[Illustration: {Caravan of camels}]
5. A camel is not pretty to look at, but the Arab could not do without
it. I think you can easily understand why the camel is called the "ship
of the desert." It carries its master or its load across the sea of sand
from one green island to another.
[Illustration: The Halt in the Desert.
(From the picture by J.F. Lewis, R.A., in the South Kensington
Museum.)]
6. The hoofs of the camel are broad, and this prevents them from sinking
into the sand. The camel can go for a long time without food or water.
7. The camel is very useful to the Arab, both when it is alive and when
it is dead. It gives him milk to drink, and its hair is useful for
making clothes, tents, and ropes.
8. I think I told you that when I was sailing along the canal I saw a
caravan. It was then beginning to cross the desert. Very likely, weeks
or months will pass away before its journey comes to an end.
9. There are no roads across the desert, so it is very easy for a
caravan to lose its way. Then the men and camels wander on until all
their food and water are finished.
Pages:
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33