84 Stable Management and the Prevention of Disease 



any interference, except to prevent actual cruelty, usually 

 does more harm than good. Always, if possible, allow the 

 owners of the camels, or servants supplied by them, to ac- 

 company the animals. Get a sufficient number to admit of 

 each camel having no more than a fair load, but do not offer 

 advice to the natives in the actual loading. Leave them to 

 do it in their own way. 



-'O" 



Loading Camels. 



There is great art in putting on the load, as its security 

 depends entirely upon balance. The pack-saddle, palan, is 

 not girthed closely to the body, but has merely a slack rope 

 going under the chest to prevent it falling off when the 

 camel is loose. 



It is very important to let each animal retain the saddle 

 with which his owner has been accustomed to work him. A 

 new saddle is very likely to gall until its want of exact 

 adaptation to the back has been found out by actual trial 

 under a load, and remedied. Of course, like horses, a thin 

 camel is much more liable to be galled than one in good con- 

 dition; and an animal out of work for a long time is more 

 liable than one whose skin has been hardened by the rubbing 

 of the saddle. 



Feeding Camels. 



Camels keep in the best condition when plentifully sup- 

 plied with the leaves and twigs of various trees and bushes. 



When these are not obtainable, they can manage moderately 

 well upon various kinds of grain and what is called missi 

 busa, or chaff, made from stalks of vetches. They will rather 

 starve for a long time than eat white busa, which is made by 

 chopping or breaking wheat, barley, or rice straw into short 

 pieces. 



If allowed to stroll in a jungle, where food is plentiful, for 

 several hours after each day's march is over, they will eat 

 so much that no more food will be required until after the 

 march on the following day. 



It is said that 40,000 camels died during the late campaign 



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