Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-06-12
LOADING THE CAMEL,
Pecu1farities i'm His Behavior I'm
Striking Contrast to the Ele.

Peculfaritfcs i'm His Behavior I'm
Striking Contrast TO the Ele.
plants.
I'm India" said a gentleman who recently
returned to this country after living many
years In the east, 1.-THE camel Is used fully as
much as the elephant as a beast OF burden.
he Is not so powerful as the elephant, but he
can carry an enormous load on his back He
does not do so willingly, however and is by no
means the patient, docile servant that the
eGiep an soon becomes under proper training:
When first went to India as a young man
was connected with mercantile firm in the
northwest provinces, and while there had
abundant opportunity Of studying the camel,
1Or means OF carriage in that part of the coun-
try In those days was confined to elephants,
camelS, bullOcks, and men. Horses were not
used as beasts OF burden. Every day camels
and elephants were driven up to our Office door
and loaded with wine and beer cases for far
away customers. The elephant would go
clumsi!y down on his great knees and allow
discomfort have no doubt that he would have
Permitted himself to be loaded until he was
crushed to the earth beneath the weight of his
But the camels receiving their burdens was
Spectacle never to be forgotten. They never
varied In their behavior: and every one that
ever saw lOaded-and have seen thousands
acted in precisely the same manner.
The camel, when he is not eating or drink
Ing or being loaded is invariably chewing the
ton, and when he is told to lie down to receive
his burden he does so without varying this in
ceSSaDt maSt1catOry process He aWkwardly
beLdS his fore knees, drags his hind legs under
MN, and comes TO the ground with a curious
KIND of flop. All this time his long, melancholy
face slows not the slightest indication that he
Knows what he is lying down for; and this I'M
mistakable hypocrisy, think, stamps the camel
as an animal of very high order Of intellect.
But in few seconds the expression on the
gamers face undergoes striking alteration. As
ne sees the driver approaching him with box
On his shoulder he seems at last to understand
the fndignity and torture to which he Is about
10 pe submitted, and the astOnishment, virtu-
Gus indignation and d1smay on the ill-used ami
mars countenance ought certainly to make
some impression on the stony heart of tne
Grlver. They never have the slightest effect.
The nan binds the first box on the wretched
an an back, and goes away to get another.
Then the camel. wisely abandoning his efforts
TO move man to compassion, points his hairy
nose upward. and howls his wrongs to the
skies.
Never In circus, pantOmime or show have /
seen anything half so ludicrous as the camel's
appearance at that moment. His upper lip is
curled back from the teeth, his under lip doubles
up and drops down as though he had no further
use for 1t. his great mouth opens so Wide that
one can see about half yard down his throat,
series OF the most astonishing bowls that ever
STARTED the air-howls OF such abject misery
that 1t Is difficult to avoid the conclusion that
me Gamers heart Is breaking; and the impress
sion is strengthened by the tears that flow copi-
ously down the wailing animals elongated
cheeks and drip from the end of his nose. In
Inc utterance OF each note Of woe the camel
seems to be exerttng the utmost power of his
lungs but he is all the time holding a large
force In reserve, and as the driver adds box after
box to the pile on his back, howl more reso-
nant and heart-rending than the last testihes
to each addition to the creatures misery; and
never, except when he is absolutely engaged in
trumpet1Dg his agonies into space, are the
great Watery eyes of the camel removed from
the person OF his prosecutor; they follow him
wherever he goes, and express through their
tears contempt, Indignation astonishment and
dlsmay. think it must have been this extra
ordinary habit on the part of the ship Of the
desert that gave rise to the well known ex-
preston: It's the last straw that breaks the
camel's back. But the eastern driver has no
rear OF any such catastrophe, and piles up the
load until it reaches almost the proportions OF
an elephants burden. Then, the cases being
bound fast with rores, the camel is told to rlsa,
and the animal, feeling that he has conscfen-
uously done his whole duty by entering his
protest at every stage of the work, contenIedly
accepts the unavoidable result, stops his tears,
Supp esses his cries. gets up on his feet, and re-
81 ming his occups IT, n Of cher Ing the cud, Is
ready for the weeks march that usually lies be-
fore him."