of the US Army Quartermaster Corps headed the buying expedition and acquired a variety of camels, including two-humped Bactrian camels and single-humped Arabian camels. Wayne and his herd of about thirty- four camels arrived in Indianola,
of horses lined up and waiting to unload other cargo, the horses bolted, upending wagons and tossing drivers. Reactions such as these came to be expected as mules and horses regu- larly went crazy around the camels. Consequently, Major Wayne quickly learned to avoid total chaos when he was moving his creatures by sending a rider ahead to warn teamsters and
Everyone was amazed at the weight they could carry. However, packing a camel was unlike anything the soldiers at Camp Verde had ever done. Because of the camels’ humps, special saddles and pack frames were needed, and to get them placed properly, the animals had to be made to kneel, then stand, and finally to kneel again for loading. During this exercise, the
Texas, in May 1856, along with eight camel drivers who had been hired to come to America to teach the soldiers of the US Camel Corps how to manage the animals and pack their loads. Two of these men stood out from their fellows. Yiorgios Caralambo, who was given the nickname “Greek George,” and a man who was either Greek or Syrian or both, named Hadji Ali, who became known to the US soldiers he worked with by a corruption of his name—“Hi Jolly.”
When Major Wayne landed his camels on the Texas coast at In- dianola, the townspeople crowded around to get a glimpse of these strange creatures as they were brought ashore by the camel drivers. Excited to be back on solid ground after a long sea voyage, the camels bawled and kicked, breaking their harnesses and stretching their long necks as bystanders joked that the circus had come to town. Led by their drivers and with their bell collars jangling, the caravan of exotic beasts looked like a procession from the pages of The Arabian Nights. As the camels shambled past teams
40
men on horseback that the camels were on their way.
The newly arrived camels were soon moved inland to their permanent headquarters at Camp Verde, Texas, where they were joined by a second shipment of forty-one camels in February 1857. The animals adapted quickly to their new environment, but citizens and soldiers did not adapt to them quite so readily. Keeping the camels confined was difficult. They often roamed around Camp Verde, and those citizens who were unable to afford fences tried to keep them off their property by planting rows of prickly pear cactus. The roaming camels, however, found these village fences quite tasty and ate their way onto private property, invading yards, trampling gardens, and creating havoc as they scared chickens, goats, and mules. The camels were also known to chase children and family dogs. Although little love was lost on Major Wayne’s camels, once the beasts were loaded with bales of hay, boxes, sacks, and small barrels, admiration for them was not long in coming.
u No fewer than twenty-nine of the cam- els bought for the US Camel Corps were Arabian camels like these.
Camels’ bodies are well suited to desert environments. Their thick, curly eyelashes protect their eyes from blowing sand, and their nostrils can close to keep grit out of their air passages. d
PHOTO: ©MOODBOARD/CORBIS A P R I L 2 0 1 2
PHOTO: ©FRÉDÉRIC SOREAU/PHOTONONSTOP/CORBIS
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