CHARACTER OF THE CAMEL. 707 



" Invaluable he is, I admit ; likewise hardy, capable of carrying enormous loads for 

 great distances under a frightful sun, and generally admirably suited for the purpose 

 to which he is put, namely, that of a baggage animal. But to say that a Camel is 

 patient, to affirm that this great, grumbling, groaning, brown brute is either docile, meek 

 or sweet tempered, is stating what is simply not the case ; and I have no hesitation in 

 saying, that never do I remember to have seen a Camel in a good humor, or otherwise 

 than in open or moody hostility with the world at large ; at least, if outward appear- 

 ances are to be credited. 



Watch him when he is being loaded ; see his keeper struggling frantically with him, 

 only succeeding in making him kneel down for the purpose by sheer force, and when 

 down only keeping him there by tying neck and fore-legs together tightly with a piece of 

 string ; hear him grumbling in deep, bubbling tones, with mouth savagely opened, and 

 I think that then at least you will admit he is by no means in as amiable a frame of mind 

 as one could wish. Observe him now that the process of loading is completed, and 

 the string which held him in subjection loosened ; up he rises, a great brown mountain, 

 still groaning, still bubbling, and away he goes, madly dashing to and fro, and shaking 

 off tables, portmanteaus, beds, furniture, and baggage in a scattered shower around 

 him ; and I think that even his stanchest admirers will allow, that neither at this mo- 

 ment is he in what one would call a pleasant humor. 



Mr. Camel having, after some battling, been overcame and compelled to carry the 

 load to which he so objected, but not until he has damaged it considerably, arrives 

 when the march is over at the camping ground. It is then necessary to make him 

 kneel down to have that load removed, grumbling as much as ever, in opposition as 

 usual, beaten physically, but with soul unsubdued, and internally in a state of rebellion 

 and mutiny, a sort of volcano ready at any moment to burst forth." 



The " hump " of the Camel is a very curious part of its stucture, and is of great 

 importance in the eyes of the Arabs, who judge of the condition of their beasts by the 

 size, shape, and firmness of the hump. They say, and truly, that the Camel feeds upon 

 his hump, for in proportion as the animal traverses the sandy wastes of its desert lands, 

 and suffers from privation and fatigue, the hump diminishes. At the end of a long 

 and painful journey, the hump will often nearly vanish, and it cannot be restored to 

 its pristine form until the animal has undergone a long course of good feeding. When 

 an Arab is about to set forth on a desert journey, he pays great attention to the humps 

 of his Camels, and watches them with jealous care. 



Independently of its value as a beast of burden, the Camel is most precious to its 

 owners, as it supplies them with food and clothing. The milk mixed with meal is a 

 favorite dish among the children of the desert, and is sometimes purposely kept until 

 it is sour, in which state it is very grateful to the Arab palate, but especially nauseous 

 to that of a European. The Arabs think that any man is sadly devoid of taste who 

 prefers the sweet new milk to that which has been mellowed by time. A kind of very 

 rancid butter is churned from the cream by a remarkably simple process, consisting of 

 pouring the cream into a goat-skin sack, and shaking it constantly until the butter is 

 formed. The flesh of the Camel is seldom eaten, probably because the animal is too 

 valuable to be killed merely for the sake of being eaten. Sometimes, however, in a 

 season of festivity, a rich Arab will slay one of his Camels, and calling all his friends 

 and relations to the banquet, they hold high festival upon the unaccustomed dainty. 

 The long hair of the Camel is spun into coarse thread, and is employed in the manufac- 

 ture of broad-cloths and similar articles. At certain times of the year, the Camel 

 sheds its hair, in order to replace its old coat by a new one, and the Arabs avail them- 

 selves of the looseness with which the hair is at these times adherent to the skin, to 

 pluck it away without injuring the animal. 



In extreme cases, when the water has failed for many days, and the desert fountains 

 are dried up, the Camel dies for the purpose of prolonging the life of its master, and 

 yields up the store of water which is laid up in the cells of the stomach. The water 

 thus obtained is of a light green color, and very unpleasant to the palate ; but when a 

 man is dying of thirst he is not very particular as to the quality of the liquid which may 

 save his life. Unpleasant though it be, this water is hardly more unpalatable than that 



