Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1876-03-17
A Row Between n Camel and his
Driver.

A Carlo correspondent of the Lond-
on Ne'cs writes: 81 lately witnessed
in an inconceivablc frowsy street of
narrowness which rendered the pres
encc of a camel in it at all the most
puzzling pleasantly imagmable-for
the way was one in which any Euro
pean cat endowed with the least in
stinct of self-preservation would GER
tainly object to being swung in, for
obvious reasons-one of those con-
tests between a ship of the desert and
that apparently stranded vessels
guide, philosopher and friend. The
latter had heaped up an armful or 50
of green meat more than met the
formers views, on an already respec-
table collection of vegetable sub
stance, which magnified the naturally
excrescent aspect of the camels back
into the seeming of an animate stack.
Crouching, he had pnlled himself
close together to "see out" the in
convenience resulting from his de-
termination not to carry away that
extra armful or two of green's, and
barring an occasional wag of his
whole skin-I cannot describe the
phenomenon otherwise-and 4 cyni-
cal writhc of his spongy nose, he
might, for all movement on his part,
have been chislcd ont of stone.
Around this impregnablc stole, was
capering, in 4 sort of distracted horn
pipe, his Arab owner or lessee, in a
yellow rage, each successive parox-
ysm of which expressed itself in a
frenzy of double shuffles. He was
also hosting up parcel after parcel
of curse from the remoter depths of
his diaphrags with a productiveness
in that direction which would have
done honor to a skilled disciple of
Signor Lamperti's gruesome "meth-
3D." and punctuating each maledic-
ton with 4 furious thwack on the
camel's hard, hard hide, manifestly
putting INTO every thump the whole of
whatever heart may beat in his dusky
bosom. Meanwhile the centient
drum upon which the infuliate 1sh-
maelite thus numerically beat the
devils tattoo made no sign, until he
had received about sixty or seventy
blows, except the aforementioned
scornful nose wrinkling, with which
he, as it were, checked off and took
tally of the wrongs inflicted upon
him. Suddenly his eye which had
followed the Arab steadily through
all his incensate gyrations, twinkled.
He thought he had his chance.
The Arabs legs were an inch or two
nearer to his victims body than they
had hitherto been, when out lashed
the long neck and clash went the
formidable jaws! He just missed
his tormentor's tibia, in virtue of an
enormous skip which the Arab ex-
ccutcd simultaneously with the cam
el's effort; but it was a great Joy to
observe with what intensified wrath
and perfect oneness of purpose be
"went tor" the most vulnerable point
of his prosecutors person. Many
more thumps avenged his abortive
snap; but he took no more notice of
them than if they had been so many
tlappings of butterly's wing.
Presently the Arab, fairly tired out,
and having presumably exhausted
the abusive resources Of his native
tongue, sat down and spat freely
around him for minute or two,
after which he took off the three or
four pounds overweight, whereupon
the camel rose with the utmost
promptltude, and stepped off in that
gingerly manner which is SO ludi-
crously out of keeping with the fig
ure and stature OF such creatures,
steering his way down street which
almost accurately fitted him, as easily
AS if it had been broad boulevard.
He had had his own way, and he ap'
parently bore no malice"