The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-08-20
African Camels and Capetown Horses

The milk of the camel is highly es-
| teemed by the Arabs as an article of
diet, and is prescribed rs q specific in
many cases of disease. Lady Duff
| Gordon, who resided several years in
Egypt N the vain hope of recovering
from consumption in that mild climate,
drank camel's milk every morning, and
| derived a good deal of temporary bene-
| fit from it. In her spicy letters home
| she thus wrote of the novel beverage I;
6 1t has the merit OF being quite deli
| cious. [ wish I conld send Won a ing
of it every morning, such as l drink; it
is better than any other milk, with
thick froth like whipped cream. The
Arabs think it very good for sick peo-
| pie; and man called Sheriff brings
! his camel here every morning and milks
her for me. Her baby camel is so
funny he looks all legs and big, black
eyes, with soft, fluffy, bulf-colored hair,
and so very little body to such tall legs
wish, too, you could see the camels
have there dinner they are the only
people who use a table-cloth. The
camel driver spreads a cloth on the
ground, and pours a heap of maize
tdoUrra) upon it, and old Mr.. and Mrs.
Camel sit down at the top and bottom
very gravely, and the others all take
their places in proper order, and eat
quite politely, bowing their long necks
up and down ; only one was sulky, and
went and had his dinner by himself,
ike naughty boy, and sometimes, the
man said, he would not eat at ALL
When in CapetOwD, Africa, in one of
her long journeys after the health that
she had lever found, Lady Duff Cor
don frequently mentioned the wonderful
strength and endurance of the native
breed Of horses. The animals are very
scantIly fed, and, as no grass grows in
the region, their fodder is restricted to
oats, which they consume, straw and all.
Often after hours of travel the only
refreshment offered the beasts is q roll
IN the dust !; but this really seems to
strengthen and nourish the tough,
hardy little quardrupeds, which are
thus described By the lady from whom
we have already quoted:
L could write volume on Cape
horses. Such valiant little beasts and
so composed in temper / never saw.
They are nearly all bays-a few very
dark gray. [ have seen no black, and
only one dark chestnut They are not
cObs and look very little of them, and
have no beauty but one of these little
brutes, Ungroomed, half-fed, seldom
stabbed, will carry six and half foot
Dutchman sixty miles a day, day after
day, at a shuffling, easy canter, six
miles an hour. You 'off saddle every
three hours and let him roll you also
let him Drink all the water he can get
his coat shines and his tye is bright,
and unsoundness is very rare They
are never properly broke, and the soft
mouthed colts are sometimes made
vicious by the cruel bits and heavy
hands, but by nature their temper Is
perfect.
Every morning all the horses in the
village are turned loose, and a general
gallOp takes place to the water-tank,
where they drink and lounge q little ;
and the young ones are fetched home !
by the drivers, while the old stagers
know they will be wanted, and saunter |
off by themselves. To see a |
farmer outspan and turn the team of |
active little beasts loose on the bound |
less weld to amuse themselves for an |
hour or two, sure that they will be |
there, would astonish you a little; and |
then to offer horse nothing but roll |
in the dust to refresh himself withal.
how Iuo CBGEi6 i've 10 SIaDu1DR
marvel to me. The whole weld Common |
which extends ali over the country Just |
clothed with few square miles of corn
here and there is covered with a low,
thin scrub about eighteen inches high, |
called TbeaOStG8 bosch - looking like |
meager arborvitn or pale juniper. The
cattle and sheep will not touch this
juicy Hottentot fig but under each
little bush, I fancy, they crop few
blades of grass, and on this they keep
in very good condition.
"The noble oxen, with their huge
horns (nine or ten feet from tip to tipl,
are never fed, though they work hard,
nor are the sheep.
The horses get little forage Goats,
straw and alD. I should like you to
see eight or ten of these swift, wiry
little horses harnessed to a wagon-a
mere fiat platform on wheels. In front
stands a wild-looKing Ho tentot, all
patches and feathers, and drives them
best pace all 'in hand, using a whip
like a fshing,rod, with which he
touches them, not savagely, but with a
skill which would make au old stage
coachman burst with envy to behold