The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1885-05-28

l11H StOiAdCAis d supply VI .AISSn WdtcEF
And is it notin this that travellers, when
compelled to kill their dromedaries to
preserve their own lives in the Sahara,
find the pure transparent fluid spoken |
of on such oceasionsp /
1t is during sandstorm, or on the
of the simeon, that the camel |
displays the most striking proofs of
Before the human eye can
detect the swiftly approaching column
of yellow or lurid gas which. instantly |
strikes dead all creatures that breathe I
it, the camel discerns. the danger and,
uttering wild roar, turns round and
plunges his nose into the sand. The
traveller also, who springs instantly to
the tearth, presses his face against the
face of the desert, tightly closes his
lips and protects his nostrils with both
hands. What signs of suffering or agi-
tation the poor dromedary exhibits, the
traveller is too much terrified to observe,
but he himself experiences throughout
his frame, first a quivering, shooting
pain, then a numbness and paralysis of
all the limbs and vital functions, which
prolonged for many seconds would be
death. But the mysterious vapor, which
comes almost like lightning, in the same
manner departs. In many cases the
sudden death of the beast and his
rider reveals the fatal power of the
simeon; but when they escape. with
life the process of reviving from the
stroke resembles that experienced by
patients after long ness-languor,
feebleness, sprostration of the whole
system, giddiness of the head, dimpess
of sight, a partial loss of memory and
bewildering of ideas. Foreigners flee
to brandy as a remedy, the Arabs to
coffee, while the camel, kneeling as if
under heavy burden, groans, grunts
and looks ruefully about upon the waste.
i The amble of the eamel-a curious
amalgamation of rolling and pitching
simultaneously xecuted-woulds scarce
ly be extolled by any one accustomed
to the pleasant canter of good horse,
but it has its advantages. The rider
may sit sideways, backwards or in the
orthodox fashion, with his feet in or out
of the stirrups, he may let his legs
dangle carelessly or sit cross-legged,
after the manner of Turks and tailors,
without any fear of his seat or
equanimity being disturbed by the sure
footed beast stumbling, kicking, shying
or bolting. A habit rather perplexing
to the inexperienced camel rider is the
animals propensity for snatching at
dwarf acacias and other vegetable deli
eacies as he wanders along. But these
slight drawbacks are fully compensated
by the measured regularity with which
he moves, while the elevation enables
the traveller to see all that is to be seen,
and gives him the benefit of every wei
come breeze that blows. The riding
gear of the dromedary consists of a
large double. pad of goats hair cloth,
stuffed with grass or straw. This is
thrown over the back of the animal. A
wooden frame of fiat sticks united into
a pair of conical pommels six or eight
4 feet high is placed on the pad, into
which it settles itself comfortably, the
hump of the camel forming the center
of the apparatus and keeping every
thing in its kproper place. Across this
gigantic saddle the saddle bags are
thrown, and the whole covered witt
carpets and cushions, until a sort O
{ pyramid is formed, upon the apex O
which the traveller is perched, his watel
bottles, carpet bags and other, para
phernala swinging below. The harness
is completed by halter of goat an6
4 camel hair twisted together passing
around the beasts nose like our com
mon stable halter.
] The average speed of the ordinary
caravan camels, which are seldom les
| Al. ,fxy
four hours continuously on the march
J is about two miles per hour, but the ma
herrie, or dromedary, can accomplish
a much swifter rate of progression, be
: ing able to travel seventy miles a da.
for two or three days successfully. La
borde went from Alexandria to Cair
/ Zone hundred and fifty miles) in thirty
four hours, and mails have been carrie'
between Bagdad and Damascus in seve
} days, at the rate Of sixty-nine miles pc
diem. Still greater celerity was al
, tanned by Mehemet Ali. when he wishe
, to communicate from Cairo with libra
, him Pasfra at Antioch. By adoptin
/ the system of relays the distance c
i five hundred, and sixty miles was tray
. ersed in the short space of five day
: and half.
, The camel not being himself sociabl
: is averse to encouraging sociabilty i
| others. It is only after much toll an
= a vigorous application of the whip thf
5 this stubborn animal can be made
4 move in line with individuals of his ow
s species, though both in India an
! Africa the enterprise has been accom-
t plished-in the former country by th
+ creation of camel trains, in the latte
0 by accustoming the dromedary to mil
i, tary evolutions, to charge and retreat
f compact bodies, and otherwise to imitat
D all the movements of cavalry. Bl
a. your trading camel having acquire
!. different habits far exceeds mule
t, obstinacy when you attempt to brea
s through them. He win then oppose
l. your will passive resistance utter
! unconquerable; will lie down if I
:, thinks you have put too much on h
Q back, and refuse to rise, though yc
h should beat him to death. To sho
y that this is often mere crotehet, Il
t Arabs remove two or three small pacl
+ cts from the load. upon which Il
i animal, no doubt with an inward chuck
k of satisfaction at having gained the vi