216 THE CAMEL 



fuller particulars. No. 3 Transport Company, which 

 returned to Korti from the front (Gakdool, I think) 

 about the middle of February 1885, was inspected by 

 Veterinary-Surgeon Smith. He found a very great 

 proportion suffering from saddle galls so severe as to 

 incapacitate them from work of any kind for a very long 

 period, probably from six months to one year. Many, 

 also, were so worn out and debilitated as to be, in his 

 opinion, beyond recovery, while he reported that the 

 company was utterly unfit for further transport work 

 for some time. A day or two after this V.-S. Burt 

 inspected the camels of No. 9 Company. He reported 

 that they were in such a terribly emaciated condition, 

 and were suffering from such extremely severe galls, as 

 to render them totally unfit for further service. He 

 also examined those of the Eemount Depot, and came 

 to the conclusion that many would not be fit for work 

 in a month and a half or two months. That in his 

 opinion they were more likely to improve under treat- 

 ment in the depot than by turning them out to graze, 

 as had been decided upon. It is a curious fact that the 

 camels belonging to these desert tribes get no medical 

 treatment or rather I should say that the natives use 

 no medicines as we understand them, externally or 

 internally hot irons and a few crude appliances being 

 what they chiefly resort to, and yet their camels recover. 

 It was also curious that the Kababish camels employed 

 by us were remarkably free from galls, sore backs, 

 &c. ; and yet not curious, for herein lay the secret 

 they loaded properly and purely by balance, they did 

 not let a camel go on until he was overdone, but took 

 him in time and gave him complete rest. When an 



