246 THE CAMEL 



any way interfering with their efficiency. The pommel 

 was far too high, and I know cases where men have 

 been suddenly shot forward and thrown against it, or 

 when thrown off a camel did not quite clear it, who 

 were badly ruptured. These saddles were too concave 

 in shape, which made them rather uncomfortable in a 

 long, quick ride ; but on the whole they were tolerably 

 good, though there was room for the improvements 

 above suggested. Personally, I have made some long 

 and rapid rides in them, and have little to complain 

 of. Stirrups were used with them. This, I think, 

 apart from a military sense, was a great boon, as it 

 enabled you when your legs got stiff in one position to 

 change to another in more ways than on the ' makhloofa,' 

 for on a long journey sitting cross-legged, or allowing 

 them to hang without anything to rest on, was at times 

 very tiring. Yet I have known many Europeans who 

 have preferred to ride in the latter. I cannot resist from 

 mentioning here a trifling incident that occurred to me 

 in connection with this self-same saddle when I was up 

 the Nile. A young officer, who shall be nameless, with 

 a very grave face informed me of the recent invention 

 of this saddle, with which, it appears, he had had some- 

 thing to do. The look of gravity rapidly changed to 

 one of blank astonishment when I replied that he may 

 have improved on the native pattern, which I thought 

 was doubtful, but that the inventor had lived some 

 few thousand years ago, probably in Arabia, some- 

 where about the time that Nimrod the mighty hunter 

 flourished. 



Spare Every transport company ought to be a complete 



and lpl unit in itself, and furnished with a certain percentage 



material 



