Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-05-22
CAMEL RIDING.
Experience of Jack Tars in Navigating the
Lofty Animals of the Desert.

experience OF JACK larS III NaViEaCluS CuO
Lofty Animals of the Desert.
think I told you that one of the
funny things of Korti camp life was to
see the Household troops, or the
Heavies, learning infantry drill.
"Fours deep" 'fours right, left"
"form squares resounded in their
quarters all day long. Lord Charles
Beresford's Naval Brigade arrived on
the 9th, and having promptly pitched
their tents and made themselves COM
Portable on the following day, they
turned out on Comeback to learn to
handle these ships of the desert.
"What's the British army a coming
to?" I overheard a soldier who was
looking on saying to his comrades.
Its a turning it upside down Lord
Wolscley is and metamorphorising ev-
erything. First he makes sailors OF us
infantry, sending us here in boats, then
he turns the cavalry into infantrymen,
and I'm hanged if he amt a making
cavalry of the sailors" Perhaps he
was. Anyhow, the process was droll
in the extreme. With much persuasion
Jack had towed, strung into line, some
sixty camels, for the detachment to
ride which was to march to Metemleh.
Lord Charles Beresford and Sir Her.
bert Stewart and staff, with many
more were there to see the Naval Bri.
gade drill. s'Mount," shouted lieu
tenant Piggott. who was drilling the
| contingent. Aboard went Jack, still
more quickly the camels snorted and
surged to their feet, spilling and send
ing sprawling in all directions many a
brave sailor. Somehownone of the men
were hurt, and while Jack was trying
to remount the lockers on smiled audi
bly,; even Lord Charles Beresford himself
instantly produced his handkerchief
and smothered something that sounded
more like laughter than coughing,
though it was his command which
was furnishing the fun. When the
sailors at length had securely mounted,
they seemed unhappy. Possibly they
did not like the short lurches and
swinging of the camels, and wouldlave
preferred a topgallant yard in a storm
at sea. The camels also did not appear
to respond promptly to the tugs given
by Jack to the guiding head-rope
which serves as a rein for the animal,
and the brutes blundered against each
other, throwing the line at times into
confusion. Their officers, with wary
eyes to faults of that sort. strove to
correct them by calling to their men.
Hard a port,'' OF ''hard a starboard
there" One sailor [ heard directed to
pass the rope across, as ''that brute
steers better from the port side" An
other Jack had so loaded his animal
with the equipment for the march that
he was told to dismount and ''stow it
afresh, as the camel's saddle had a bad
list" Jack, however. was in dead
earnest, and meant learning to ride, SO
the detachment ~persevered. The spec
tators might have, / think, recognized
this seriousness. Not a good deal OF
quiet chatf went ON all the anne The
cruelest thing I have heard for a long
time was when the troop got the order
to trot, and the sailors went jog, Jump,
thump in their saddles. as if they were
playing leapfrog on the camels. s.Don't
bump So" cried a bystandcr to one OF
the sailors; ..you'll make his heao
ache" Jack turned upon his tormentol
a melancholy eye, moistened either by
the poignancy of his situation or the
cold callousness of the remark.-Gak.
du1 Cor. London Telegraph.