Chapter 2 How the Camel Got His Hump This next tale tells of how the camel got his big hump.
In the beginning of years, when the world was very new, there was a camel who lived in the middle of a howling desert.
He did not like to work.
He ate sticks and thorns and milkweed and prickles.
Whenever anyone spoke to him, all he said was, and nothing more.
One day the horse, dog, and ox came to him.
The horse said, O camel, come work with us and man to make the desert a better place.
But the camel just said.
The dog came to the camel and said O camel, come work with us and man to make the desert a better place.
But the camel just said.
The ox came to the camel and said Oh camel, come work with us and man to make the desert a better place.
Again, the camel just said, Humph!
Then the man, the horse, dog, and ox had a meeting.
It is a shame that the camel will not come help us make the desert a better place.
But since he will not, we must all work twice as hard to make up for it, the man said.
For three long days the man, horse, dog, and ox worked very hard in the desert.
The camel came to watch.
He chewed on his milkweed and laughed at them while they worked and sweated in the hot desert sun.
This made the horse, dog, and ox very angry.
On the third night, while the man slept, the horse, dog, and ox were too upset to sleep.
They talked about how they could make the camel work.
Just then a magic genie came across the howling desert in a cloud of dust.
The horse offered him some food.
The dog offered him a cool cup of water.
The ox offered him a bed of hay in which to rest.
You are all so kind to me, said the genie.
What can I do for you? he asked.
For three days we have worked ourselves to the bone, began the horse.
But the camel, who also lives in the Howling Desert, will not help, said the dog.
All he does is laugh at us and say, Humph, added the ox.
Hmm, don't worry, said the magic genie.
I will talk to him.
So the magic genie went to visit the camel.
Horse, dog and ox are working very hard, said the magic genie to the camel.
But all the camel replied was, Humph!
They are working very hard to make our desert a better place, the magic genie explained.
Humph! the camel said again.
"'I wouldn't say that again if I were you,' the magic genie warned him.
"'Now, you have missed three days of work.
When the sun comes up, I want you to help with their work.'
"'Humph!' was all the camel would say.
"'I want you,' the magic genie replied.
Then, with a swoosh of his hand, he raised a terrible, twirling, twisting cloud of dust.'
The camel's back began to puff up and up.
When the dust cleared, the camel had a great, big, lollipopping hump right on the top of his back.
"'See what you've done,' the magic genie scolded.
"'That's your very own hump.
You've brought it on yourself, and now you will get to work at once.'
You will work for three days straight to make up for the days you've missed.
Ordered the magic genie.
But how can I, bleated the camel.
I cannot go without food and drink for three long days.
But you can, the magic genie assured him.
You can store food and water in the humph on your back.
That way you can work for three days without stopping to eat or drink.
You can live on your humph while you work and you will spend the rest of your days working alongside the man horse, dog and ox to make the desert a better place.
The genie was gone in another terrible twisting, twirling cloud of dust, and that is how the camel got his hump, which is what we call it instead of hump.
