Evening star., 1898-11-05
THE CAMEL'S USEFULNESS
Is Somewhat Weakened by the Defects of
His Character -
At Times He is vengeful and Ugly-
Cherishes Resentment-Stupfd
Except When Angry.
From st. Paul's.

FROM ST. PauIs.
l am obliged to confess to the disilIusfon-
| ing of my mind as to the camel as we'll as
his master. "Docile,' faithful" gentle
were the adjectives had always applied to
| the huge. ungainly. but indispensable ami
NAL. When. however, a residence in the
east brought me into personal contact with
the camel. and came to know him 'in his
habit as he lives 1 was obliged to say a
| long farewell to another dream of my child
hood. I had always agreed with Russells
description of the camel "An abomina-
bly, ugly necessary animal, but had so
thoroughly believed in the cameTs gentle
| ness intelligence. fidelity and supreme use
fulness that 1 was quite of the opinion of
the Arabian poet who represents the un-
galnly stride of the camel as presenting a
standard of elegance in notion
Ihe camel is stupid save when angry. and
then seems to become suddenly possessed
with an intelligence almost preternatural
in carrying out its vengeful designs. Pal
grave relates the following story of cam
els revenge, which serves to illustrate this
point: "A lad of fourteen had conducted a
| large camel laden with wood from one vii
lage to another at a half-hour's distance.
AS the animal loitered or turned out of the
way Its conductor struck it repeatedly and
harder than 1t seemed to have thought he
had right to do. But. not finding the oc-
casfon favorable for taking immediate quits
1t 'bode its time That time was not long
in coming. few days later the same
lad had to reconduct the beast, but unladen,
| to his own village. When they were about
half way on the road and at some distance
from any habitation the camel suddenly
stopped looked deliberately round in every
direction to assure itself that no one was
In sight. and, finding the road far and near
clear of passersby. made a step forward,
seized the unlucky boys head in its mon
strous mouth, and, lifting him up in the
air. flung him down again on the earth with
the upper part of his skull completely torn
or and his brains scattered on the ground.
Having thus satisfied it's revenge. the brute
quietly resumed its pace toward the village
as though nothing were the matter. till
some men, who had observed the whole.
though unfortunately at too great dis
tance to be able to afford any timely help,
came up and killed it."
The Arab who has angered a camel will
throw his clothes upon the ground, and the
infuriated brute, after stamping them
and tearing them asunder with his teeth,
goes on its way, and the driver is thereafter
the camel as with English law that no man
offense.
All this is upon the shady side Of camel
life and character. There is very much
brighter side. Progress through Arabia,
the Egyptian deserts, and many other parts
of the east would be quite impracticable
without the camel And when one considers
the nature of the work performed by the
camel, 1t is perhaps its very phlegmatic,
somnolent organization which best fits 1t for
that work and which gives color to the ac-
cusations of stupidity and laziness.