Story of the Bible Animals: A Description of the Habits and Uses of every living Creature mentioned in the Scriptures, with Explanation of Passages in the Old and New Testament in which Reference is made to themWood, J. G. (John George)
Religion
Story of the Bible Animals: A Description of the Habits and Uses of every living Creature mentioned in the Scriptures, with Explanation of Passages in the Old and New Testament in which Reference is made to them
Wood, J. G. (John George)
Animals in the Bible; Nature in the Bible
Taking it first as a beast of burden, we find several references in
different parts of the Scriptures. For example, see 2 Kings viii.
9: "So Hazael went to meet him, and took a present with him, even
of every good thing of Damascus, forty camels' burden." Again, in
1 Chron. xii. 40: "Moreover they that were nigh them, even unto
Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, brought bread on asses, and on
camels, and on mules, and on oxen." Another allusion to the same
custom is made in Isaiah: "They will carry their riches upon the
shoulders of young asses, and their treasures upon the bunches (or
humps) of camels."
The Camel can carry a considerable load, though not so much
as is generally fancied. A sort of a pack-saddle of a very
simple description is used, in order to keep the burden upon so
strangely-shaped an animal. A narrow bag about eight feet long is
made, and rather loosely stuffed with straw or similar material. It
is then doubled, and the ends firmly sewn together, so as to form
a great ring, which is placed over the hump, and forms a tolerably
flat surface. A wooden framework is tied on the pack-saddle, and
is kept in its place by a girth and a crupper. The packages which
the Camel is to carry are fastened together by cords, and slung
over the saddle. They are only connected by those semi-knots called
"hitches," so that, when the Camel is to be unloaded, all that is
needed is to pull the lower end of the rope, and the packages fall
on either side of the animal. So quickly is the operation of loading
performed, that a couple of experienced men can load a Camel in very
little more than a minute.
As is the case with the horse in England, the Camels that are
used as beasts of burden are of a heavier, slower, and altogether
inferior breed to those which are employed to carry riders, and
all their accoutrements are of a ruder and meaner order, devoid
of the fantastic ornaments with which Oriental riders are fond of
decorating their favourite animals.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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