A CAMEL'S KEVENGE. 63 



during their short journey, that we entirely lost the good opinion our 

 great naturalist (Buffon) had given us of their species, in descriptions 

 more poetical than true." 



Notwithstanding Antoine's discouraging experience of camel- 

 riding, Madame de Hell, a few days afterwards, essayed the same 

 experiment, with the result that, like her poor dragoman, she made a 

 vow never to repeat it. Somewhat later, she had an opportunity of 

 witnessing a very curious illustration and one very amusing to the 

 lookers-on of the natural vindictiveness of these rough steeds. We 

 give the adventure in her own words : 



" Everybody knows that the camel possesses the faculty of rumi- 

 nating the food already stored in one of his stomachs, and that he 

 willingly enough grants himself this pleasure when he has nothing to 

 eat ; but it is not generally known, perhaps, that he possesses suffi- 

 cient malice to make, when an opportunity arises, this prerogative 

 a 'means of vengeance. 



" I had noticed in the morning that one of our camel-drivers 

 appeared on bad terms with his beast. He vainly tried to master 

 him by punishment, pulling with all his might the cord which passed 

 through the animal's nostril ; the latter was obstinate, and threw him- 

 self every moment on the ground, a proof of rebellion. The Kalmuck, 

 irritated by the struggle, profited by a halt to dismount, and inflict 

 severe chastisement on the recalcitrant ; but the camel, disdainfully 

 raising his long neck, followed with so malicious an eye all his tyrant's 

 movements, that without doubt he was revolving some project of 

 revenge in his head. And so it happened that he quietly waited 

 until the Kalmuck stood opposite to him ; then, opening his great 

 mouth, he ejected full in the camel-driver's face a double volley of 

 masticated herbs, mixed with slaver and all sorts of filthiness. It 

 would be impossible to describe the air of satisfied vengeance with 

 which the camel raised his neck, and moved his head from one side 

 to another, as if in quest of applause. What astonished me most in 

 this affair was his master's moderation after undergoing such an out- 

 rage. He wiped himself coolly, remounted his saddle, and caressed 



