184 THE CAMEL 



suddenly confronted by a narrow defile, a block is 

 bound to ensue ; and the only plan to adopt in this 

 case is to make the animals in the rear kneel until it 

 comes to their turn to proceed, as this, to a certain 

 extent, takes the dead weight off their backs and limbs, 

 and eases them. 



Massou- Lieut. Massoutier takes exception to this, and says 



jection to that camels should never be allowed to kneel en route 

 kneeling unless the convoy is attacked, as this position with 

 their burdens only fatigues and injures them. That he 

 is quite right no one will deny, and on service, if 

 within the bounds of human possibility, it should be 

 avoided. But occasions and circumstances, such as 

 mentioned, will crop up over which we have no 

 control ; and when it comes to a question of standing 

 or kneeling, it is simply a choice of the lesser evil to 

 make them kneel. Of course, if the nature of the 

 road is known, and the fact of the existence of narrow 

 defiles and such obstacles, the order of march can 

 accordingly be daily arranged to meet such exigencies 

 by making the transport move on a narrow or broader 

 front. 



When I was Brigade Baggage-master from Cabul to 

 Peshawur, and had the arranging and disposing of 

 several thousand camels, we never got off the camp 

 ground in a morning under four hours, and when, 

 as in the Jagdallack and Khyber passes, we were 

 cramped for space and had to move on a narrow front, 

 usually single file, it took a long weary seven hours 

 or more before all were on the move. I know that I 

 was always one of the first in the morning to be on the 

 move, and invariably the last to arrive in the camp in 



