CHARACTER OF THE CAMEL. 575 



' ' 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 appearances 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, fur- 

 niture, and baggage in a scattered shower around him ; and I think that even his stanchest 

 admirers will allow, that neither at this moment is he in what one would call a pleasant 

 humor. 



' ' Mr. Camel having, after some battling, been overcome 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 structure, and is of great impor- 

 tance 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 priva- 

 tion 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 llesh of the Camel is seldom eaten, prob- 

 ably because the animal is too valuable to be killed merely for the sake of being eaten. Some- 

 times, however, in a season of great 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 unaccus- 

 tomed dainty. The long hair of the Camel is spun into a coarse thread, and is employed in the 

 manufacture of broadcloths 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 themselves of 

 the looseness with which the hair is at these times adherent to the skin, to pluck it away with- 

 out 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 pui'pose 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 



