The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-02-15

from their long Sahara march. The |
camel resists at first, and the date |
stones, moistened in little water, are
pushed forcibly by the handful down |
the camel's throat, after it has been |
made TO kneel, and then securely fas |
tened In two or three days the camel |
learns to eat them of its own accord. |
| The natives say that these date stones |
make the hump of the camel strong
and stiff
1.-The capel in its long marches
across the Sahara frequently finds very
| little TO eat and lives on the fat of its
own hump. When this continues dur
ing long time the hump becomes fab
by and almost disappears. The Afri-
| can broad-tailed sheep lives in the
same way on the fat Of its own tail.
1.-THE flesh of the camel is eaten by
the natives. The greatest deGeacy is
the hump, which contains a great deal
of fat.
"The usual weight of the burdens
carried by a camel varies from 800 to
600 pounds, for journeys from town to
town or on the border Of the desert;
going across the desert the burden IS
less. When q camel is being laden it
keeps up continual snarling, and
should it be overburdened il refuses to
arise Most camels are vicious and
their bite is very dangerous Hardly
week passes at the large native hos
| uital in Tunis but some unfortunate
camel driver dies of blood poisoning
caused by 4 camel bite. The grind
ing motion of q camel 5 jaw brushes
to pulp whatever it bites; 50 that the
arm or leg has to he amputated, and
blood poisoning usually sets IN before
the patient can reach the hospital.
I'm the interior Of northern Africa
: is n superb race Of camels known as the
mehara singular, mehari), or racing
camels The mehara owe n great deal
to the care taken in their breeding
during the past 1000 years. Ancient
writer's speak OF camcls used by the
] army of XerxcS. more than 1000 years
, ago, that had the speed of the fastest
e. horses; these were doubtless mehara
e .sWhcn a baby mehari IS born it is
swathed in handages to prevent the
D stomach from getting too large end is
j taken into the family tent, where it is
} nursed and watched over with care
7 and tenderness. When a year old it
4 is sheared and is known from then on
d father of the shearing'
4 For the first year il Is allowed to
a wander at win and follow its mother.
$ The bou-keutaa is weaued 10y u point
ed stick being run through one nostril
Y and left in the wound. When the
D young camel tries 70 suckle its moth
I err the stick pricks her and She kicks
/. the baby camel away. it soon leaves
I y,
green shrubs. In the spring it is
T. shearcd again and the name of heug
= replaces that OF bou-keutaa.
.'Whan it is two years old its train
! ing begins. \ halter Is placed around
the head and a cord tied to one of the
. fore feet. 1t is kept quiet first by
gestures and the voice; later by the
voice alone. Then the cord is loosened
but should it make a step it Is TIED
again. Finally it understands what is
. required. but the lessons are only ter
!. minated when il viii stand in one
) place without moving for an1 entire
day.
. 'FTo make the camel fast runner
. the rider whips it on both TANKS witt
!: rhinoceros. hide whip and cries ont IL
!. Arabic To excite il. \ Young mehar
@
being struck starts on a gallon. TIL
., whipping keeps up and the camel tire
to get away by running faster. Th
re long legs seem like wings and it file
~ past with the speed of an ostrich. !
ed viii stop instantly at pull on tn
at rein. no matter what speed 1t has beer
e. making.
n. "sWhon the rider jumps off, or shoul
,v,.o
n hari will stand quite still and wait
We while should the master happen to b
injured the faithful beast Will neve
le' leave him.
20 - A mehari is never used as a beas
Of burden; all it ever carries is a sad
NJ dla Something like a Mexican saddle
ss made of gazelle-skin, dyed red, wit
ul n high pommcl and cross in front
81 two saddlc-bags and rider. Tn
M rider is buckled into the saddle by tw
belts His feet are crossed i'll front Q
us the saddle and rest on the neck of tn
ny mehari His slippers are usually stun
~ across the pommel, and the mehari
- guided by the wriggling OF the rider
- toes.
-, An iron ring passes through on
INV nostril Of the animal and rein {
y camel's hair Is attached.
~ "The mehara are used entirely b
~ the Arabs when on the war path, {
N, razzia. A mehari ON the war-path ca
- save three men. Two ride it and II
Ne third takes hold of it's tail and is pullC
go along. The latter changes places wit
mol the rider at intervals. When a wa
in. party has lost so many camels tn;
ION there remains but one camel for ever
n, three men. it always retreats.
the Mehara are usually fawn-colore
eet with soft intelligent eyes. They hay
pointed ears like q gazelle $. The