The carrying power of the camel will depend in great measure on the stock they came of and the climate in which they are employed, the Central Asiatic camel being, as a rule, more vigorous and enduring than that of either Africa or India. The loads of camels will vary greatly with the nature of the work they are employed to perform. Where very short distances under burden have to be travelled, as for instance from the depôts of a town to a camp in the immediate vicinity, a powerful and healthy camel can carry from 1100lb. to 1200lb.; for the march, or when produce or baggage has to be carried any distance, from 300lb. to 400lb. will be found quite heavy enough to admit of regular and continuous performance of carrying duty. We always roughly estimate our weight of stores and equipments at seven camels to the ton; for slow ordinary travelling of about twenty miles per day of from eight to ten hours in duration; for more rapid movements the loads should be proportionately lightened.
Camels and their loads.
The following table of camel burdens made use of in various parts of the world may prove useful to the traveller in many lands:
| COUNTRY. | WEIGHT. | DESCRIPTION OF ANIMAL. | ||
| Algeria, Morocco, Tunis, Tripoli, | From 300lb. to 400lb. | Ordinary camels of the country. | ||
| Egypt, | From 350lb. to 550lb. | Camels of the country. | ||
| Syria, Asia Minor, Turkey in Asia, Persia and Tartary, | From 500lb. to 600lb. | Large-sized bull camels (lōks, as they called)and hybrids (or booghdee). | ||
| Beloochistan, Cabool, Hindoostan, Thibet, Birmah, Mongolia, | From 300lb. to 400lb. | Ordinary breeds. | ||
| Crim-Tartary and the borders of Southern Russia, | From 300lb. to 500lb. | Bactrian. |
Hints on camels.
The age of a camel, like that of a horse or mule, may be judged of by the teeth. It remains without incisor teeth until the termination of the third year of its life, when it has two; at five years old, it will have four; at six years old six incisors; and at eight there will be a full complement—canines and molars.
The condition of the hump is a good index of the general well-doing of the animal, as that structure is the first to fail or diminish from want or overwork.
The food of camels may be said to be found everywhere on the earth’s surface where vegetation, of even the most scanty and unattractive character, is to be found. All is food that comes to tooth with the camel, and when low trees have been scarce, we have often sent a native armed with our hatchet or billhook to climb into a large peepul, neem, or baubul thorn tree, and chop down a cartload or two of branches. These, when dragged with hook-ended sticks to where the camels were picketed, were received with cavernous rumblings and grunts of satisfaction; and the same tree, by the use of the same implement, yielded not unfrequently the supper for the camels and the fuel to cook our own evening meal.
The Arabs generally maintain that the camel should not drink more frequently than once in every three days, although in dry hot weather we have known them drink much more frequently without being apparently the worse for the indulgence. We have on many occasions endeavoured to ascertain the quantity of water taken at each period of thirst-quenching, and the result of our investigations have led us to the conclusion that about five gallons should be allowed as a drink to each camel when he takes in water on the march. The stomachs of the camel, like those of other ruminating animals, are constructed so as to admit of a store of both food and water being laid up in them to meet the demand when other sources of supply fail.