421 



On another tree, facing the one in question, is a blaze 

 inscribed as follows : — 



S. A. G. 

 L. 



75. 



This was cut by Lewis W and is well above the silt line, but 

 new growth is encroaching on the letters, the broad arrow 

 and the "G." being already nearly covered (pi. xxii., fig. 2). 

 Near these trees is a recently deserted camp. This and 

 several similar ones in the vicinity are said to be vacated 

 when vermin become, even to a native, unpleasantly 

 numerous. 



The Camels. 



As everyone knows, there are two kinds of camels, 

 distinguished, apart from other peculiarities, by the presence 

 of two or only one hump, respectively. The Bactrian, or 

 two-humped camel, is comparatively rare, and probably 

 exists in a wild state in Turkestan (Bactriana), thence to 

 Thibet and China. As far as I am aware all the camels 

 imported into Australia are of the one-humped species, or 

 Dromedary. This animal, known in the history of man only 

 in a domestic state, was probably a native of Arabia and 

 adjacent regions. 



As this journey provided my first real acquaintance with 

 the camel, some of my preconceived notions were upset. The 

 progress of a pack camel is remarkably uniform, 2h miles 

 being ticked off every hour with the regularity of clock- 

 work. This, of course, represented the pace of the slowest 

 camel in the train, just as the strength of a chain is that 

 of its weakest link. The riding camel shared by Capt. White 

 and myself was a large animal, and when ridden 

 independently of the train made much better pace. His 

 stride was 7 feet 3 inches, and he took 36 steps per minute, 

 so that his pace was three miles per hour nearly. 



It is commonly said that the peculiar gait of the camel 

 is due to the circumstance that both legs of the same side 

 are lifted simultaneously. This is not strictly true, but it 

 is a fact that, for an appreciable space of time, the fore and 

 hind legs are clear of the ground together. The effect on 

 the rider is a fore-and-aft cradling motion, the result in 

 my case being extreme drowsiness. At times I could not 

 keep awake, and when the sensation of falling and sudden 

 return to consciousness was reached, an experience to be 



(2)Journ. Lewis' Exped. Lake Eyre, 1874-5, p. 37. 



