News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1883-10-18
G. A M ELS.
A REM1srscExcE OF CENTRAL AUSTRALIA

A friend once informed me thata camel
was tylopod. At that time l had never
seen a camel, and consequently did not
know what he meant. [ believe now
that a tylopod is a beast formed by the
coalescence of a goat, mule and a
giraffe. A camel certainly does present
various phases of character which can
only be accounted for by assuming that
its parentage is connected in some mys-
terious way with the above animals.
1t has the thievish propensities of a
goat, and that animals omnivorous ap-
petite, the obstinacy of a mule, and the
ungainly aspect of giraffe. His organ
of song, too, has certain thrilling notes
which could only have been derived
from a he-mule. Esthetically camel
is not a success. There is wanting in
his form the symmetry of proportion,
the perfect fitness of things which would
render him an object of admiration to
one of the higher culture. His beauty
is of an obsolete type. He belongs
rather to the preraphaelite school.
If Cleopatra were alive we probably
should not be awe-stricken with her
good looks; yet she drove Mark Antony
to a suicides grave. The camel and
Cleopatra were econtemporaneous. They
were both products of the same civiliza-
ton. Cleopatra died, but the camel,
alas survives, monument to the mis-
taken ideas of early man. What Cleo
patra did for Mark Antony, the camel
nearly did for me. Often has a camel
driven me to such q degree of madness
| that [ have determined to hurl myself
| into eternity regardless of consequences
or expense. Remembering, however,
that revenge is sweet, l lived. 1 con-
| sidered the pen to be mightier than the
stOck-whip, and solaced myself with the
thought that one day I would show tC
the world what misbegotten beast a
tylopod really is. That day has arrived.
| Hence this production.
| When the writer was in Australia il
was his misfortune to be engaged for
/
of the interior Horses were useless
there, as the country was SO dry. Cam
els were the only means of Transports
ton. When | heard Of this l thought
in my innocence how nice it would bC
| to initiate the free Bedouin of the Sa-
hara, and bound along on the feet-footed
ship Of the desert over the burning sands
Of Central Australia. From childhoods
happy hour 1 had read of these noble
beasts. Camels were associated in my
mind with much that was beautiful
things that appealed to my feelings
such as palm-trees, dates, cOcoa-nuts
oases, goat-skin, water bags, dusk!
maidens, sheiks, and negro slaves.
Accordingly, one morning, when
found two camels and an Afghan wait
ing to convey me to the rest of the party
my excitment was wrought up to feve
heat. The camels looked similar to pic
lures of them / had seen in my boy
hood, although l could not tell whethe
! they were true tylopO6s or not. Th
Afghan appeared to be a veritable sheib
and rejOiced in the name of MOhamme
Golah Hassan. My zeal inspired me t
mount Immediately. | went to look fC
a ladder to carry out my purpose. BU
Hassan informed me that the came
would lie down, and thus enable me
dispense with that article. | remen
bered too, that it would be quite poss
. BILE for the camel to start off when | wl
only half way up. Hassan grasped IL
nose-line of camel, and after muc
Juggling at it and great deal of 'whisl
tah," ''w-e-e-sh-tah, the camel COZ
sented to lie down. 1 do not know
the man who wrote Of the perfumes
Araby the blest" ever smelled of a cam
or not. If he did, that line was bite
sarcasm.
Hassan then made a seat for me wit
| some blankets in the after-cOmpartmel
of the saddle. This latter article, b!
the-way, is made of wood and iron, an
although result of primitive cultur
is admirably adapted to make a man pr,
fame after intimate acquaintance. 1t
capable of holding two persons. Whc
only one is to ride, he sits i'll the bac
place.
Well, l mounted, and / thought
should split in twain, for it was muc
i like trying to straddlc n good-sized t
!. BILE. Then, being fully equipped, Ha
. san chirruped to the camel to aris
3 whereUpon that camel hOisted his bac
r end some ten feetin the air. did not wa
to see what else he intended to do, h
II dismountcd forthwith, skinning n
3 hands and knees in the process, for
. came down to the ground quicker tn
il [ intended. Hassan assured me that
. camels got up in that manner. 1 doubt
iiss it, but was not going to he beaten by
r tyIopod, so I tried again. When
back end was hoisted [ was ready