278 THE CAMEL 



recover, and eventually die from the effects. Those 

 that have fallen into a condition which requires from 

 six months to a year to pick up in should be sold, for 

 even at the end of this time they will be soft and quite 

 unfit for hard work. If they are in the past-recovery 

 stage, it is better and kinder to shoot them. Why let 

 them linger and suffer and die by inches ? Besides, 

 their food, medicine, pay of drivers to look after them, 

 cost money, though you have another alternative 

 turn them out in the desert to graze, and let them take 

 their chance. In a humanitarian sense, keep them ; in 

 a transport sense, sell or shoot them, for they are use- 

 less, and always will be should they survive, which is 

 doubtful. Most of our expeditions are short-lived, but 

 even when they do exceed the limit these animals, if 

 worked again most likely before they are thoroughly 

 fit would in the second instance join the ranks of the 

 majority. And to show how camels of this sort die off, 

 I will quote an instance that occurred in the Afghan 

 campaign on the Candahar side. It was on the line of 

 communication at Dadur, I think that the transport 

 officer in charge decided on sending his sick camels 

 back to Jacobabad to graze, rest, and recover. From 

 1,800 to 2,000 of these animals, in charge of a native 

 cavalry officer, left Dadur, and were driven, unloaded, of 

 course, arriving at Jacobabad, a distance of 116 miles, 

 in a week, with a loss of over 700 on the road. At 

 Suakim, when the campaign was over, the remnant of 

 our camels were in a mangy, emaciated state. Some 

 contractor offered 30s. apiece for them all round, but it 

 was refused foolishly, I think. It would have been 

 better to have taken this low offer, for all, or nearly all, 



