Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1874-06-25
Children's department.
CAMELS.

The Arabs call the camel "the ship of the
desert" No other animal could render such
service to man in crossing the vast deserts of
Africa and Asia. Most completely and won
derfully is it fitted for this work. In the ear
liest history of man the camel is spoken of as
valuable to him on this account. Over four
thousand years ago, Abram received presents
of camels from Pharaoh, (Gen. xii. 49, and
Ishmaelites with caravans of camels bearing
spices, balm and myrrh, as now, went from
Gilead to Egypt across the Arabian desert,
(Gen. xxxvii 25.)
1t is remarkable fact that the camel is
not found in naturally wild state, and it is
the only Instance of an entire race Of animals,
living and being continued so long under tie
care Of man.
The two well-known kinds of camels, are the
Arabian or common camel, which has one
huge hump upon its back, and the Bactrian
camel, having two humps. The dromedary
is only lighter, finer and more valuable
kind Of the Arabian camel.
The young camel is never frisky and play
full, like other young animals, but always staid
and sober in its ways. Neither young nor old
camels have any beauty or attractivencss in
their appearance, but are quite misshapen and
very ungainly and awkward in their gait.
There are several interesting and curious
things to be noticed in the structure Of this
useful animal.
The first one, is the curious hump upon its
back. This is not formed by the backbone
bending upward, but is composed wholly Of
fatty substance. 1t is plump, large and firm,
when the camel is healthy and well fed. But
if the animal is sickly or overworked and
badly fed, the hump becomes soft and Habby.
When a man wants to buy camel, this is one
Of the most common ways Of deciding how
much the animal is worth.
Another curious thing about the camel is,
that it can 60 for long time without drinking.
Its stomach is provided with great number
of little cells or cups, so that as the animal
drinks, the water fills these little cells, where
it is kept for use as needed. One camel may
thus take in about twenty gallons of water at
once, and this amount will last it for several
days. Often parties Of travellers in crossing
the desert get out of water, and discover to
their dismay that the wells where they ex
pected to find more are dry. The onl y way
to save themselves from dying of thirst in the
hot desert, is to kill one Of their camels, and
from its stomach get water enough to last
them until they can reach some well, or foun-
tain of water. 1t is said that the water ta-
ken thus from the camel's stomach is un-
changed except by greenish hue, and that
this will disappear in a few days and the wa
ter become clear and fresh. And even when
the camel has been dead for ten days, and
the body exposed to the hot sun and burning
sand of the DESERT the water taken from its
stomach has been found to be quite pure and
fit to drink, so wonderfully is it preserved in
these curious cells!
Still another interesting thing about the
camel is, that its upper lip is divided into
two parts, and these it can use, somewhat as
we do our fingers, to examine the bushes and
shrubs on which it feeds, before it takes them
into its mouth.
Of the two kinds of camels, the largest is
THE BACTRIAN CAMEL.
This camel has two humps, and is common
in nearly all parts Of eastern Asia. 1t was
well known and used by the ancient Assyrians,
for figures of this animal are now found very
frequently upon the ruins of their ancient
temples.
When full grown this camel is about seven
and half feet high. Its color is generally
dark brown, with long hair upon its fore legs,
under its neck, and upon each hump.
The Bactrian camel climbs rocky places
with great ease, and is counted more sure
footed than even the mule. 1t endures the
cold we'll, and travels on ice as easily as the
Arabian camel does over smooth stone. 1t is
generally used in pairs before carts. The
yoke is very simple, to which the pole of the
cart is fastened. Perhaps it was one of these
carts or chariots which Isaiah alluded to in
the prophecy concerning Assyria: "And he
saw*#*a chariot of camels." 1sa. xxi.7.
A pair of camels can draw upon such a
rude cart on fair road about twenty-five hun
dred pounds. The wheels Of these carts are
not perfectly circular, the axels never creased,
and the constant grating and creaking they
make when in motion, is anything but pleas
ant or agreeable. This camel travels much
slower than the Arabian camel and seldom
makes over two and half miles an hour,
but it is able to draw heavy loads thirty
miles day for twenty or thirty successive
days. 1t has an uncertain, jerking motion and
is not, therefore, useful for ploughing like the
horse or the OK. The Jews probably knew
very little of this kind Of camel until the
time of their Assyrian captivity.-Ch1ds
lTOrld