ACCIDENTAL INJURIES. 69 



1884-85 were very pitiable. There was 8 per cent, of 

 inefficiency from this cause on assembly at Assouan — a very 

 bad start, and the subsequent tale is one of saddles literally 

 sitting into animals' backs, bones exposed, maggots, saddles 

 not removed for days — a dreadful picture of wastage. 



In the Somaliland Field Force of 1903-4 the sore backs 

 from the native substitute for a saddle, " Herio " (a series of 

 mats) was appalling. 



Even in present times there is a considerable amount of 

 sore-back in mule and pony Pack Transport and in Camel 

 Corps on Field Service in India. 



Whenever there is intelligent supervision there will be a 

 minimum of injury. It is the duty of Commanding Officers 

 to inspect the backs of their animals daily as a routine, the 

 cause of any little rub being defined. The panel of the saddle 

 is the book to read, and every gall has a definite cause which, 

 with the exercise of intelligence, can be remedied. But it yet 

 remains for a suitable palan or camel saddle to be devised. 

 The camel is living in anticipation of some fertile sympathetic 

 brain producing the necessary blessing. 



Perhaps no greater factor in the reduction of saddle and 

 harness galls exists than the small War Office publication 

 " Animal Management." All the seats of galling are explicitly 

 shown in the chapter relating to saddles and sore backs, and 

 it will repay study. 



Bope-gall. I particularly mention this injury in view of 

 systems of picketing animals. Invariably injury is to the hind 

 heels, and it is caused by the animal getting entangled in the 

 slack of the head-rope attached to picket line. The injury 

 was most infrequent in France because the picket rope was 

 stretched between wagons or attached to posts. In other 

 words, the picket rope was breast high, the slack of the rope 

 avoided, and fear of entanglement and gall minimised. There 

 was no necessity for hind shackling under this method, and 

 as a rule animals learn to stand quietly. 



In India, the common system of picketing, except in 

 Artillery, is a ground rope to which animals are attached by 

 their head ropes, and to keep them straight hind shackles are 



