232 THE CAMEL 



the use of pack-horses impossible. The country is quite 

 unsuited for camels, even if they are proof against the 

 tsetse, which they are not. In all probability,' he adds, 

 6 the tsetse will disappear as the country becomes more 

 opened up, and the wild animals upon which it feeds 

 become extinct.' When the Nile campaign was over 

 I remember reading a book, the name of which and of 

 the author I have forgotten. However, I was greatly 

 interested in the following extract, which I give : 

 6 There is a disease very common among camels, which 

 the natives call "guffa." We were not able to make out 

 clearly what it was ; some of the Arabs declared it was 

 catching, others that it was not, but all said that a 

 number of animals that we had brought from the " At 

 bara " were suffering from it when they were bought. 

 Whenever we had to complain of any of the drivers 

 having allowed a camel to run down through negligence, 

 as we thought, the excuse was that it was suffering from 

 this complaint. It was certainly in a miserably poor 

 condition, and at the time appeared to have a fit 

 or* convulsion of some kind. It rolled on the ground, 

 apparently in great agony, and was only induced to 

 get up after much difficulty. Somehow or other we 

 got there in a day's march, but it was never afterwards 

 good for much. Some of the natives said that this 

 disease was caused by the bite of the tsetse fly.' 



This does not throw much light on nor does it eluci- 

 date the question, as there seemed to be the same want 

 of clearness as to the disease and its cause that I felt ; 

 and from the writer's own words the natives seemed to 

 have taken advantage of his inexperience, and were 

 evidently making convenient use of this ' guffa ' by im- 



