The Legend of the Camel Hump

Sham S. Misri

This is a funny and enjoyable extract from ‘How the camel got his hump’ from the Stories by Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936).

In the beginning of years, when the world was new all the Animals were just beginning to work for Man. Last of all, one day a Camel also came. He lived in the middle of a Howling Desert and did not want to work. He was a Howler and would eat sticks and thorns. When anybody spoke to him he would ‘Humph!’ and no more.

One day a Horse came to him with a saddle on his back and a bit in his mouth. The horse said, ‘Camel, come out and run like the rest of us.’ ‘Humph!’ said the Camel. Hearing this Horse went away and told the Man.

Next the Dog came to him. He had a stick in his mouth. The dog said, ‘Camel, come and fetch and carry like the rest of us.’ ‘Humph!’ said the Camel. Hearing this Dog went away and told the Man.

Now an Ox came to him. He had yoke on his neck. The ox said, ‘Camel, come and plough like the rest of us.’ ‘Humph!’ said the Camel. Then the Ox went away and told the Man.

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.’

That made the Three very angry. This worried them and they raised a fuss. They decided to have a meeting on the edge of the Desert. Soon the Camel came chewing twigs and laughed at them. Then he said ‘Humph!’ and went away again.

They then saw jinn in charge of All Deserts, rolling in a cloud of dust (Jins always travel that way because it is Magic), and he stopped near them.

Jinn of All Deserts,’ said the Horse, ‘is it right for anyone to be idle, with the world so new-and-all?’

‘Certainly not,’ said the jinn.

‘Well,’ said the Horse, ‘there’s a thing in the middle of your Howling Desert with a long neck and long legs, and he hasn’t done any work since. He won’t run.’

‘Well’ said the jinn, whistling, ‘that’s 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 jinn. ‘I’ll humph him if you will kindly wait a minute.’

The jinn rolled himself up in his dust-cloak, and crossing the desert he found the Camel. I find you most idle. Looking at his own reflection in a pool of water.

‘My long and bubbling friend,’ said the jinn, ‘what’s this I hear of your doing no work, with the world so new-and-all?’

‘Humph!’ said the Camel.

The jinn 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, all on account of your idleness,’ said the jinn; and he went on thinking Magic’s, with his chin in his hand.

‘Humph!’ said the Camel.

‘I shouldn’t say that again if I were you,’ said the jinn; you might say it once too often. Bubbles, I want you to work.’

And the Camel said ‘Humph!’ again. Having said it, he saw his back with a great big humph.

‘Do you see that?’ said the jinn. ‘That’s your own humph that you’ve brought upon yourself by not working. To-day you’ve done no work now from tomorrow you are going to work.’

‘How can I,’ said the Camel, ‘with this humph on my back?’

‘That’s made a-purpose,’ said the jinn, ‘all because you missed those days. You will be able to work now for 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 behave. And the Camel humped himself, humph and all, and went away to join the work. And from that day to this the Camel always wears a humph.