How the Camel Got His Hump

At the very beginning of the world, when everything was still fresh and new and slightly damp, all the animals were learning to help. All the animals except one.

The Camel.

The Camel lived out in the Howling Desert, where the sand was hot and the sky was huge. He ate prickly bushes and thorny twigs, because he liked them, and he did no work at all.

Whenever anybody spoke to him — anybody at all — he said one thing and one thing only.

'Humph.'

That was it. He would not say hello. He would not say goodbye. He would not say please or thank you. He said 'Humph,' and that was that.

On Monday morning, the Horse came trotting up. 'Camel,' said the Horse, 'come and trot with me. There's carrying to be done.'

'Humph,' said the Camel.

The Horse sighed and trotted off.

On Tuesday morning, the Dog came bouncing up with a stick in his mouth. 'Camel,' said the Dog, 'come and fetch with me. There's finding to be done.'

'Humph,' said the Camel.

The Dog sighed and bounced off.

On Wednesday morning, the Ox came plodding up. 'Camel,' said the Ox, 'come and plough with me. There's digging to be done.'

'Humph,' said the Camel.

The Ox sighed and plodded off.

Now on Thursday morning, when the Horse and the Dog and the Ox had been doing double the work for four days, along came the Djinn who was in charge of All Deserts. He rolled up in a whirl of golden dust, the way djinns do.

'Camel,' said the Djinn, 'I've been hearing all about you. Why aren't you helping?'

The Camel looked at his own reflection in a pool of water. He thought his reflection looked very handsome.

'Humph,' said the Camel.

'I wouldn't say that again if I were you,' said the Djinn.

'Humph,' said the Camel — because he had not been listening.

And with a little pop and a great big whoosh, the Camel's back began to swell up. It swelled and it wobbled and it grew and it lolloped, until there was an enormous round hump sitting right between his shoulders.

'That,' said the Djinn, 'is your very own Humph. You've made it yourself, by not helping. You may keep it forever.'

The Camel looked round at his back. 'But how am I supposed to work with THIS on me?' he cried.

'Ah,' said the Djinn, smiling. 'Your Humph is magic. You can live off it for three whole days without eating. So you'd better come and catch up on all the work you missed.'

And off went the Camel to join the others, wobbling as he walked.

And that is why, from that day to this, every camel carries a hump on his back. Some people call it a hump; but its real name, if you ask a Djinn, is a Humph.