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Show Blowlnj Cp Camel. Moorish traders in camels seem to be no mure honest than Yankee traders in horr.es have the reputation of In-ing. The author of "Among the Arabs" di-scribef as follows one of their tricks, which, according ac-cording to his account, only on expert is likely to detect. On one uccn-sion, while in an And) village, he declared bis intention inten-tion of buying a young eunicl. No sooner had his ileam In-come known than al least twenty camels were brought for bis inspection. They were all tine looking animals, in excellent condition, ay parent ly. In fact, the only fault our Frenchman could perceive was that they were too fat. After a proper amount of deliberation and bargaining, he selected the one winch appeared to be the leanest, and paid the price agreed upon. The next morning, when he went to look at his fat canieF he found a living skeleton, on whose almost Uesbless bones the skin bung In large folds, and whoso best development de-velopment was about the joints. The method by which the camels are suddenly "fattened" for the market is thus descrilted: An incision about an inch Ui length is made in each ear between be-tween the ttkin and the flesh. Into tins a small tube is litted and secured by a silk cord. There it remains, hidden from tho observation of all but the initiated and ready for uso at any moment. When a merchant who is not acquainted with the blowing up ti'ick comes to buy a camel the dealer takes two tubes, each n yard long, and inscrlingone end of each in the small tubes just described, through the other ends two Arabs blow witli all their might, until the animal has attained the requisite degree of plumpness. The inflating in-flating tubes are then withdrawn, and the air is prevented from escaping by means of a cork smeared with pitch. Tho poor animal now becomes, apparently, appar-ently, quite lively and frisky, trying to throw itself on the ground, or to press against tho wall or a tree, or whatever other object may bo at band, so as to get rid of tho wind. Sometimes it manages to elude the vigilance of the Arab, and if the cork is not very securely fastened the wind escapes with a whistle liUe that of a steam engine and the fine looking beast i suddenly collapses. Springfield Kepub- ! bean. |