Half- devoured carcasses of these "ships of the desert" lie every where, with jackals and vultures gnawing at them.

Even living camels are sometimes seen staggering about, which have been left to starve by their masters as unfit for further service.

I shall never forget the piteous look of one of these poor creatures which I saw dragging itself to and fro in the desert, anxiously seeking for food and drink.

What a cruel being is man! Why could he not put an end to the poor camel's pain by a blow with a knife?
One would imagine that the air in the vicinity of these fallen animals was poisoned; but here this is less the case than it would be in more temperate regions, for the pure air and the great heat of the desert rather dry up than decompose corpses.
From the same cause our piece of roast beef was still good on the fifth day.

The hard-boiled eggs, which my servant packed so clumsily that they got smashed in the very first hour, did not become foul.