They would eat a tombstone if they could bite it. A thistle grows about

here which has needles on it that would pierce through leather, I think;

if one touches you, you can find relief in nothing but profanity. The

camels eat these. They show by their actions that they enjoy them. I

suppose it would be a real treat to a camel to have a keg of nails for

supper.

While I am speaking of animals, I will mention that I have a horse now by

the name of "Jericho." He is a mare. I have seen remarkable horses

before, but none so remarkable as this. I wanted a horse that could shy,

and this one fills the bill. I had an idea that shying indicated spirit.

If I was correct, I have got the most spirited horse on earth. He shies

at every thing he comes across, with the utmost impartiality. He appears

to have a mortal dread of telegraph poles, especially; and it is

fortunate that these are on both sides of the road, because as it is now,

I never fall off twice in succession on the same side. If I fell on the

same side always, it would get to be monotonous after a while. This

creature has scared at every thing he has seen to-day, except a haystack.

He walked up to that with an intrepidity and a recklessness that were

astonishing. And it would fill any one with admiration to see how he

preserves his self-possession in the presence of a barley sack. This

dare-devil bravery will be the death of this horse some day.

He is not particularly fast, but I think he will get me through the Holy

Land. He has only one fault. His tail has been chopped off or else he

has sat down on it too hard, some time or other, and he has to fight the

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The Innocents Abroad