which 

 show signs of undue wear. Nothing but constant attention to this matter 

 will avoid undue loss from sore backs. 

 The girth. The girth is adjusted behind the breast pad, and with riding saddles 



a double girth is frequently used. 

 The breast The b7'east piece and crupper should be just tight enough to keep the 

 piece. saddle from shifting, but not so tight as to gall. There must, owing to 



the animal's action, be some front to rear movement of the saddle. 

 Head- Headstalls are advocated by some for the purpose of securing the 



stalls. animal on the march, the headrope being tied to the palan of the one in 



front. This plan does away with the chance of the nose peg being 

 dragged out ; but a lazy camel will hang back and pull the saddle of the 

 next to one side, which the serwans must be alert to prevent. 

 Loading Loading nets have been tried and discarded in favour of ropes, with 



nets. which the load can be more satisfactorily secured and which are 



themselves much less weight. 



THE OX. 



Oxen are employed as pack or draught transport animals in many 

 parts of the world; as pack animals we have employed them in Abyssinia, 

 and many Indian expeditions, and in draught they are largely used in 

 South Africa, and form the chief animal transport of India. They are 

 generally more suited for line of communication transport than for 

 employment at the front, and are by no means such good pack animals 

 f^s mules, but that they may be successfully used for pack work in difficult 



