Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1912-07-25
cAMEL-RIDING AN ART
AID ONE THAT IS PECULIARLY
HARD TO ACQUIRE.
Enollsh Soldiers Have Humorous Ex-
perienees With the Hshlps OF the
Overwhelmingly obstinaey
Seemingly Unconquerable.

All that Is necessary, II is claimed
by those In position to know. to De-
come an expert camel rider is 70 get
the right tension on the reins. or rath-
er on the nose-string, when the camel
will trot along at perfectly UNIFORM
gait. hour after hour. If the reins are
slackened the beast stops. When they
are pulled too hard he goes the fast
er. Experienced riders tie the reins
at the proper tension to the pommeml
of the saddle and then settle them
selves down to sleep, II they are SO
minded. The reputed docility or the
camel Is said to be unmerited. He Is
simply stupid beyond all other beasts
Of burden.
He takes no heed OF his rider, pays
no attention whether he be on his
back or not, walks straight on when
once he is set going, merely because
he is too stupid to turn aside; and II
anything tempts him out of the path
he continues to walk on In the new d.
rection simply because he is too dull
to turn back into the right path. To
contend successfully against the pro-
digious, persistent and invariable stu
pidity constitute the whole art Of CAM
Ell riding.
Experts aver that nothing Is more
amusing to the officer initiated into
the mysteries of camel riding and
driving than the sight of recruit In
the east fighting against the dullness
| of his camel.
II Is said to be common sight OF
the march in countries where the Brit
lsh have employed the camel to como
across soldier standing, with coun-
tenance of utter despair, by the side
of loaded but motionless dromedary,
gazing up at the supercilious brute
with an expression Of most comical
helplessness.
The recruit has exhausted every de-
vice that he can invent to make the
beast understand what 1t ought to
do, but all in vain, and there the sol
der stands, utterly staggered and
| dumfounded by such miracle of stu
pidity. Generally the man is too far
gone In hopeless bewilderment even to
use profanity. His vocabulary has
has long since been exhausted.
| 1t generally happens that the SOL
der has nothing with which to beat
the beast. He cannot reach up to its
body with his foot to kick It. Pummel-
ing with his fist has no appreciable ef-
feet upon the camel; he might as well
thump the ground. So he is at his
wits ends and his discontinue Is as
complete as It is ludicrous. AS for
the camel, It stands there exactly
where 1t had stopped, gazing into space
with look of silly loftiness, as If 1t
saw the north pole In the distance, and
with complacency that would not be
inappropriate were 1t viewing vision
| Of an angel
That 1t is falling short Of its duties
obviously has no interest for the idi-
otic beast. 1t never so much as winks.
but simply stands In its tracks with
its head high up in the air as If await
ing revelation. There Is nothing to
be done except to wait until the 9TH
er camels come along and then to
tie its nose to the tail of the last
ship" in line.
The sight Of the hind legs of the
animal in front Of It moving and the
tension of the, string on its own nos
trils are the only hints It can under.
stand.-Harper's Weekly.