422 THE CAMEL 



duced by the pressure of its load. Even its evident use as a 

 store-house for a desert journey may have contributed to its de- 

 velopment, as nature is ever ready to protect its creatures, and 

 to modify their forms according to circumstances ; and thus, what 

 at first was a mere casual occurrence, became at length, 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 ; unaccount- 

 ably 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 at- 

 tempt 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. 



