Syria and the Holy Land : their scenery and their people : incidents of travel, &cfrom the best and most recent authorities . s to be quick in securing ourselvesin our seats, and to hold fast to the saddle before and behind, as unless greatcare is taken when the huge animal springs up with his fore legs he willinevitably tumble you over his rump; and should you escape this accidentyou have the same chance of being pitched over his head when he afterwardsbrings his hind legs erect. It was wonderful to see the agility of theArabs in leaping on to the dromedaries; they merely placed the ball of t
Syria and the Holy Land : their scenery and their people : incidents of travel, &cfrom the best and most recent authorities . s to be quick in securing ourselvesin our seats, and to hold fast to the saddle before and behind, as unless greatcare is taken when the huge animal springs up with his fore legs he willinevitably tumble you over his rump; and should you escape this accidentyou have the same chance of being pitched over his head when he afterwardsbrings his hind legs erect. It was wonderful to see the agility of theArabs in leaping on to the dromedaries; they merely placed the ball of thefoot upon the projecting bone of the dromedarys hind leg, and leaped on tohis back as he was walking. They sat with their legs doubled under them,as they would upon a divan; two or three perching themselves on the backof the same animal. Our first days journey was of three hours only, and at night we arrived ata small village on the outskirts of the cultivated land that surroundsDamascus. At sunrise next morning we departed, and now we were fairlylaunched on the great waste. We began our expedition with an accident n3. Bedouins and their C amels. 226 SYRIA AND THE HOLY LAND. that took some time to repair. The camel on which a fat Maltese servantwas seated was a little too lively for him, and setting off at a tremendouspace jolted him about from its hump to the boxes on each side so roughlythat I thought he would have been shaken to pieces: at length off hepitched, and the freed animal galloped away with the most ludicrous caperstill it got thoroughly rid of its load. The Arabs laughed very heartily atthis little frisk, and would not return to assist the fallen rider. No one,they all cried, is ever hurt by falling from a camel; but the poor Maltesehad formed a very different opinion, and lay on the ground calling loudlyfor assistance: our camels, inspired by the same good humour as his, pulledat such a rate that we could not stop them, and some minutes had passedbefore we coul
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