New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1917-01-02
British forces Employ
Camles as war Horses

Finally 1t understands what is re-
quired. but the lessons are only ter
minated when it will stand in one
place without moving for an entire
day.
ITO make the camel fast runner .
the rider whips 1t on both TANKS with
! a rhinoceros- hide whip and cries out
| in ARABIC to excite 1t. A young me-
hari is very fond of its own skin, and
on being struck starts on a gallop.
The whipping keeps up and the camel
tries to get away by running faster.
| The long legs seem like wings and it,
/ flies past with the speed Of an os-
| trich. It will stop instantly at a pull
| of the rein; no matter what speed 1T
| has been making. AZ
when the rider jumps off, or
| should he happen to fell, we'll.
| trained mehari will stand quite still
and wait. while should the master
happen to be injured the faithful
beast will never leave him.
"A nehari is meyer used as beast
of burden; all it eyAr carries Ii a sad Z
die (something nk(ka Mexican saddle. :
made of gazelleskin, dyed red. with a .
high pommel and a cross in 'front.',
two saddle-bags and a rider. The rid
err is buckled into the saddle by two
belts. His feet are crossed in front of
the saddle and rest on the neck Of the
| mehari. His slippers are usually
slung across the pommel, and the me-
hari Is guided by the wriggling Of the
| riders toes.
AN iron ring passes through one
| nostril of the animal and a rein of
cancels hair is attached.
1.-THE mehara are used entirely by
the Arabs when on the war-path, or
razzia. A mehar on the war path
can save three men. Two ride it and
the third takes hold of it's tail and is
pulled along. The latter changes
| places with the rider at intervals.
When a war-party has lost SO many
camels that there remains but one
camel for every three men, it always
retreats. sss
! "Mehara are usually fawn-c lored,
with sole intelligent eyes. They have
pointed ears like a gazelrs. Their
chests are very well-developed, and
they have a small girth. almost like
that of q greyhound. Their slender
legs bulge with muscles as hard ass
steel.
ITO run short of water half way
across the desert is very serious
proposition which the natives over
come by killing djemel or ordinary
camel, and drinking it's blood after it
| has cooled and the froth at the top,
! which The Arabs claim Is poisonous, Ia
skinned OFT. The water found in the
stomach is also drunk.
"A terrible custom used to prevail
among certain tribes Of the Sahara-
| Before starting on rakzia or war
path, old camels of not much value
were kept from drinking as long as
possible, and just before starting out
were allowed to drink their all; then.
according to the Arabs. their tongues
were out or torn out, or else certain
tendons and nerves were severed,
without the use Of which it was Inn
possible for the oamels to use the wa
ter in their stomachs, but they could
live for q long time. When drink and
meat were needed, one or two OF these
camels were slaughtered. the flesh
! eaten and the water and blood drunk.
When the camels were killed, the
horses are said to have paved the
ground In their seagerness to eat some
Of the fresh meat.
| when at full speed a mehari has
| a most remarkable single-foot or pac-
ing step, the motion of which Is not at
all disaereeable; and 1t can cover
quite easily 100 miles in day without
| undue fatigue"