Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-06-01
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CAMEL,
An English Correspondent Who
Thinks 1t an 0verrated Beast.


From the London News.
Our CT respondent with the Soudan ex-
petition schds the following reflections on
the camel:
The camel, be it at once said, IS an over
rated beast. There is a great deal of him,
but he -iG not for his size nearly so strong
as the useful, unpreteEtious donkey Then,
too, his anatomy is s strangely conceived.
His legs are attached TO his great I'M
wieldy CT rcass with seemingly so little
consideration for the uses to hich Cnere-
iy viewed as legs he might be expected to
put them, and his neck and tail are so
obviously disproportionet to the rest OF
him, and 10th so useless, that one cannot
avoid the thought that the camel is some
how incomplete, or, ewing to some mis-
take, was never finished off at all.
Even the qualities he possesses tend TO
strengthen one in this bewildering suspi-
cion. For instarce, he kick himself
violently in the-let us say the front of the
back-with his foreleg. He Goes il con-
startly. Time and again have / devoted
long hours Grutlessly, / must admit) TO
an attempt to win the confidence of my ia
vorite camel-my fayorite because he is
less cruel to me than the others / have
wooed him with the soft notes of my Kour-
bash, 1 have tempted him with the thorn
lest of MimoSa branc les | have puffed to-
bacco smoke into his superciioUs nostrils
And, Their, just as / have farcied | saw the
light of sympathy dawning in his long
dashed eye, he has risen all OF one move
ment to his feet, grinned at me In fright
full manner, disclosing a forest of green
and broken teeth, and 81 zing at me full,
with more viLdictive contempt than / have
ever marked II any hurnan eye, has kicked
himself violently in the stomach and lain
down again, as who should say, Now, go
away and don't bother me, like a good
boy"
Then be can gnaw his own ta!l-hs alb
surd, useless little rag of tail that ISN'T
even worth bitr g. But is that an object
worth living for? Or, again, he has, to be
sure, seven stomachs, of which, vain beast,
he is so ir ordinG tely proud (as though he
had anything to do with ~ that he is con-
stantly fetching Up one of item to show
you, and blows II out from his great, ugly
throat in a horrd. glittering, transparent
bulb for you to admire. A more nauseat-
ing practice could hardly be conceived, but
the low brute will do it. One accomplish
ment. il deed, l can give him credit for.
He can flick fly from the top OF his head
with his lind tee. Now, this in the age We
live in might. were he a luckier beast. and
the rest of his bulk conducive. have served
him in good stead. But as things are,
fear he will make rothing Of it. His shape
is fatally against him, and he will never
become fashionable a step darcer.
But with all his ia dts, defects and disa-
bilities the camel has so far as this CGun-
try is COY oerned, not yet been superseded
by any more practical Invention, and de-
spite the fact that his temper is bad, his
appetite vest and sordid, his capacity for
prolonged ,A.Stence without water a gi1dy
fiction. his carrying capabilities mean and
his locomotive powers eXasneratingly mea-
ger, yet h is all we have, and on him
must VIC largely depend throughout this
Dongola expedition. DR. Coran Doyle, who
is one of our party, believes, after week
or SO of acquaintance with him. that he
has discovered in his riding camel great
delicacy of sentiment and much dignity of
Cemcanor. But. then, DIR. Conan Doyle is
a man of so wide charity that he actu-
ally believes in, and even admires-well
no, viii not say who II is. Let every one
guess for himself But If that person, why
not the ca mel? Why not, indeed? Per-
haps l may have some day something
pleasant TO lay about my camels. Time
must decide. Is ii a long-l!ved beast, ]
wonder?