Connecticut western news., 1883-09-26

whereupon that camel hoisted his back end some ten feetin the air. I did not wait to see what else he intended to do, but dismounted forthwith, skinning my hands and knees in the process, for I came down to the ground quicker than I intended. Hassan assured me that all camels got up in that manner. doubted 1t, but was not going to be beaten by tylopod, so tried again. When his back end was hoisted was ready for him, and stood to my guns. But for got that his front end would have to come up too. When it did, I got off again, at the expense of the cuticle of my nose. I then expressed my feelings briefly but vigorously. The conclusion
 breed itself irresistibly on my mind that there were more points about camel's method of getting up than would appear at first sight. Hassan seemed to have no difficulty in keeping his seat why, then, should I? I de- termined to experiment, and told Hassan to make the camel get up again without me. attentively observed his actions, and found that he really did get up one end at time. It seemed curious, but I was fain to accept it. At last, however, I overcame all difficulty, and started boldly down the road. The camel walked-at least Has, san said so; am not sure what he did. As far as can be recollected now, he slid first one side of his body, then the other, along. It is an insidious kind of motion. You imagine it is easy for while; then you think it is one of the most ingenious methods of torture known. After proceeding few yards I became more emboldened, and put my tylopod into a>trot; but having no de- sire for immediate disintegration, re- lapsed into walk. We at last reached small creek, which, curiously enough, had some water in it. The camel was evidently overpowered at the sight, for he laid down and rolled in it, after de- posting me few yards away. l did not like this, so determined to return. The joint efforts of Hassan and myself were needed to induce the beast to come out of the water. It was such rarity to him that he wished to make the most of it. When we had returned, I natu- rally wished to descend. How was it to be done? <Hassan solved the conun- drum. H9 said, ''Whishtah,' and the camel went down on his knees, dexter ously shooting me over his head. I thought thistwas rude in the camel, but Hassani isaid they always lie down that way. This knowledge, however, 6listt not heal my bruises. The next morn ing I was unable to walk with my pris- tine agility.
 This day was the first of many. For two years was doomed by stern fate to ride those tylopods. During the first six months of that time was too closely employed in attending to the maimed portions of my poor body to view camels in any other light but that of execration. I still execrate. But when physically able studied them. They seemed to be worth certain amount of study. They are so beautifully adapted for pur- poses of torture
 The camel, taken per SC, and exam ined with the calm eye of reason, is somewhat paradoxical, even in his best moments. His appetite, for instance: as previously put, the goat is the only animal which approaches him in this respect. But the camel has left the goat in the shade, and with laudable scientific spirit has opened up new and startling lines of investigation ill the food question. A goat draws the line at tobacco. A camel chews it in thank ful and meditative frame of mind, and wishes for more. He has been known to eat stones. Empty sardine tins he absorbs with the zest of connoisseur.
 sDamper" he idolizes. Dry sticks ne can worry down on pinch. Meat in the last stage of decomposition is looked upon by him with favor. But the thorn fest species of acacia are his forte. He devours an acre or two of these bushes with the air of lat-Savarin eating a Strasburg pie. Another interesting
 point is that he never gets enough. His
 capacity for containing food completely
 demolishes all present theories upon the
 laws of space and dimensions. The
 writer has tried more than once to fill q
 tylopod, but he never succeeded. A
 friend of mine nearly did it once, but
 the camel burst before we could make
 exact observations. My friend gave
 him just little tin of nitro glycerine.
 The camel expanded before us like the
 poodle in Faust, and like him vanished
 into smoke.
 An Afghan once told me that in his
 country camels could be filled. be
 lieyed it, for I understood that camels
 could do many things in his country tha
 they could not do here-go withou
 water for 8 year or two, travel three
 hundred miles day, never get sore
 backs. The time his camel got filled h. ate hay-stack, and with it, as sort o
 sauce ,,iquaaste, three of the Afghan
 brothers, who were lying upon it. Thi Afghan said it was not the hay-stacl i which filled the camel, but his brothers
 I believed him. I never saw camel ca
 an Afghan, but have often wished thei
 appetites would take turn that way. l
 would have been soothing sight to
 man who has been afflicted with them a
 fellow-travelers. A camel is very ba
 by himself, but when taken in connec