The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-07-09
Loading the Camel.
Peculiarities in His Behavior in Striking
Contrast to the Elephants.

SIN India" said gentleman who had re-
Gently returned to this country after an absence
OF many years in the east, "the camel is used
fully as much as a beast of burden as the ele-
phant. 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 elephant soon becomes under proper train
ing. When first went to India as a young
man was connected with mercantile firm
in the northwest provinces, an1kYhile there
had abundant opportunities for studying the
camel, for means of carriage in that part OF
the coun try in those days was confined to ele-
phants, camels, bullocks and men. Horses
were not used as beasts of burden. Every day
camels and elephants were driven up to our
otiice door and loaded with wine and beer
cases for far-away customers. The elephant
would go clumsily down on his great knees
and allow himself to be loaded without an in
dication of 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 load, had his driver seen fit to
pile on the boxes. But the camels receiving
their burdens was a spectacle never to be for
gotten. They never varied in their behavior
and every one that ever saw loaded, and I
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
cud His long, crooked jaw is in perpetual
motion, and when he is told to lie down to re-
ceive his burden he does so without varying
hic fnoa M, ks<o4 Ir-
wardly bends his fore knees, drags his hind
legs under him, and comes to the ground with
curious kind of flop. All this time his long
melancholy face shows not the slightest indi-
cation that he knows what he is lying down
for; and this unmistakable hypocrisy, think,
stamps the camel as an animal of very high
order OF intellect But in few seconds the
expression on the camels face shows a striking
alteration. AS he sees the driver approaching
him with a box on his shoulder, he seems at
last to understand the indignity and torture to
which he is about to be submitted, and the as
tonishment, virtuous Indignation and dismay
OF the ill-used animals countenance ought
certainly to make someimpression ON the stony
heart of the driver. They never have the
slightest effect. The man binds the first box
on the wretched animals back, and goes away
to get another. Then the camel. wisely aban-
donlng his efforts to move man to compassion,
points his hairy nose upward, and howls his
wrongs to the skies.
L
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 dou-
bles up and drops down, as though he had no
further use for it, his great mouth opens so
wide that one can see about half yard down
his throat and out of the cavern thus revealed
comes series of the most astonishing howls
that ever startled the air-howls of such alb
ject misery that it is difficult to avoid the con-
clusion that the camel's heart is breaking; and
this impression is strengthened by the tears
that flow copiously down the wailing animals
elongated cheeks to drip from the end of his
nose. In the utterance of each note of woe
the camel seems to be exerting the utmost
power of his lungs, but he is all the time hold
ing a large force in reserve, and as the driver
adds box after box to the pile on his back, a
howl more resonant and heartrending than
the last testifes to each addition to the crea-
lures misery; and never, except when he is
absolutely engaged in trumpeting his agonies
into space, are the great watery eyes of the
camel removed from the person of his persecu-
tor; they follow him wherever he goes, and ex-
press through their tears contempt, indignation
astonishment and dismay. 1 think it must
have been this extraordinary habit on the part
OF the ship of the desert that gave rise to the
well known expression: "It's the last straw
that breaks the camel's back But the east
ern driver has no fear 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 ropes
the camel is told to rise, and the animal, feel.
ing that he has conscientiously done his whole
duty by entering his protest at every stage of
the work. contentedly accepts the unavoidable
result, stops his tears, suppresses his cries,
gets up on his feet, and, resuming his occupa-
tion of chewing the cud is ready for the weeks
march that usually lies before him."