How the Camel Got His Hump

**How the Camel Got His Hump** is a story told in the Adventures from the Book of Virtues episode Work. It is based on a story written by Rudyard Kipling in his series of Just-So Stories.

## Plot

Back when the world was new, when animals were just starting to work for man, there was a camel. This camel was idle, most excruciatingly idle. The camel then falls asleep after eating, just as the sun goes down, and the moon comes up. The next morning, the Camel was visited by a horse, who was running across the landscape, but stops upon seeing the Camel in his path. The Horse then tells the Camel to get up because there's work to be done, because it's Hump Day and they're one steed short as it would be. However, the Camel only responds with "Humph!", though the Horse tells him not to take that tone. The Horse then jokingly says that he shall have to ask the Crocodile, though the Crocodile's neck is so short, and that if the hump's not over by lunchtime, he does tend to snap a bit. The Horse then leaves after that as the Camel goes back to sleep again.

The next animal to come up to the Camel was a dog, who tries to get the Camel to fetch a stick, but the Camel just eats the stick after it lands in front of him. The Dog then asks the Camel why he ate the stick, telling him that he was supposed to bring it back because that stick belonged to the Man. So because of that, the Dog has to pay for the stick, claiming that sticks don't grow on trees. In response, the Camel then spits right onto the Dog, which angers the Dog as he asks the Camel who he thinks he is laying around all day, because there's fetching to be done, along with begging, sitting up, and shaking hands, while all the Camel does is roll over and play dead. Once again, the Camel only responds with "Humph!" as he flops back down again. This time, the Dog has had enough as he runs over to try and bite the Camel, only to stop upon hearing the Man whistling and calling for him, which causes the Dog to run off, running past an ox, who is doing some plowing.

The Ox continues plowing until he runs into the Camel. The Ox tries telling the Camel to move it because he's got lots of plowing to do before dark. The Ox then asks the Camel to help with the plowing because he's getting tired. Of course, just like before, the Camel only responds with "Humph!", which angers the Ox into trying to get the Camel to move, but the Camel refuses to move as he just goes back to sleep again. That night, the Horse, the Dog, and the Ox have met with the Man after he calls them to his palace, as the Man congratulates them for a job well done, what with the world being new and all. The Dog then tells the man that they could do even more if the Camel would actually help out, which the Man recognizes as "the thing without the hump", though he acknowledges that he knows about the Camel and how lazy he is, though the Camel is what he is and that there's not much to be done about it. The Man then tells the Horse, the Dog, and the Ox that they'll just have to work harder to make up for it, which shocks the three very much.

The next day, the Horse, the Dog, and the Ox are at a coffee shop while discussing the situation involving the Camel. However, at that moment, the Camel comes up to them and spits directly at them, before walking off again, which angers the Horse to the point of calling out for the waitress. At that moment, a spinning tornado then comes up to the three, while the Dog says that that's no waitress, but actually the Djinn, just as the tornado stops spinning, revealed to indeed be the Djinn. After showing the Horse, the Dog, and the Ox, her card, the Djinn then also takes a seat with him, while the Ox asks the Djinn if she's magical, which the Djinn confirms, while the Horse tells the Djinn that she might be just the person to help them. The Dog then asks if it's right for one animal to be idle while the rest of them are working, while the Ox adds with the world being all new and all and so much to be done. The Djinn is surprised upon hearing that one of her clients is idle while the three are able to inform her about the Camel, such as how lazy he is, as well as saying nothing but "Humph!" Upon hearing this, the Djinn states that if word got around that a desert animal says "Humph" to work, she could never eat lunch in this town again. The Djinn then tells the Horse, Dog, and Ox that they came to the right person and that she'll handle that Camel. Before the Djinn leaves, she pays them some money, then leaves for real, but not without the Horse telling the Djinn to be careful because the Camel spits, which reminds the Horse as he still calls out for the waitress.

Out in the desert, the Camel is relaxing on an inflatable mattress in a nearby pond, just as the Djinn arrives at the pond. After arriving at her destination, the Djinn then gets the Camel's attention, asking him about why he refuses to work, what with the world being new and all and how he's so excruciatingly idle. Like before, the Camel only responds with "Humph!", which surprises the Djinn, who in response uses her magic to deflate the Camel's inflatable mattress, before he lands on the shore. The Djinn then tells the Camel not to give her any more "Humphs" because it's starting to get on her nerves. Despite this, the Camel still responds with "Humph!", which once again annoys the Djinn, as she uses her magic to inflate the camel, which causes a bump to appear on his back, before deflating the Camel back to normal as he falls back down to the ground again. Upon noticing the bump on his back, the Camel is surprised, while the Djinn tells him that she did warn him not to say "Humph" anymore, so because of that, the Camel now has his very own humph to carry around and that he is going to work. The Camel then tearfully asks how he can work with such a heavy humph on his back. The Djinn tells the Camel that since he made the other animals work three days without his help, that humph will let him work three days straight without eating. Because of that, the Camel is now forced to work, while the Horse, the Dog, and the Ox are happy that the Camel is finally working. And from that day to this, the Camel wears a humph, although nowadays, we call it a hump, not to hurt his feelings.

## Characters

* The Camel
* The Horse
* The Dog
* The Ox
* The Man
* Djinn

## Trivia

* A North 40 is a 40-acre section of land, located in the northernmost part of a farm or ranch.
* An expense account is an arrangement under which sums of money spent in the course of business by an employee are later reimbursed by their employer.