CHAPTER XXIV 



The camel, its faults and virtues — Its capabilities — Care must be lavished 

 on it — A pet in some tribes — How it should be ridden — Do not crowd 

 your camels. 



I WOULD be ungrateful indeed if I did not put in a 

 word about the camel. The Arabs say that its mincing 

 gait and the supercilious carriage of its head is due to 

 the fact that it knows the hundredth attribute of God 

 (the beads of the Moslems' rosary, on which they are 

 told, number ninety-nine). 



There seems to be a lot of question, not as to the 

 power of that animal to do long and continuous 

 marches, but as to the amount of harm done him by 

 the same. 



A year in the Camel Corps not only converted me 

 into a believer and lover, but induced me always to 

 observe his capabilities, the result on him of hard 

 work and the way he was treated. My conviction 

 now is that neither a very long march nor a series of 

 them need harm a camel in the very least, if on them 

 he is cared for, and after things are over given a few 

 days of thorough rest and CARE. Should he sicken or 

 die the fault is not far to seek. 



On my last march the average distance was about 

 forty miles a day (the average was raised by some 

 marches of sixty miles). I kept my eye on those that 



