192 THE CAMEL 



Wiseacre has had the handling of him. If you can 

 avoid it, never work them in any weather between 

 10 A.M. and 4 P.M., more so in a hot climate when 

 the heat is excessive, as even camels of a hot country 

 always march better at night. These hours should be 

 devoted to grazing. The ordinary Sawari can walk 

 from two and a half to three miles an hour ; jog his 

 best and easiest pace from five to six miles an hour 

 easily, while a good one will cover six and seven ; but 

 you must keep him up to the mark (for he and the 

 baggager are naturally lazy) by occasionally tickling 

 him with a ' korbaz ' (a whip of hippopotamus hide). 

 He can run from eight to ten miles an hour, but it is 

 not his natural pace, and he cannot keep it up for long, 

 and even when you are accustomed to it it shakes and 

 jars you tremendously. ' Jogging ' is no doubt the best 

 pace for long and continuous journeys. 



HOW to The slowest camel should invariably be placed in 



even pace front of a convoy, so as to regulate the pace, and to 

 arrive at and maintain a more or less even rate of pro- 

 gression. This will not be difficult, as camels are 

 essentially lazy, and will not go any faster than 

 required. Whereas if the faster walkers are leading, 

 it becomes a necessity to drive on the slower ones to 

 make them keep up. So it is that many good camels 

 who happen to be temporarily debilitated or sorefooted 

 are overdriven, until they break down completely. 

 This cannot be prevented unless actually under the eye 

 of some responsible officer. Besides, a certain amount 

 of urging is at times indispensable, for without it there 

 is sure to be a great deal of straggling, which creates 

 large gaps in, and doubles or trebles the length of, the 



