HORSES AND CAMELS. 13 



Those recently arrived were being rubbed down by 

 the syces. Grain-bags, horse -clothing, and other 

 stable necessaries depended from the boughs of the 

 neighbouring trees. 



A common country tattoo, cow-hocked, ragged, 

 and bare ribbed, with a fore pastern tied to the 

 hind one on the same side, wandered uneasily and 

 with great effort in search of such scraps of the 

 parched roots of grass and digestible mould as he 

 could manage to discover, and with difficulty stow 

 away. This attenuated specimen of horse-flesh had 

 the distinguished honour of bearing on the march 

 the portly form of old Sheik Hussein, Mackenzie's 

 head servant. 



To the baggage camels, or rather their drivers, 

 were allotted two or three trees about a couple of 

 hundred yards away. The unpleasant odour peculiar 

 to those most useful beasts of burden, renders dis- 

 tance desirable to the olfactory organs of those not 

 perfectly acclimatised ; and none but natives ever 

 can become so. They were at present away feeding 

 on the tender shoots and leaves of certain jungle 

 trees and bushes. This was their daily occupation, 

 going every morning and returning in the evening, 

 when not required for other purposes. They were 

 few in number as could be seen by the pack- 

 saddles left behind for our sportsmen disdained 



