NOW this is the next tale, and it tells how the Camel got his big hump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the beginning of years, when the world was so new and all, and the Animals were just beginning to work for Man, there was a Camel, and he lived in the middle of a Howling Desert because he did not want to work; and besides, he was a Howler himself. So he ate sticks and thorns and tamarisks and milkweed and prickles, most ‘scruciating idle; and when anybody spoke to him he said ‘Humph!’ Just ‘Humph!’ and no more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Presently the Horse came to him on Monday morning, with a saddle on his back and a bit in his mouth, and said, ‘Camel, O Camel, come out and trot like the rest of us.’<\/p>\n\n\n\n
‘Humph!’ said the Camel; and the Horse went away and told the Man.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Presently the Dog came to him, with a stick in his mouth, and said, ‘Camel, O Camel, come and fetch and carry like the rest of us.’<\/p>\n\n\n\n
‘Humph!’ said the Camel; and the Dog went away and told the Man.https:\/\/googleads.g.doubleclick.net\/pagead\/ads?client=ca-pub-2911220475939638&output=html&h=280&adk=1106966500&adf=3588316316&w=1050&fwrn=4&fwrnh=100&lmt=1598737632&num_ads=1&rafmt=1&armr=3&sem=mc&pwprc=2679680670&psa=1&guci=1.2.0.0.2.2.0.0&ad_type=text_image&format=1050×280&url=https%3A%2F%2Famericanliterature.com%2Fauthor%2Frudyard-kipling%2Fshort-story%2Fhow-the-camel-got-his-hump&flash=0&fwr=0&pra=3&rh=200&rw=1050&rpe=1&resp_fmts=3&wgl=1&fa=27&adsid=ChEI8Pmn-gUQidfS_NXriovqARI7AOvymxK4pQDshzkwAY6BLxT34wc9gHd2Vk_eOakMXVW9Qrok74P8NfJHXsnzdiKqxpsOmsa7g9CC8DQ&dt=1598737632167&bpp=4&bdt=407&idt=-M&shv=r20200826&cbv=r20190131&ptt=9&saldr=aa&abxe=1&prev_fmts=0x0%2C336x280&nras=2&correlator=2998946801196&frm=20&pv=1&ga_vid=842003029.1598734297&ga_sid=1598737632&ga_hid=677348792&ga_fc=0&iag=0&icsg=2665088&dssz=20&mdo=0&mso=0&u_tz=120&u_his=18&u_java=0&u_h=864&u_w=1536&u_ah=824&u_aw=1536&u_cd=24&u_nplug=3&u_nmime=4&adx=235&ady=713&biw=1519&bih=706&scr_x=0&scr_y=0&eid=21066700%2C21066793%2C20206790%2C21066392&oid=3&pvsid=1437751022559216&pem=384&ref=https%3A%2F%2Famericanliterature.com%2F100-great-short-stories&rx=0&eae=0&fc=1408&brdim=0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C1536%2C0%2C1536%2C824%2C1536%2C706&vis=1&rsz=%7C%7Cs%7C&abl=NS&fu=8320&bc=31&jar=2020-08-29-20&ifi=3&uci=a!3&btvi=1&fsb=1&xpc=If0pkDVjGh&p=https%3A\/\/americanliterature.com&dtd=25<\/ins><\/p>\n\n\n\n Presently the Ox came to him, with the yoke on his neck and said, ‘Camel, O Camel, come and plough like the rest of us.’<\/p>\n\n\n\n ‘Humph!’ said the Camel; and the Ox went away and told the Man.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the end of the day the Man called the Horse and the Dog and the Ox together, and said, ‘Three, O Three, I’m very sorry for you (with the world so new-and-all); but that Humph-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.’<\/p>\n\n\n\n That made the Three very angry (with the world so new-and-all), and they held a palaver, and an indaba<\/em>, and a punchayet<\/em>, and a pow-wow on the edge of the Desert; and the Camel came chewing on milkweed most<\/em> ‘scruciating idle, and laughed at them. Then he said ‘Humph!’ and went away again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Presently there came along the Djinn in charge of All Deserts, rolling in a cloud of dust (Djinns always travel that way because it is Magic), and he stopped to palaver and pow-pow with the Three.https:\/\/googleads.g.doubleclick.net\/pagead\/ads?client=ca-pub-2911220475939638&output=html&h=280&adk=1106966500&adf=223692363&w=1050&fwrn=4&fwrnh=100&lmt=1598737632&num_ads=1&rafmt=1&armr=3&sem=mc&pwprc=2679680670&psa=1&guci=1.2.0.0.2.2.0.0&ad_type=text_image&format=1050×280&url=https%3A%2F%2Famericanliterature.com%2Fauthor%2Frudyard-kipling%2Fshort-story%2Fhow-the-camel-got-his-hump&flash=0&fwr=0&pra=3&rh=200&rw=1050&rpe=1&resp_fmts=3&wgl=1&fa=27&adsid=ChEI8Pmn-gUQidfS_NXriovqARI7AOvymxK4pQDshzkwAY6BLxT34wc9gHd2Vk_eOakMXVW9Qrok74P8NfJHXsnzdiKqxpsOmsa7g9CC8DQ&dt=1598737632167&bpp=2&bdt=407&idt=-M&shv=r20200826&cbv=r20190131&ptt=9&saldr=aa&abxe=1&prev_fmts=0x0%2C336x280%2C1050x280&nras=3&correlator=2998946801196&frm=20&pv=1&ga_vid=842003029.1598734297&ga_sid=1598737632&ga_hid=677348792&ga_fc=0&iag=0&icsg=36219520&dssz=21&mdo=0&mso=0&u_tz=120&u_his=18&u_java=0&u_h=864&u_w=1536&u_ah=824&u_aw=1536&u_cd=24&u_nplug=3&u_nmime=4&adx=235&ady=1364&biw=1519&bih=706&scr_x=0&scr_y=0&eid=21066700%2C21066793%2C20206790%2C21066392&oid=3&pvsid=1437751022559216&pem=384&ref=https%3A%2F%2Famericanliterature.com%2F100-great-short-stories&rx=0&eae=0&fc=1408&brdim=0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C1536%2C0%2C1536%2C824%2C1536%2C706&vis=1&rsz=%7C%7Cs%7C&abl=NS&fu=8320&bc=31&jar=2020-08-29-20&ifi=4&uci=a!4&btvi=2&fsb=1&xpc=ILur0JtAyN&p=https%3A\/\/americanliterature.com&dtd=33<\/ins><\/p>\n\n\n\n ‘Djinn of All Deserts,’ said the Horse, ‘is it right for any one to be idle, with the world so new-and-all?’<\/p>\n\n\n\n ‘Certainly not,’ said the Djinn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ‘Well,’ said the Horse, ‘there’s a thing in the middle of your Howling Desert (and he’s a Howler himself) with a long neck and long legs, and he hasn’t done a stroke of work since Monday morning. He won’t trot.’<\/p>\n\n\n\n ‘Whew!’ said the Djinn, whistling, ‘that’s my Camel, for all the gold in Arabia! What does he say about it?’<\/p>\n\n\n\n ‘He says “Humph!”‘ said the Dog; ‘and he won’t fetch and carry.’<\/p>\n\n\n\n ‘Does he say anything else?’<\/p>\n\n\n\n ‘Only “Humph!”; and he won’t plough,’ said the Ox.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ‘Very good,’ said the Djinn. ‘I’ll humph him if you will kindly wait a minute.’<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Djinn rolled himself up in his dust-cloak, and took a bearing across the desert, and found the Camel most ‘scruciatingly idle, looking at his own reflection in a pool of water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ‘My long and bubbling friend,’ said the Djinn, ‘what’s this I hear of your doing no work, with the world so new-and-all?’<\/p>\n\n\n\n ‘Humph!’ said the Camel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Djinn 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ‘You’ve given the Three extra work ever since Monday morning, all on account of your ‘scruciating idleness,’ said the Djinn; and he went on thinking Magics, with his chin in his hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ‘Humph!’ said the Camel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ‘I shouldn’t say that again if I were you,’ said the Djinn; you might say it once too often. Bubbles, I want you to work.’<\/p>\n\n\n\n And the Camel said ‘Humph!’ again; but no sooner had he said it than he saw his back, that he was so proud of, puffing up and puffing up into a great big lolloping humph.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ‘Do you see that?’ said the Djinn. ‘That’s your very own humph that you’ve brought upon your very own self by not working. To-day is Thursday, and you’ve done no work since Monday, when the work began. Now you are going to work.’<\/p>\n\n\n\n ‘How can I,’ said the Camel, ‘with this humph on my back?’<\/p>\n\n\n\n ‘That’s made a-purpose,’ said the Djinn, ‘all because you missed those three days. You will be able to work now for three days without eating, because you can live on your humph; and don’t you ever say I never did anything for you. Come out of the Desert and go to the Three, and behave. Humph yourself!’<\/p>\n\n\n\n And the Camel humphed himself, humph and all, and went away to join the Three. And from that day to this the Camel always wears a humph (we call it ‘hump’ now, not to hurt his feelings); 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTHE Camel's hump is an ugly lump\n Which well you may see at the Zoo;\nBut uglier yet is the hump we get\n From having too little to do.\n\nKiddies and grown-ups too-oo-oo,\nIf we haven't enough to do-oo-oo,\n We get the hump--\n Cameelious hump--\nThe hump that is black and blue!\n\nWe climb out of bed with a frouzly head\n And a snarly-yarly voice.\nWe shiver and scowl and we grunt and we growl\n At our bath and our boots and our toys;\n\nAnd there ought to be a corner for me\n(And I know there is one for you)\n When we get the hump--\n Cameelious hump--\nThe hump that is black and blue!\n\nThe cure for this ill is not to sit still,\n Or frowst with a book by the fire;\nBut to take a large hoe and a shovel also,\n And dig till you gently perspire;\n\nAnd then you will find that the sun and the wind.\nAnd the Djinn of the Garden too,\n Have lifted the hump--\n The horrible hump--\nThe hump that is black and blue!\n\nI get it as well as you-oo-oo--\nIf I haven't enough to do-oo-oo--\n We all get hump--\n Cameelious hump--\nKiddies and grown-ups too!<\/pre>\n\n\n\n