THE GIRAFFE—CAMEL-BUFFALO 
195 
large indeed, and are so formed that they can be opened and closed 
at will. In these cells the camel stores up, so to speak, the greater 
part of the water which it drinks, and so has a supply sufficient to 
last it for several days. When it becomes thirsty, it allows some 
of the contents of the cells to flow into the stomach, and so on until 
the whole stock is exhausted. This power of storing away water 
seems to be partly a matter of practice, for an old camel, which has 
gained experience, can lay up nearly as much again as a younger 
animal, and can manage to live without drinking for four or five days, 
even when traveling beneath the fierce sun of the desert. 
The camel must have strength to bear its heavy burdens, and 
endurance to enable it to plod steadily on from sunrise to sunset 
without giving away to fatigue. 
Perhaps there is no creature which has these qualities in so great 
a degree. A strong and healthy camel can carry a weight of from 
five to six hundred pounds, or more than a quarter of a ton, and can 
do so for hour after hour, and day after day, until the long journey 
is over, and it is allowed to rest and regain its former condition. 
The camel, however, possesses both strength and endurance, and so 
is wonderfully fitted for the hard and trying desert traffic. 
Lastly, the camel must be able to kneel, when required, upon 
the sand, without receiving wounds in its skin, which would fester, 
and so disable the animal for active service. 
Look at its chest, its elbows, its knees (as we wrongly call them) 
and its hocks. They are all furnished with hard pads of horn-like 
skin, which feels no pain, and cannot be cut through by friction with 
the keen-edged sand. These pads support most of the weight of the 
body, so that the far more delicate skin runs no risk of injury when 
the animal kneels, and is perfectly protected from harm. 
You must not think, as many people do, that these pads are not 
provided by nature, but are the result of often-repeated pressure. 
It is true enough that if we use our hands much for hard work, such 
as digging or wood-cutting, the skin of the palms becomes hard and 
horny, and this certainly is the result of constant pressure from the 
handles of our tools. But the animal is born with the pads. They do 
not come to it after it has been working for man for some little time, 
