302 THE CAMEL 



so long as they can produce a large number. Quality 

 and fitness for the work is a thought which never troubles 

 them. They take no interest in these points. They are 

 buying against time ; their orders are to lose no time. 

 The Government, without any warning to the military 

 authorities, have made war. The general in command 

 must move at once. He bullies the director of trans- 

 port, who in turn worries the purchasing officer, who 

 to satisfy his chief gets rid of the money entrusted to 

 him as quickly as he can, and buys in the most reckless 

 fashion. And so it will always be, so long as our 

 system remains unchanged. I do not altogether blame 

 the individuals. In some cases it is as I have just 

 stated ; in others the buyers are conscientious enough, 

 no doubt, but frequently how many of them know any- 

 thing about a camel his points, characteristics, &c. ? 

 They know the points of a horse, and when buying him 

 will know what they are about ; but a camel ! Why, 

 many of them do not even know that he has a point. 

 Whereas in reality a camel has more points to look at 

 and consider than a horse ; therefore a buyer cannot be 

 too careful and too particular in his inspection, for 

 camel owners all the world over like the horse-selling 

 fraternity are only too ready to plant on the unsus- 

 pecting 'griff' their most worthless screws, only too 

 anxious to get rid of the extremely old and the very 

 young to ignorant and careless buyers. No, I do not 

 blame the individual officers so much as the system 

 that admits of such an entire want of system, and that 

 employs such material. If, as in the Afghan and the 

 Nile campaigns, these animals have to march a long 

 distance very probably before they are inspected by 



