Now, do you not think it would be a good idea to get a few men from those countries and learn from them how to manage camels? Then the camels of Arizona also could be used in crossing the deserts there, where there are no railroads. Besides being the only animal that can cross the desert, the camel is different from any other four-legged animal even in the way he walks. You have seen how a horse walks? When his left foreleg is lifted off the ground, his right hind leg is also lifted off the ground; then in the next step, when his right foreleg is lifted off the ground, his left hind leg is also lifted off the ground. That means that the two legs which move at the same time are those placed at the _opposite corners_ of his body. But when a camel walks, he lifts the two legs on the _same side_ of his body at the same time. And when he takes the next step, he lifts the two legs on the other side of his body. Now, my dear, I have told you many things about the camel which are different from anything in any other animal. So, before I close this chapter, I want you to remember these things about the camel: 1. His _foot_ is _padded_ in such a way that he can walk or run on sand. 2. He can _close_ his _nostrils_ to keep out the sand in a storm. 3. His _thick_ and bushy _eyebrows_ and _thick eyelashes_ keep the glare of the sun from his eyes. 4. His stomach has many _cells_ like bottles, in which he can _store up water_. 5. He can _store up food_ in his _hump_. 6. He walks by moving both legs on the _same side_ of his body at the same time. In another chapter I shall tell you about an animal that can also do one of these things: he can _store up food_ in his body, though in a different way. That animal is the _bear_. He sleeps through the whole winter, and has to have a store of food somewhere in his body to last all that time. CHAPTER XII The Camel and the Thief Now I shall tell you a story about a camel and a thief. It is a true story, and happened many, many years ago. The story shows what we can learn by watching the animals. Once upon a time, a traveler was going on foot across the country. In his belt he had a purse full of money. One day, as the sun began to get hot, he lay down on the grass under a tree near the roadway, and fell asleep. After a few hours he woke up, and what was his surprise to find that the purse was gone! While he was asleep, somebody had quietly stolen his purse and gone away. The traveler ran to the nearest village, and there told the police about it. Now, among the police there was a very clever man, and the police brought him with them to the place where the money had been stolen. The clever man looked all around the place very carefully to see if he could find any marks on the ground. On the grass near the tree he found no marks; in fact, if a person walks on the grass just once or twice it does not leave any mark. But on the roadway near by he found footprints.