and no sooner can the young Arab sit astride and hold
on, than he is placed behind his fathers saddle, to
which he clings, while he bumps upon the hare back of
the jolting camel. Nature quickly arranges a horny
protection to the nerves, by the thickening of the
skin; thus, an Arab’s opinion of the action of a
riding hygeen should never be accepted without a
personal trial. What appears delightful to him
may be torture to you, as a strong breeze and a
rough sea may be charming to a sailor but worse
than death to a landsman.
I was determined not to accept the camels now
offered as hygeens until I had seen them tried ;
I accordingly ordered our black soldier El Baggar
to saddle the most easy-actioned animal for my
wife, but I wished to see him put it through a
variety of paces before she should accept it. The
delighted El Baggar, who from long practice was as
hard as the heel of a boot, disdained a saddle, the
a.nimn.l knelt, was mounted, and off he started at
full trot, performing a circle of about fifty yards
diameter as though in a circus. I never saw such
an exhibition ! “ Warranted quiet to ride, of easy
• action, and fit for a lady !” This had been the character
received with the rampant brute, who now,
with head and tail erect, went tearing round the
circle, screaming and roaring like a wild beast,
throwing his forelegs forward, and stepping at least
three feet high in his trot. Where was El Baggar ?
A disjointed-looking black figure was sometimes on
the back of this easy-going camel, sometimes a foot
high in the air; arms, head, legs, hands appeared
like a confused mass of dislocations ; the woolly hair
of this unearthly individual, that had been carefully
trained in long stiff narrow curls, precisely similar
to the tobacco known as “ negro-head,” alternately
started upright en masse, as though under the influence
of electricity, and then fell as suddenly upon
his shoulders ; had the dark individual been a “ black
dose” he or it could not have been more thoroughly
shaken. This object so thoroughly disguised by rapidity
of movement was El Baggar ; happy, delighted
El Baggar! As he came rapidly round towards us
flourishing his coorbatch, I called to him, “ Is that
a nice hygeen for the Sit (lady), El Baggar? is it
very easy ?” He was almost incapable of a reply.
“ Y-e-r-y e-e-a-a-s-y,” replied the trustworthy autho-
ity, “j-j-j-just the thin-n-n-g for the S-i-i-i-t-t-t.”
“ All right, that will do,” I answered, and the
jockey pulled up.his steed. “Are the other camels
hetter or worse than that ?” I asked. “ Much worse,”
replied El Baggar, “the others are rather rough, but
this is an easy goer, and will suit the lady well.”
It was impossible to hire a good hygeen ; art
Arab prizes his riding animal too much, and invariably
refuses to let it to a stranger, but generally
imposes upon him by substituting some lightly-built
camel, that he thinks will pass muster. I accord-
mgly chose for my wife a steady-going animal from
among the baggage-eamels, trusting to be able to