6 THE CAMEL 



the camels also was Obil, the Ishmaelite,' the Ishmaelites- 

 being a nomadic tribe who lived in the desert, and whose 

 principal wealth consisted of camels ; hence Obil's selec- 

 tion for the post as a man of practical knowledge and 

 experience. And in Solomon's reign, ' barley also, and 

 straw for the horses and dromedaries [New Version r 

 * swift steeds '] brought they into the places where the 

 officers were, every man according to his charge,' show- 

 ing that riding camels kept for fast work were in those 

 days looked on as valuable, and were especially well 

 cared for; while in later days, about A.D. 1616 (see 

 Gibbon's 'Decline and Fall,' chap. xlvi.),when giving a 

 description of Chosroes' wealth, he writes : * His tents- 

 and baggage were carried into the field by 12,000 great 

 camels, and 8,000 of a smaller size.' 



General In those olden days, more so even than now, men, 



were in more ways than one entirely dependent upon 

 the camel for their living as well as for their means of 

 support, and this general utility was, if anything, more 

 extensive than it is now, and in every way greater 

 than that of the reindeer to the Laplander. The 

 camel can be ridden, driven, and used as a pack 

 animal. The milk of the female is used in many forms 

 of nourishment. When sour it is mixed with flour, 

 and made into a paste called c aish ' (a kind of bread) ;, 

 when sweet it is boiled with rice and flour, and called 

 c behatta ' common and favourite dishes with the 

 Bedawins ; while the Arabs who breed camels in the 

 deserts of Nubia and the Soudan exist principally on 

 camel's milk and corn. Its constituent parts are nearly 

 identical with those of mare's milk ; but it is considered 

 more nourishing and productive of greater stamina 



