How the Camel Got His Hump

HOW THE CAMEL GOT HIS HUMP

In the beginning of years, when the world was so new, and the Animals just began to work for Man, there was a Camel, and he lived in the middle of a Desert because he did not want to work. He was very lazy and idle; and when somebody spoke to him he said “Humph!” Just “Humph!” and nothing more.

On Monday morning the Horse came to him, with a saddle on his back and said, “Camel, O Camel, come out and work like the rest of us.”

“Humph!” said the Camel; and the Horse went away and told the Man.

Then the Dog came to him, with a stick in his mouth, and said, “Camel, O Camel, come out and work like the rest of us.”

“Humph!” said the Camel; and the Dog went away and told the Man.

Then the Ox came to him and said, “Camel, O Camel, come out and work like the rest of us.”

“Humph!” said the Camel; and the Ox went away and told the Man.

At the end of the day the Man called the Horse and the Dog and the Ox together, and said, “Three, O Three, I am very sorry for you; but the Camel in the Desert doesn’t work. He has not come here and I am going to leave him alone. So you must work double time to do his work, too.”

The Horse, the Dog, and the Ox were very angry; and they held a very important meeting; and the lazy Camel came and he laughed at them. Then he said “Humph!” and went away again.

Soon there came along the Djinn of All Deserts.

He was travelling in a cloud of dust (Djinns always travel in a cloud of dust because it is Magic), and he stopped to talk with the Horse, the Dog, and the Ox.

“Djinn of All Deserts,” said the Horse, “is it right for anyone to be idle, when the world is so new and there is so much work to do?”

“Of course not,” said the Djinn.

“Well,” said the Horse, “there’s an animal in the middle of your Desert, with a long neck and long legs, and he hasn’t done any work since Monday morning. He doesn’t want to work.”

“Whew!” said the Djinn. “That’s my Camel, I am sure that is my Camel. What does he say about it?”

“He says ‘Humph!’” said the Dog, “and he doesn’t want to work.”

“Does he say anything else?”

“Only ‘Humph!’” said the Ox.

“Very good,” said the Djinn. “I will punish him if you wait a minute.”

The Djinn travelled away in his cloud of dust, and flew across the Desert. He found the Camel who was standing idle near a pool of water.

“My dear friend,” said the Djinn, “why don’t you work, when the world is so new and there is so much work to do?”

“Humph!” said the Camel.

The Djinn sat down and began to think a Great Magic.

“The Horse, the Dog, and the Ox work hard because the world is so new,” said the Djinn. “They had to work double time because you were idle. I am going to punish you.”

“Humph!” said the Camel.

“Don’t say that silly word again,” said the Djinn; “you say it too often. Now, listen to me, Camel. You must work.”

And the Camel said “Humph!” again. And when he said it he looked at his back, and he saw that his back began to puff up into a great big hump.

“Do you see that?” said the Djinn. “That’s your own hump. You have got it because you did not work with other animals. Today is Thursday, and you’ve done no work since Monday when the work began. Now you are going to work.”

“How can I,” said the Camel, “with this hump on my back?”

“You” haven’t worked for three days,” said the Djinn. “With this hump on your back you will be able to work now for three days without eating because you can live on your own hump and don’t say that I never did anything for you. Come out of the Desert and join the Horse, the Dog, and the Ox. And work hard!”

And the Camel came out of the Desert and joined the Horse, the Dog, and the Ox. And from that day to this the Camel always wears a humph (we call it “hump” now, not to hurt his feelings); but he has never caught up with the first three days at the beginning of the world. And he has never learned how to behave.