378 THE CAMEL 



handle animals that they will have to deal with on 

 active service they cannot be taught how to load them, 

 and cannot be expected to learn intuitively, as it takes 

 a great many years of solid experience to get accus- 

 tomed to and become intimately acquainted with the 

 camel, and his peculiarities and peccadilloes. 

 Arrange- A transport officer, if at all concerned about his 



bads f beasts, should superintend the packing of each separate 

 load ; but when there are a great number, and you are 

 working against time as you invariably are this is 

 almost impossible, much as you would like to. When 

 you are looking after several hundreds, though you 

 may exert yourself to the utmost, you individually 

 cannot be here, there, and everywhere. While you are 

 seeing to some in one place, others in another spot have 

 been loaded, and you are obliged, so atrociously have 

 the loads been put on, to unload, and make the men 

 reload under your personal supervision. This has 

 happened to me times without number, and the only 

 way out of the difficulty, if you have had timely warn- 

 ing and if your sole mainstay is a fatigue party is 

 first to take over the stores and arrange them separately 

 by loads for each animal, or settle with the Commis- 

 sariat, Ordnance, or other officer to whom they belong 

 to have them so arranged. Too much trouble cannot 

 be taken in having all loads ready and placed in proper 

 position in rear of each animal so that if you are 

 loading at night you know at once where to get them, 

 and so avoid confusion and save time. The British soldier 

 in fact, all soldiers hate fatigue work, especially 

 that of loading up animals, and of ah 1 animals the camel. 

 An Egyptian battalion which was at Suakim in 1884, 



