The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-04-27

five camels. He bought the first lot in
Cairo and, taking these in the naval store
ship Supply, he sailed to Smyrna, where
thirty more of another kind were bought.
These had been used on the Arabian des-
erts. They cost from $40 to $500 each some
what more than had been paid for the
Egyptian lot. The ship Supply with it's
load of camels, reached Indianola, Tex. on
the Gulf of Mexico Feb. 10, 1857. Three had
died during the voyage. leaving seventy
two in the herd.
About half of these were taken to Albu-
querque. n. NJ, where an expedition was
fitted out under command of Lieutenant
Beale for Fort TETON. California. The route
lay along the thirty-ffth parallel. crossing
the Mojave desert. The expedition consist
ed of forty-four citizens, with an ecsort of
twenty soldiers. the camels carrying the
baggage and water.
The expedition arrived safely at TETON
and the camel caraven made several trips
between Fort TETON and Albuquerque. The
other half of the herd was employed IN
packing on the plains of Texas and i'm the
Gadsden purchase, as southern Arizona was
then called.
VICES OF THE BEAST.
The first caravan to arrive IN Los Angeles
reached the city Jan. s, 1858. The Star thus
notes it's arrival.
A drove Of fourteen camels under the
management of Lieutenant Beale arrived
in Los Angeles. They were on their way
from Fort TETON to the Colorado river and
the Mormon country. and each animal was
packed with one thousand pounds of pro-
visions and military stores. With this load
they made from thirty to forty miles per
day, finding their own subsistence i'm even
the most barren country and going withou.
water from six to ten days at a time"
Again the Star of July 81, 1885, makes
note that 1.-THE camels, eight in number
came into town from Fort TETON after pro-
visions for that camp. The largest cnes
pack q ton and can travel sixteen miles an
hour"
1t would seem that beast of burden
that could pack ton, travel sixteen miles
an hour, subsist on sage brush and go
from six to ten days on one drink would
have supplied most effectually the Iong-felt
want of cheap and rapid transportation
over the desert plains of the Southwest
The promoters of the scheme to utilize the
camel i'm America made one fatal mistake
They figured only on his virtues: his vices
were not recKoned into account
Another mistake they made was in not
importing Arab drivers with the camels
From the very first meeting Of the camel
and the American mule whacker who was
TO he his driver. there developed between
the two a mutual antipathy
To be a successful camel driver a man
must be born to the business. Indeed he
must come of guild or trade union of
camel drivers at least a thousand wears
old; and, better still. if it dates back to the
days of Abraham and Isaac The first dis
agreement between the two was in the mat
ter of language. The vigorous. invective
and fierce profanity of the quon6am mula
driver irritated the nerves and shocked the
finer feelings Of the camel. who never I'm his
life. perhaps, had heard anything more
strenuous than Allah. ell Allah" Iisped in
the softest Arabic.
At first the mild submissiyeness of the
camel provoked his drivers They could
appreciate the vigorous kicking of an army
mule in his protest against abuse But the
spiritless detection and the miId-eyed PEN
siveness OF the Arabian burden bearer
was exasperating; but they soon learned i'm
pure meanness one lone camel could dis
count whole herd OF mules. His supposed
virtues proved TO be his worst vices. He
could travel sixteen miles AN hour Alb
stractedly that was a virtue. but when