154 THE CAMEL 



straw), 10 Ib. of the former and from 20 to 25 Ib. of 

 the latter daily, given in the evening when the day's 

 work was over ; more frequently than not the grain 

 first, sometimes mixed together, the animal, as a matter 

 of course, picking out the barley first. To my thinking 

 a small ration early in the morning previous to march- 

 ing is a good thing. Frequently, however, bhoosa was 

 not to be had, and an additional ration of barley was 

 served out, with most evil results, as already pointed 

 out. The animals had been taken out of their element. 

 They were, in fact, like fish out of water, being subjected 

 to a mode of life and treatment they were altogether 

 unaccustomed to overweighted, overpaced, over- 

 worked, grazing done away with, and sometimes over- 

 fed on unsuitable food ; while at others they got nothing 

 at all to eat, because there were no rations to give 

 them, though on occasions, had the authorities been 

 reasonable, and consulted or even considered the trans- 

 port, good pasturage would not have been passed by ; 

 but we were, as we invariably are, in too great a hurry 

 to get on. As in Afghanistan, so in the Soudan. Seeing, 

 as I have done, hundreds and thousands of camels die 

 from sheer exhaustion, brought on by neglect and ill- 

 treatment arising from downright stupidity, obstinacy, 

 and ignorance, is enough to make one ashamed of 

 having had any connection with the business. It is 

 really too sickening to think that so great a loss of life 

 should result from so trifling a cause a cause so easily 

 remediable, or removable, and, what is more, culpable, 

 for nowadays stupidity and ignorance on such a sub- 

 ject as the proper treatment of the camel is distinctly 

 deserving of severe censure. 



