THE CAMELS— CAMELS PROPER. 



441 



voirs, and one reads in many an old book of travel 

 how the travelers in the desert in their last extrem- 

 ity could still find a store of the much needed water 

 in the stomachs of their Camels. Though I have 

 always doubted these stories, I have expressly ques- 

 tioned experienced drivers of Camels, grown old in 

 the desert. None of them knew anything about 

 such a story; none of them had ever as much as 

 heard this enormous falsehood. Later on, as I was 

 present at the killing of Camels which had drunk 

 the day before, I convinced myself personally that 

 it is quite impossible to drink water which has been 

 mixed tor days with the food accumulating in the 

 stomach and with the gastric juices. The whole 

 body exhales a repulsive smell ; and such a mush 

 in the stomach is calculated to inspire even a person 



as no other domestic animal can accomplish. All 

 Camels when proceeding at a pace more rapid than 

 a walk exhibit a gait that is apparently a very 

 clumsy amble, whether they run slowly or rapidly; 

 the amble of a trained riding Camel, however, is a 

 very easy and pleasant one for the rider. The usual 

 walking gait is a queer, stiff kind of stalk, the Camel 

 moving its head back and forth in a very peculiar 

 manner at every step, so that one can hardly imag- 

 ine anything uglier than the appearance of such a 

 slowly moving monster. If a Camel accustomed to 

 that gait and belonging to the good breeds, which 

 keep up a uniform pace without interruption, is 

 brought to a trot, the cumbersome creature appears 

 graceful and good-looking. In the beginning of a 

 race the speed of a trotting Horse may surpass that 



THE BACTRIAN CAMEL. The two-humped species of Camel is lound in Asia in the region to the north and east of that occupied by the 



Dromedary. It is larger and more robust than the latter animal, and in some parts of its native home sustains severe cold. Its fur is thicker and more 

 plentiful than that of the other species. (Camelus bactrianus.) 



half dead with thirst with feelings of unconquerable 

 disgust. The stench from the freshly opened stom- 

 ach of a Camel is simply unendurable. 



It is a really interesting sight when thirsty, tired- 

 out Camels draw near to a well or a river. They 

 lift their heads high in the air, inhale long breaths 

 with half-closed eyes, lay their ears back and then 

 start to run, so that one has to sit firmly in the sad- 

 dle if he does not wish to be thrown out. When the 

 beasts finally reach the well they crowd to the water 

 and give themselves up to the enjoyment of drinking. 

 Dromedaries as If one looks at a Dromedary in re- 

 Saddle and Pack pose he will hardly be willing to 

 Animals. believe that this animal can nearly- 

 equal the Horse in speed. And yet such is the case. 

 The Camels born in the desert or upon the plains 

 are excellent runners in many respects, and are able 

 to cover distances without intervals of rest, such 



of a Camel, if the two go at the same gait; but the 

 Horse soon lags behind while the Camel trots on 

 uninterruptedly at its initial rate. If a rider gives 

 a saddle Camel a rest at noon, during a ride from 

 early morning till late at night, the animal will trot 

 for sixteen hours and in that time easily cover a dis- 

 tance of eighty-seven and one-half miles. A good 

 Camel that receives abundant food and water may 

 sustain such a strain for three or even four days 

 without an intervening day's rest, and cover upwards 

 of three hundred and twelve miles in the longer 

 period. 



The work of the average or common variety, and 

 that of the baggage Camel conform to a different 

 standard. The former at best covers but half the 

 distance that the best saddle animals do, as a rule 

 averaging only about thirty miles a day; the latter 

 travel on the .average two and one-half miles an 



