208 THE CAMEL 



better than they can descend. The pressure, as we 

 know, is much greater on their shoulders and forelegs 

 on the knees and hocks especially in going down 

 than up, because all the weight is thrown on to them. 

 Therefore they are far more apt to stumble or come down, 

 as the downward progression has an accelerating ten- 

 dency ; the hind legs, especially in a camel, seem to give 

 way, bend right under, and simply drag along after the 

 others. The pace, in fact, is insensibly increased to a 

 trot, which a camel seemingly cannot check, partially 

 due no doubt to the weakness of his hind-quarters; and 

 the steeper the descent, the more jerky and unsteady it 

 becomes, until the load is very soon disarranged, and 

 thrown on to the animal's neck, or comes off alto- 

 gether. Small short-limbed animals are best for hill 

 work, and the long-legged camel is not at home in 

 mountains ; a level or gently undulating surface is 

 best suited to him. 



Their be- Over sand, loose shingle, stony ground, if the stones 



sandy U or n are not to large and jagged, he can move well. In wet 



bogg 7 and an< ^- s lipp erv > s ft an d boggy ground he is more or less 



ground useless, becomes nervous and anxious, and seems to lose 



all confidence in himself. His feet appear to lose all 



hold of the former, and he slips and slides about ; 



while in the latter he sinks down according to the 



yielding nature of the soil, loses his head, flounders, 



falls, and probably ruptures, or if overweighted disjoints 



his hips, or splits himself up. With the riding camels I 



On rough had in the Soudan several instances occurred in rough 



broken IP 11 i 



ground broken ground ol animals having their shoulders put out 

 of joint or broken by stepping suddenly and sharply 

 on a stone, usually when going down hill ; and when 



