58 THE CAMEL 



Though he is very tame, and gets to know you, it is 

 only to a strictly limited extent, and though he will go 

 so far as to eat bread out of your hand, and perhaps give 

 you a low grunt of recognition when you come near 

 him a mark of great condescension on his part some- 

 how or other you cannot get any further with him. 

 Should you attempt to pat or caress him, he shows not 

 the slightest appreciation on the contrary, he usually 

 objects to it in a very decided manner, drawing his 

 head away and giving vent to a low growl of dis- 

 approval, with a don't-take-any-liberties-with-me kind 

 of expression. 



NO liber- The fact is, you must not take any liberties with a 



camel. He is not like a horse or a dog in this way ; 

 though he may be good and faithful to you according 

 to his lights, you cannot make a friend or a companion 

 of him, like you can of these. Life and its hard con- 

 ditions are taken for granted. Good treatment or bad 

 makes no difference to him, or at least his countenance, 

 stolid and stony in its expression, does not reveal it. No 

 one but a keen observer would detect in the young 

 camel a slight look of reproach in its beautiful eye, or 

 a fine touch of pathos and appeal in its wailing grunt ; 

 while the old battered veteran accepts his fate with 

 supreme and calm indifference, not unmingled with a 

 dash of supercilious scorn, as if he were the only 

 creature in existence, and you had nothing whatever 

 to do with him. It is this indifference and want of 

 interest that he shows to man, this entire want of con- 

 fidence in him, that in a great measure widens the 

 breach between them. A horse endears himself to you 

 and shows his affection for you in many ways, neighing 



