Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1885-03-11
A Camel Race at Dongola.

Egyptian Letter to the London Times.
Pony races and foot races appealed
but little to the native mind, but
camel race, open to all corners, was a
matter of warmest interest to all, both
Englishmen and natives The Mudir
himself, who, with a large following,
attended the meeting, was most en-
thusiastic on the subject of this race,
and had entered his best camel for it,
his example beingfollowed by the own
ers of all the best camels in Dongola.
The scene at the starting point was
quaint In the extreme. Camels were
there of every size and hue, believing
one and all, as though in direst agony;
some of them bestridden by English
soldiers on their red leather saddles,
some by officers who preferred the
comfortable Soudan saddle, some by
naked Bischari or Abedeh, sons of the
desert, who, not infrequently, disdaln-
ing saddles of any kind, sat perched on
the rump of the animal as on q jack
ass, and guided the beasts by the nos
tril string alone. Here and there
among the crowd were Bashi Bazouks
on slim-necked, slender-legged animals,
whose rich accoutrements showed that
their owners found war a paying trade,
and town-folk who, perched on their
light wooden saddles, their long robes
bound closely round their waists, in
tended, evidently, to make desperate
struggle for victory. At last, profit
ing by moment when all the compel
itors seemed to be in line-a result to
obtain which had taken some three
quarters of an hour-the signal was
given to 90, and the camels started.
Then some trotted, some galloped,
some turned themselves round and
round, seeking to tie themselves in
knots and refusing to move forward;
others threw themselves on theground
and rolled their riders off, and one or
two, disengaging themselves from the
crowd, started off in a mad, break
neck gallop toward the hills, their RI
ders, albeit wild sons of the desert, I'M
able to more than cling to the beasts
for dear life. Every now and then oC-
Cured a terrific collision between two
eager competitors, which flung both
camels and riders to the ground. AS
the beasts rounded the turning-post
heconfusion became proportional to
the excitement. Many camels never
got round the post at all, but fell to
fighting with one another on the far
side of it, in which conflict their riders,
when natives, soon took part with
right good will. Others sought to
cheat, diminishing the distance by 100
yards or so, but these defaulters were
promptly spotted" and bounded off
the course by the watchful stewards.
The winner was greeted, as he passed
the post. by such cheers as completely
disconnected the poor brute, and, had
not his rider warily forestalled him, he
would have turned back In flight from
before the crowd of spectators. The
race was good one, and one of the
most interesting features about it was
the fact that, although the winning
camel was ridden by a native, the En-
glish soldiers, whose acquaintance
with camels dated from but fort
night, seemed to hold their own very
fairly against the natives, who were,
so to speak, born and bred camel-ri-
ders. AS to knowledge of the habits
of the brute and adaptability to
long journey, the superiority of the ma
tive is, of course, incontestible; but at
this short trial of speed the English
men showed themselves not much his
interiors