Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1885-07-29

under heavy burden, groans, grunts
and looks ruefully about upoa the waste.
The amble of the camel-a curious
amalgamation OF rolling aid pitching
simultaneously cxecuted-would scarce
Is be- cxtolled by any one accustomed
to the pleasant cnnter Of good horse,
but it has its advantages. The rider
may sit sideways, backwards or in the
orthodox fashion, with his feet in or ont
of the stirrups, he may let his legs
dangle carelcssly or sit cross-legged,
after the manner of Turks and tailors,
without any fear of his seat or
equanimity being disturbed by tho sure
footed beast stumbling, kicking, shying
or boiling A habit rather perplexing
to the inexperienced camel rider is the
animals propensity for snatching at
dwarf acacias and other vegetable deli
cacies as he wanders along. But these
slight drawbacks are fully compensated
by the measured regularity with which
no moves. while the elevation enables
the traveller to see all that is to be seen,
and gives him the benefit OF every well
come breeze that blows. The riding
gear of the drome1ary consists OF
large double pad of goats hair cloth,
stuffed with grass or straw. This If
thrown over the back OF the animal A
wooden frame of Hat sticks united into
pair of conical pommcls six or eight
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 proper place. Across this
gigantic saddle the saddle bags are
thrown, and the whole covered with
carpets and cushions, until II sort OF
pyramid is formed, upon tho apex OF
which the traveller is perched, his water
bottles, carpet bags aud other para.
phernalia swinging below. The harness
Is completed by halter of goat and
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 less
than ten hours and sometimes twenty
four hours continuously on the march,
Is about two miles per hour, but the ma
herre, or dromedary, can accomplish
u much swiftcr rate OF progression, be
| ing able TO travel seventy miles day
| for two or three DAYS successfully. La
horde went from Alexandria to Cairo
! Zone hundred and fifty miles) in thirty
, four hours, and mails have been carried
between Bagdad and Damascus in seven
days, at the rate of sixty-nne miles pei
diem. Still greater celebrity was at
tanned by Mehcmet Ali, when he wished
to communicate from Cairo W IN Ibra
him Pasha at Antioch. BY adopting
the system of relay, the distance OF
! five hundred and Xty miles was tray
ersed in the short space of five days
and half.
The camel not being himself sociable
Is averse 10 encouraging socability in
others. 1t is only after much toll and
vigorous application of the whip that
this stubborn animal can be made tc
move in line with Individuals of his own
species, though both in India and
Africa the enterprise has been accom-
plished-in the former country by the
creation of camel trains, in the latter
by accustoming the dromcdary TO IN Ii
tary evolutions, TO charge and retreat in
compact bodies. and otherwise to i'm tate
all the movements of cavalry. But
your trading camel having acquired
different habits far exceeds mule in
ebstinacy when you attempt to break
through them. He will then oppose to
your will passive resistance utterly
unconquerable; will lie down if he
thinks you have put too much on his
back. and refuse TO rise though you
should beat him to death. To show
| that this is often a mere crotchet, the
Arabs remove two or three small pack
cts from tho load, upon which the
animal, no doubt with an inward chuckle
of satisfaction at having gained the vic
tory, gives a loud grunt and rises with
out perceiving that during the operation
the packages have been restored. As,
/ however, he believes his load to have
been lightened he trudges along MGR
rily, if so sullsn heart can ever be said
to be merry. But though serious and
! gloomy, this patient creature must not
be supposed to be entirely without sem
| timcnt. When kindly treated, when
patted on the shoulder, when gently
spoken to, but more especially when
treated TO song, the dromcdary will
exhibit strong signs OF pleasure in his
prominent eye, will turn round his long
snakc-liko neck, look at you stead
tasty, as If to express his thanks, and
then gaze forth upon the outspread
desert more proudly than before.
The load for camel in India is fixed
by the Government at $50 pounds; in
Arabia il varies from $50 to 400 pounds;
in Persia from 500 to 600 pounds; in
Egypt it averages 800 pounds, while,
according to Tavernicr, the Turcoman
camels will carry as much as 1900
pounds weight. Where the road is toll
erably good the burden camels of a car
AVIAN are tied to each other, the
moose rope Of one being fastened to the
the tail of another. and so they march
on, three TO ten In a string, in single
file, and such creatures of routine are
they that camel will refuse to proceed
if the camel before him is changed for
another. In Egypt caravans move
abreast, and one of fifty camels will
pilgrim caravan pursues its route prln-
cipally during the night, lighted on its
way with torches 1t has been shorn OF
much of its splcndor in modern times.
Bagdads celebrated ruler per-
formed tho pilgrimage to the Proph-
cts shrine no less than nine times.
with caravan OF l2O,OU camcls, 9OU
of that enormous number being en-
ploycd in carrying Haroun's wardrobe.
The Sultan of Egypt was accompanied
by 500 camels laden with swectmcats.
and 2S0 bearing pomcgranatcs and
other fruits. Every year the Sultan OF
Turkey sends mahmal--a beautiful
covering for the shrine OF Mohammcd-
to Mecca. The camel honorcd by being
chosen for carpet bearer is magniieently
adorned with ribbons. lace, feathers
and initiative gems. When Hasselquist
saw the procession start from Cairo in
1850 this favored beast carried pyra.
midal pavilion six feet high, covered
with green silk, under which the NAH
NAL was supposed to lie; but like other
great officials, the carpet camel did hi:
work by deputy, the precious gift being
| ell A. L..