How The Camel Got Its Hump

Deep in the Sahara desert, there lives the hardy camel. it walks about the parched land , dining on thornbushes, and drinking only every third friday. a remarkable beast, no one will argue, with long legs, a long neck, and strangest of all- a hump. how the camel came by this strange mishapen back is a story to be told.

Many years ago, camels had no hump. they were hardy travellers, brave and clever. there was scarce a place that camels had not trodden upon, with their even-toed feet.

just like today, camels were prideful beasts, they never would accept other beasts to be their equal.

Of all the animals that camels loathed, condescended to and competed with the most, were horses. and to be honest, the feeling was very much mutual. camels did not get along with horses. not then and still not now.

The horses laughed at the camel’s lack of hooves and mane, and their ugly bifurcated toes. the camels , typically not very verbal in their response, just gave the horses a long, cold stare, or occasionally spat at their feet, missing or not as the case required. such was the mood, until one day, the desert vulture , flew up to a horse and a camel , who were in the midst of a taunting/cold-staring engagement.

“friends!” the vulture said “why need you to quarell thus?”

“we are quarelling, over the unseemly nature of my ‘friend’ over here” replied the horse. the camel spat on the ground and offered no words in answer.

“it may be that your disunion, could be resolved. let us have a momentous match. where the best of camels and the best of horse champion the cause of their race. ”

“why, that should be my pleasure to attend, for I am the best of my kind. " said the horse "and though naming my ‘friend’ here as best, may be a non-sequitor, I happen to know that of all the filthy camels he IS their champion, disgusting as he is.”

“very well. ” said the vulture. “then, if you both agree, I shall propose the competition as such: far into the desert, there lives a massive bird, of my kin. it is called the Roc. many have seen such a magnificent bird, but few have come back to tell of its wonders. I propose that you both take haste, bring neither water nor food, run into the desert and procure one of the Roc’s colorful plumage. ”

“very well. I accept. ” breighed the horse with excitment, and started running then and there, before the camel had time to make his acceotance. the vulture and the camel were left behind watching the dust rise.

“that was not a kind thing you did”

said the camel at last.

“perhaps not. but I feel hunger, and hope to feast shortly. you may run after the horse and warn him, if you choose. but I suspect your pride is too great .”

“no, scoundral, you are wrong.” said the camel “I may be proud, and full of contempt, but I am not inclined to stand by as a fellow creature dies tortuously in the sands. I curse you, vulture, for your sinister challenge. ” he said, spat again, and ran after the horse.

As expected , it did not take long for the horse to get into trouble. upon the trechorous dunes, the horse was I’ll-prepared. his hooves quickly sank in the soft debris. and jumping out, he landed back into another trap, then another, and so on. he was nearly exhausted and a-feared. up above, he saw the vultures circle, but they did not fly down to help. he cried for aid, as loud as he could. but none of the birds flew down. until he grew weaker and weaker..

when he woke. he was lying on top of the camel’s back. the beast was laboring under the equine burden and the intense heat.

“you are carrying me, camel” the horse cried. “but it was not necessary, for I was merely resting for a monent, upon the comfortable sand”

“you are a fool. ” hissed the camel, for he was in pain, and thought only of conserving his efforts.

“I would have come out of this the winner. ”

“you would have come out of this as bones, picked clean.”

“no, I would not! look above us. the vultures circle, in expectation of our race.”

“Indeed. they circle so, but not as spectators. but thus I found you, nearly dead. fool. as I said.”

“it is not so. I am the glory of the animals. and nowhere could I not outrun you, and your ugly toes.”

the camel did not spit, for unlike the garralous horse he knew that water was precious in these parts. he could not stare coldly at the horse either, for he was , as you remember, on the camel's bacck and even a flexible camel could not turn his head in such a way.

and so he simmered and the water he was striving to conserve steamed and rose within him. walking onward stoicly, as the horse raved on about his conquest of the desert and the vultures circling above, hoping the camel would at last fail.

when they reached the fertile greens of the riverland, the camel had had enough. he bent his legs, and dropped the camel upon the bank.

as he came upon the water to drink, the camel couldn’t help but see that something had changed in him. his smooth, flat back was now a rounded hill!

You see, my friends, all the hate that the camel had built, all the rage and consternation, had built up as expanding steam within the camel, with no outlet to relieve it.

and so, the back arched and swelled upward taking the shape of the incapacitated annoyance that was the horse.

This change was not lost on the horse, who proceeded to laugh and taunt the camel for his disfigurment.

in a fit if rage, at this ungratful beast, the camel took a sharp bite, out of the horse’s mane, and relieved him of much of it.

as the pain was great, the horse ran away to cry, and be deservedly humilitated by his kin.

the camel, never able to forget, nor forgive, retained his hatred of horses and since then , all camels carry in them the inflated hatred of the conservstive right..emm, I mean the garralous horses..