THE CAMEL. 201 



esteemed in the Soudan are the Bisliareen ; they are not so large as 

 others, but are exceedingly strong and enduring. 



" The average value of a baggage camel among the Soudan 

 Arabs is fifteen dollars, but a good ' hygeen,' or riding drome- 

 dary, is worth from fifty to a hundred and fifty dollars, according 

 to his capabilities. A thoroughly good hygeen is supposed to 

 travel fifty miles a day, and to continue this pace for five days, 

 carrying only his rider, and a small water-skin, or groba. His 

 action should be so easy that his long, ambling trot should 

 produce that peciiliar movement adopted by a nurse when hushing 

 a child to sleep upon her knee. This movement is delightful, and 

 the quick elastic step of a first-class animal imparts an invigo- 

 rating spirit to the rider, and, were it not for the intensity of the 

 sun, he would willingly ride for ever. The difference of action 

 and of comfort to the rider between a common camel and a high- 

 class hygeen is equal to that between a thoroughbred and a heavy 

 dray-horse," 



McMaster, in his "Notes on Jerdon's Mammals of India," 

 writes : " Like many human beings, camels get credit for good 

 qualities which they do not possess; for example, patience is 

 popularly supposed to be one of their virtues. Now I do not 

 know a more discontented, fidgetty, ill-behaved animal than a 

 camel when being detailed for duty, 



" Some Indian traveller — if I mistake not, Eussell, of the * thin 

 red line ' fame, gives an excellent description of the objections 

 raised by baggage camels to being laden ; but the impatience of 

 one of these is trifling to that shown by many of the highly.bred 

 and light animals, kept solely for saddle work, most of which are 

 really very beautiful, game, and blood-looking creatures, in 

 appearance as different from a baggage camel as a thoroughbred 

 from a dray-horse. Unless a saddle camel is Yevj well broken, 

 the moment the rider's foot is in the stirrup up springs the 

 camel, hind-quarters first, so that, as the beast's knees are still on 

 the ground, the rider is shot well forward, to be the next moment 

 as rapidly jerked back, as the fore-legs are brought into play ; then 

 probably the beast makes a bolt for a hundred yards or so, per- 

 fectly regardless of the reins, or whatever may be the proper term 



