THE GIRAFFE. 403 



became at lengtli, through successive generations, the badge 

 and heir-loom of the whole race. 



Even the stomach may, in the course of many centuries, have 

 gradually provided itself with its water-cistern, since the 

 animal, after a long and tormenting privation, whenever an 

 opportunity of satisfying its thirst occurred, distended the coats 

 of that organ by immoderate draughts, and thus, by degrees, 

 gave rise to its pouch-like cavities. 



The hardships of long servitude, which have thus gradually 

 deformed the originally, perhaps, not ungraceful camel, have no 

 doubt also soured its temper, and rendered its character as un- 

 amiable as its appearance is repulsive. ' It is an abominably 

 ugly necessary animal,' says Mr. Eussell, in a letter dated from 

 the camp of Lucknow ; ' ungainly, morose, quarrelsome, with 

 tee-totalling propensities ; unaccountably capricious in its 

 friendships and enmities ; delighting to produce with its throat, 

 its jaws, its tongue, and its stomach, the most abominable 

 grunts and growls. Stupidly bowing to the yoke, it willingly 

 submits to the most atrocious cruelties, and bites innocent, 

 well-meaning persons, ready to take its part. When its leader 

 tears its nostril, it will do no more than grunt ; but ten against 

 one it will spit at you if you offer it a piece of bread. For days 

 it will march along, its nose close to the tail of the beast that 

 precedes it, without ever making the least attempt to break 

 from the chain ; and yet it will snort furiously at the poor 

 European who amicably pats its ragged hide.' 



The camel seems to have been rather harshly dealt with in 

 this description ; at any rate, it may plead for its excuse that 

 it would be too much to expect a mild and amiable temper in 

 a toil-worn slave. 



Which of all four-footed animals raises its head to the most 

 towering height ? Is it the colossal elephant, or the ' ship of 

 the desert ' ? No doubt the former reaches many a lofty branch 

 with its flexible proboscis, and the eye of the long-necked 

 camel sweeps over a vast extent of desert; but the Griraffe 

 embraces a still wider horizon, and plucks the leaves of the 

 TYiokaala at a still greater height. A strange and most sur- 

 prising animal, almost all neck and leg, seventeen feet high 

 against a length of only seven from the breast to the beginning 

 of the tail, its comparatively small and slanting body resting 



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