The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1885-12-19
SHIP OF THE DESERT.
An Animal Indispensable and High.
ly Honored.
Created Especially For the Ocean 1t Ira
verses--Its Tonnage Variable In
India, Arabia, Persia
and Egypt.

What the sea would be without ships
the desert would be without that Pc
culiar animal the camel. In all the
range of natural history, Astounding as
it does with wondrous adaptations,
there exists no grander showing of
a creature designed for unique sur
roundings. Ships are made to order,
man having discovered by degrees
what were the needs of navigation;
but the ship of the desert was con-
structed before man, in the wise antici.
patton of the needs the ages were to
develop. And whereas the bark of the
willowy main has been subject to con-
tinual improvements, as we may mark
by simply referring to pictures and
models of the revered Mayfower and
her predecessors, in which the great
Genoese explorer Tin whose debt we
are) and Left, the Norseman, son of
Eric the Red, made the same goal-not
to speak of the initial sailor that cast
anchor at last upon Ararat-the camel,
this right beast in the right place, was
perfected at the very starting point of
time, without any experimenting.
The horse and OK, with all their
strength and usefulness under favor
able conditions, would shortly leave
their bones bleaching on the arid wastes
if put in the cancels place, and man,
his dependent would die also, where
never sepulchre is raised to mortal re-
membrance. But here comes NATURES
volunteer, and says to those who do
business on great sands: "Send me-"
Let us examine his qualifications.
First, his feet. They are spreading
pads divided into wide toes, encased in
The skin as in stocking. This oper-
ates on the principle of snow-shoes,
preventing the animal from sinking in
the yielding sand. Callosities on the
textures of limbs and chest save the
skin from cracking by contact with the
heated sands when he lies down or
kneels to receive his lading.
His nostrils he can close as
easily as his eyelids; thus is he provis-
ioned against the deadly simeon. He
carries an internal reservoir for seven
or eight gallons of water, which he
will deal out to himself at the rate of
three quarts day should circumstances
require, while exposed to heat resem-
bling that in which the Three Worthless
were tried. Sometimes, alas. to keep
himself from perishing of thirst, his
owner is compelled to kill the beast for
the sake of his little store of liquid.
AS regards food, his natural nippers of
teeth clip and masticate TO his satisfy
ing relish the tough plants that con-
tend for existence along the desert
route; his habit of taking bite from
every dwarf acacia and its kind occas-
ioning many surprises of twisting and
jolting to the unaccustomed rider. The
amble of a camel is a mixed rolling and
pitching which is apt to be ill-appreci-
ated by riders not to the manner born.
When the simeon, or virulent sand
storm, approaches, it is the camel that
warns the master. His keen. sagacity
detects the danger before any sign is
visible to man, and with a distressed
roar he wheels away from the swift
coming current of yellow or lurd gas,
which to breathe is death, and plunges
his head into the sands. In all haste
the traveller throws himself on the
ground face downward, with closed
mouth, and hands covering his nostrils.
mduN biluSS CNcu lucSo pIoCdublOnS
fail, and this proves the end of life's
journey for man and beast. At the
best, after experiencing shooting pains
and the symptoms of paralysis, the
man breathes again, the mysterious
deadly vapor having passed in few
seconds. leaving, however, its lingering
effects in weakened limbs, dimmed Wis
ion and disordered memory. The
strong man of the minute before is re-
duced to the condition of one just con-
valescing after languishing ILL
ness. The Arab makes coffee his
refuge, the foreigner seeks remedy in
the stronger eau de Uie. As to the poor
camel. his doleful, imploring looks turn
to au directions, while he groans his
complaints to Nature, his kneeling pos
ture adding to the impressiyeness of
the scene
There is no kicking, no stumbling,