266 THE CAMEL 



of animals, (2) overloading. This was notably so in 

 the Nile campaign 1884-5, so much so that all the 

 camels belonging to the first line of transport were 

 worked off their legs on the line of communication up 

 to the very day they were required for their supreme 

 effort across the Bayuda desert. On these lines it fol- 

 lows that before we are half way through a campaign 

 the main body of our camels is so debilitated and 

 crippled that, even granting that a good start has been 

 made, the reserve which is seldom or ever more than 

 a nominal one has been long since merged into the first 

 line. 



This question of general management cannot be too 

 strongly impressed on a transport officer and his sub- 

 ordinates, and the greater care and attention that he 

 and those under him pay to these points that we have 

 all along discussed, the more efficient will his transport 

 become. In fact, a high state of efficiency cannot be 

 otherwise attained. Whenever it was my lot on service 

 which it frequently was to tail- twist the ill-used 

 camel, I drew up certain rules and regulations for the 

 guidance of my subordinates, and I did my best to see 

 that they were carried out circumstances permitting, 

 of course, for I always recognised the fact that on ser- 

 vice, owing to its exigencies, one cannot always stick 

 blindly to any specified line of conduct. Circumstances 

 alter cases. This, also, I tried to impress on the con- 

 ductors in charge of sections, so that when they were 

 by themselves on convoy duty they should know how 

 to act and carry out my orders as closely as they could. 

 The following, as well as I can remember, was a general 

 outline of their duties viz. : 



