This is How The Camel Got His Hump story. Long, long ago when the world was so new and all, and the animals were just beginning to work for Man, there was a Camel who lived in the middle of a Howling Desert. He did not want to work as he was lazy. The camel was so stupid that he used to eat sticks, thorns, tamarisks, milkweed and prickles. Whenever any of the animals tried to speak to him, he just said ‘Humph!’ He never said more than that.
On Monday morning when a horse approached him with a saddle on his back and a bit in his mouth, the horse said, “Camel, come out and trot like the rest of us.” But the camel said, ‘Humph!’ The Horse was confused and went straight away to his master. Also, read The Arab And The Camel.
Image Source@ www.amazon.com. In a couple of hours, a Dog was passing by the camel with a stick in his mouth. The dog said, “Camel, fetch and carry like the rest of us.’ Humph! said the Camel. The Dog did not understand and went away and told his master. Soon, the Ox came to the camel with the yoke on his neck. The cow said, “Camel come and help us in ploughing the fields.” Humph! said the Camel. The Ox did not know what to do. So, she went to her master and told him everything.
At the end of the day, the master called the Horse, the Dog, and the Ox together. The master said, “I feel sorry for you three. But since the camel is not working, the three of you must work double-time to make up for it.” On hearing this, the three animals became very angry. The three had a lengthy discussion over it on the edge of the Desert. When the Camel came, he laughed at them and said ‘Humph!’ and went away again.
This time, the Djinn in charge of All Deserts came rolling in a cloud of dust and he stopped to listen to the discussion of the three animals. “Djinn of All Deserts! Is it right for any one to be idle, with the world so new-and-all?’,” said the Horse. The Djinn replied, “No!” The horse told him about the Howler Camel who had not done a stroke of work since Monday morning and that the camel always said ‘Humph!’. “That’s my Camel for all the gold in Arabia! What does he say about it?” cried Djinn. ” I’ll humph him if you will kindly wait a minute.” You may also like to read, The Dog In The Manger.
The Djinn rolled himself up in his dust-cloak and took a bearing across the desert. There, he found the lazy Camel who was looking at his own reflection in a pool of water. “Hey, my dear friend! what’s this I hear of your doing no work, with the world so new-and-all?” asked the Djinn. The camel as always replied, “Humph!”. The Djinn sat down with his chin in his hand and thought to cast a magic spell on the Camel.
“You were given three works but you didn’t complete them because of your laziness,” said the Djinn. “Humph!” said the Camel. Djinn ordered, “Complete the previous work as I want you to work.” But the Camel said ‘Humph!’ again. In no time, a big hump grew on the Camel’s back. “Do you see that? That’s your very own hump that you’ve brought upon your very own self by not working,” asked the Djinn.
“Go and accompany your friends in their work,” ordered Djinn. “How can I work with this hump on my back?” cried the Camel. That’s made for a purpose, said the Djinn, “Now you can work for three days without eating and drinking. If you would have worked in those three days, this hump would not have been placed. Come out of the Desert and go with your friends and behave. Humph, yourself!”
The camel humped himself and joined his three friends. And from that day, the Camel always wears a hump. He has not recovered the work of those three days which he missed at the beginning of the world, and he has never yet learned how to behave. Also, read Ali Baba And The Forty Thieves Story.
MORAL: COMPLETE YOUR WORK ON TIME BECAUSE BEING LAZY NEVER PAYS.
Here is a visual depiction of, “How The Camel Got His Hump Story”. See the video story below,
