The idea that Camels when working could go very long periods without food and water, we found to be erroneous. The true ruminant has four stomachs; the Camel has three divisions only. The first two divisions are provided with cells or pouches which can be closed by strong muscles. These contain fluid only and it is on account of this peculiar construction that the animal can go several days without water, but when traveling in the heat of an African desert, at least every four days, the Camel must have water, nourishment and rest. On account of their acute smell, they will detect water at some distance and it is really an interesting sight when thirsty, tired-out Camels draw near to a well or river. They lift their heads high in the air, inhale long breaths with half-closed eyes, lay their ears back and then start to run, so that one has to sit firmly in the saddle if he does not wish to be thrown out. When the beasts finally reach the well they crowd to the water and give themselves up to the enjoyment of drinking. The food supply, which assists the Camel in times of fasting is stored in the hump, which is really one great lump of fat. In times of plenty this is firm and pyramid-like in form, and may weigh as much as thirty pounds, but after prolonged hunger it will nearly disappear; weighing perhaps only four to six pounds. This provision of nature, added to its peculiar stomach, makes the Camel in many respects the most useful of domestic animals. It has been domesticated from very early times. We know that they were owned in great numbers four thousand years ago. Pharaoh gave them as a present to Abraham and the patriarch Job had at one time a herd numbering six thousand. A baby Camel is a misshapen little thing, but like all young animals it is playful and interesting. It is about three feet high when it enters the world, but in a week’s time is much larger. It is able to follow its mother soon after birth. She will defend her own to the extent of her strength if needful. The Camel is a true animal of the desert and only thrives in hot, dry localities. It is of little use in a mountainous country, as it is a poor climber and cannot remain in health when fed on luxuriant vegetation. In the water it is of still less use. Perhaps because the desert is its “native heath,” it holds an antipathy for water and either cannot or will not swim, so the crossing of a stream with a caravan becomes a serious undertaking. Sir Samuel Baker recounts his experience in crossing the Atbara river (about three hundred yards wide.) “Water-skins were inflated and passed under the belly of the Camel like a girth. A man sat upon its back while one or two swam by its side as guides. As the current of the river was rapid, the animal was usually half a mile down stream before gaining the opposite bank.”