How the Camel got its Hump
Here is the next tale, it tells how the Camel got his Hump.
In the beginning of years, when the world was new and the animals were just beginning to work for Man, there was a Camel. He lived in the middle of a great howling desert because he did not want to work; and besides, he was a howler himself. The Camel ate dry sticks and thorns, tamarisks, milkweed, and prickles, while being lazy. When anybody spoke to him he said 'Humph!', Just "Humph!" and nothing more!
After a while, the Horse came to him on a Monday morning, he had a saddle on his back, and a bit in his mouth. The Horse said, "Camel, O Camel, come out and trot like the rest of us." "Humph!" said the Camel; and the Horse went away and told the Man.
After a while, the Dog came to him with a stick in his mouth. The Dog said, "Camel, O Camel, come and fetch and carry like the rest of us." "Humph!" said the Camel; and the Dog went away and told the Man.
After a while, the Ox came to him, with the yoke on his neck. The Ox said, "Camel, O Camel, come and plough 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, the Dog, and the Ox together, and said, "Three, O Three, I'm very sorry for thee, with the world so new-and-all; but that Humphing-thing in the Desert can't work, or he would have been here by now, so I am going to leave him alone, and you must work double-time to make up for it."
That made the Three very angry, with the world so new-and-all, and they held a palaver, and an indaba, and a punchayet, and a pow-wow on the edge of the Desert; and the Camel came chewing on milkweed most excruciatingly idle, and laughed at them. Then he said "Humph!" and walked away again.
After a while, there came along the Genie in charge of all deserts, rolling in a cloud of dust, (Genies always travel that way because it is Magic), and he stopped to palaver and pow-wow with the Three.
"Genie of All Deserts," said the Horse, "is it right for any one to be idle, with the world so new-and-all?"
"Certainly not," said the Genie.
"Well,' said the Horse, 'theres a thing in the middle of your Howling Desert, and he's a Howler himself. He has a long neck, and long legs, and he hasn't done a stroke of work since Monday morning. He won't even trot."
"Whew!" said the Genie, whistling, "thats my Camel, for all the gold in Arabia! What does he say about it?"
"He says "Humph!"' said the Dog; "and he won't fetch and carry."
"Does he say anything else?"
"Only "Humph! And he won't plough," said the Ox.
"Very good," said the Genie. "I'll humph him if you will kindly wait a minute."
The Genie rolled himself up in his dust-cloak, and took a bearing towards the oasis, and found the Camel most excruciatingly idle, looking at his own reflection in a pool of water.
"Bubbles, my long and lonesome friend," said the Genie, "whats this I hear of your doing no work, with the world so new-and-all?"
"Humph!" said the Camel. "I don't work."
The Genie sat down, with his chin in his hand, and began to think a Great Magic, while the Camel looked at his own reflection in the pool of water. "You've given the Three extra work ever since Monday morning, all on account of your excruciating idleness," said the Genie. He went on thinking Magics, with his chin in his hand.
"Humph!" said the Camel, one more time.
"I shouldn't say that again if I were you," said the Genie; "you might say it once too often. Bubbles, I want you to work."
And the Camel said "Humph!" again; but no sooner had he said it than he saw his back, the one that he was so proud of, puffing up, and puffing up until it was a great big lolloping hump.
"Do you see that?" said the Genie. "Thats your very own hump that you've brought upon your very own self by not working. 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?"
"It is made with a purpose," said the Genie, "all because you missed those three days. Now you will be able to work for three days without eating, because you can live on your hump; and don't you ever say I never did anything for you."
"Come out of the Desert now, and go to the Three, and behave. Humph yourself along!" And the Camel humphed himself, hump and all, and went away to join the Three. And from that day to this, the Camel always wears a hump on its back. But he has never yet caught up with the three days that he missed at the beginning of the world, and he has never yet learned how to behave.