CAME L. 
i among his paftoral treafures •, the moderns eftimate 
their wealth by the numbers of thefe ufeful ani~ 
mals; without them great part of Afia and Africa 
would be wretched *, by them the foie commerce is 
carried thro’ arid and burning tra6ls, impaftible but 
by beafts which providence formed exprefsly for the 
fcorched deferts. Their foies are adapted to the 
fands they are to pafs over, their toughnefs and 
fpungy foftnefs preventing them from cracking. 
Their great powers of fuftaining abftinence from 
drinking, enables them to pafs over unwatered 
tradts for feven or eight days without requiring the 
left liquid ; Leo Africanus fays for fifteen. They 
can difcover water by their fcent at half a league’s 
diftance, and after a long abftinence will haften 
towards it, long before their drivers perceive where 
it lies. 
Their patience under hunger is fuch, that they 
will travel many days fed only with a few dates, or 
fome final! balls of bean or barley-meal ; or on the 
miferable thorny plants they meet with in the de¬ 
ferts. 
The largeft kind will carry a load of 1000 or 
1200lb. weight. They kneel down to be loaded; 
but rife the moment they find the burthen equal to 
their ftrength : they will not permit an ounce more 
to be put on : are moft mild and gentle, at all 
times, but when they are in heat: during that pe¬ 
riod, are feized with a fort of madnefs, that it is 
unfafe to approach them : are not prevailed on to 
quicken their pace by blows; but go freely if gent¬ 
ly treated, and feem enlivened by the pipe, or any 
roufick. 
