402 THE TROPICAL WORLD. 



like a snake, the caravan traverses the desert. Each dromedary 

 is loaded, according to its strength, with from six liundred to a 

 thousand pounds, and knows so well the limits of its endurance, 

 that it suffers no overweight, and will not stir before it be re- 

 moved. Thus, with slow and measured pace, the caravan pro- 

 ceeds at the rate of ten or twelve leagues a day, often requiring 

 many a week before attaining the end of its journey. 



When we consider the deformity of the camel, we cannot 

 doubt that its nature has suffered considerable changes from 

 the thraldom and unceasing labours of more than one millennium. 

 Its servitude is of older date, more complete, and more 

 irksome, than that of any other domestic animal — of older 

 date, as it inhabits the countries which history points out to us 

 as the cradle of mankind ; more complete, as all other domestic 

 animals still have their wild types roaming about in un- 

 restrained liberty, while the whole camel race is doomed to 

 slavery ; more irksome, finally, as it is never kept for luxury 

 or state like so many horses, or for the table like the ox, the 

 pig, or the sheep, but is merely used as a beast of transport, 

 which its master does not even give himself the trouble to 

 attach to a cart, but whose body is loaded like a living waggon, 

 and frequently even remains burdened during sleep. 



Thus, the camel bears all the marks of serfdom. Large 

 naked callosities of horny hardness cover the lower part of the 

 breast and the joints of the legs, and although they are never 

 wanting, yet they themselves give proof that they are not 

 natural, but that they have been produced by an excess of 

 misery and ill-treatment, as they are frequently found filled 

 witli a purulent matter. 



The back of the camel is still more deformed by its single or 

 double hump than its breast or legs by their callosities ; and 

 as the latter are evidently owing to the position in which the 

 lieavily burthened beast is forced to rest, it may justly be in- 

 ferred that the hump also, which merely consists of an accu- 

 mulation of fat, did not belong to the primitive animal, but 

 has been produced by the pressure of its load. Even its 

 evident use as a store-house for a desert journey may have con- 

 tributed to its development, as Nature is ever ready to protect 

 its creatures, and to modify their forms according to circum- 

 stances ; and thus, what at first was a mere casual occurrence, 



