196 THE CAMEL 



wondered at. If the country is hilly, and he is obliged 

 to move in one line, he must keep moving up and down 

 constantly to see that his orders are being strictly 

 carried out. 



General To define a proper system, on certain lines and 



on proper by hard-and-fast rules, as to the actual conduct of a 

 convoys 01 convoy, does not come within the scope of this work, 

 but the rules I have laid down as to the treatment and 

 management of camels generally will apply. Always 

 bearing in mind that, when on the march, conditions 

 and circumstances must be considered prior to forming 

 a conclusion or deciding on a definite plan. This duty 

 is a most important one, (Demanding the greatest 

 activity, vigilance, and experience, and requiring a 

 thorough conscientiousness, determination, and a fixed 

 tenacity of will and purpose on the part of a transport 

 officer. And he must never allow circumstances or 

 conditions to depress or dispirit him, but take as his 

 guiding principle, and place before him as a magnetic 

 axiom, the mottoes of ' Never despair ! ' c Courage, and 

 forward ! ' Nor must he ever forget that the mainspring 

 of an army is mobility, which is entirely dependent on its 

 transport ; and that the general efficiency of this vital 

 portion of the machine hinges on the individual effici- 

 ency of each unit, which in its turn depends on his own 

 personal exertions. 



Proper It is, as a rule, wiser to march camels, baggagers 



march especially, by night, because (1) they have more time, 

 all day in fact, to graze ; (2) march quicker than 

 under a hot sun ; (3) lose less tissue ; (4) are not so 

 much fatigued, as the sun takes it out of them; 

 (5) minimises the chances of exposure, and reduces the 



