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
It is almost invariably harnessed to carts, and always in pairs. The
mode of yoking the animals is as simple as can well be conceived.
A pole runs between them from the front of the vehicle, and the
Camels are attached to it by means of a pole which passes over their
necks. Oxen were harnessed in a similar manner. It was probably
one of these cars or chariots that was mentioned by Isaiah in his
prophecy respecting Assyria:--"And he saw a chariot with a couple of
horsemen, a chariot of asses, and a chariot of camels" (Isa. xxi.
7). The cars themselves are as simple as the mode of harnessing
them, being almost exactly like the ox carts which have already been
described.
The weight which can be drawn by a pair of these Camels is really
considerable. On a tolerably made road a good pair of Camels are
expected to draw from twenty-six to twenty-eight hundred weight,
and to continue their labours for twenty or thirty successive
days, traversing each day an average of thirty miles. It is much
slower than the Arabian Camel, seldom going at more than two and a
half miles per hour. If, however, the vehicle to which a pair of
Bactrians are harnessed were well made, the wheels truly circular,
and the axles kept greased so as to diminish the friction, there is
no doubt that the animals could draw a still greater load to longer
distances, and with less trouble to themselves. As it is, the wheels
are wretchedly fitted, and their ungreased axles keep up a continual
creaking that is most painful to an unaccustomed ear, and totally
unheeded by the drivers.
The hair of the Bactrian Camel is long, coarse, and strong; and,
like that of the Arabian animal, is made into rough cloth. It is
plucked off by hand in the summer time, when it naturally becomes
loose in readiness for its annual renewal, and the weight of the
entire crop of hair ought to be about ten pounds. The skin is not
much valued, and is seldom used for any purpose except for making
ropes, straps, and thongs, and is not thought worth the trouble of
tanning. The milk, like that of the Arabian animal, is much used for
food, but the quantity is very trifling, barely two quarts per diem
being procured from each Camel.
There is but little that is generally interesting in the Rabbinical
writers on the Camel. They have one proverbial saying upon the
shortness of its ears. When any one makes a request that is likely
to be refused, they quote the instance of the Camel, who, it seems,
was dissatisfied with its appearance, and asked for horns to match
its long ears. The result of the request was, that it was deprived
of its ears, and got no horns.
THE HORSE.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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