LONG, LONG AGO

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 9 March 1935, Page 10

LONG, LONG AGO

THE CAMEL’S ODD SHAPE Long, long ago, at the very beginning of things, Zeus, the father of the gods, -made ail the animals. He was rather pioad of them when he had made them, and most ’ of all he was pioud of the horse. He liked the grace of its body when it ran, and the way that- its head was set on its shoulders. Ife liked everything about it. But the horse did not like itself. The more it thought about the way in which it had been made, the more it thought if could have been done better. Zeus was very disappointed when •the-horse went ho him and told him that he wanted to be -made differently. A‘l- cannot understand it,” said Zeus. “Tell me what is wrong.” “Oh,” .-said ,tire-horse, “a lot of things are wrong. I ought to have much longer legs. I really cannot move neatly ■■•'fast'enough on these. It is most annoying. And I ought to have a saddle Teady-made on. my back, saddled, and I do dislike being saddled, saddled, and do dislike being saddled. Besides, it wastes such a lot. of time. Why did you not make me properly to begin with?” ' , . .. “I see,” said Zeus thoughtfully. “Is there anything else?”. “Well,' there is just one thing,” said the horse, a little shamefacedly, “I should so much like to have a neck like a swan. It would be much more .graceful.” Zeus thought for a time. He did not want to lose his horse or have it discontented.

“I will teH you what I will do, ’’ ho said. “I.will make an animal just like- you want, to be, and then you can have a look at it, and see what you think.”

Even while he spoke a strange shape had eOme to stand beside him. It was the--colour of sand and. on its baek there was a great hump. Its legs were long, hut they looked so ungainly, and its horse-like head was stuck on the end of the most ridiculous neck. “Move,” said Zeus, and the creature moved. It was strange how swiftly and easily and noiselessly it went. When it had come back Zeus turned to the horse. But the horse was looking at the new creature as if it had been stunned.

“Well?” said Zeus, But the horse did not stay to answer. It was taking no risks. With a cry of horror and fear it turned and fled. Zeus turned back to the creature he had.made. .; “There is no doubt,” lie said" to himself," “that it is a. little strange to look at, but it isn’t such a bad-animal after all. It will' be able to do many things that the horse cannot do. I will put it in the desert, where swiftness and endurance are needed. Tliere; it, too; will be a friend to men.”

So that was how the camel got its strange shape and went to dwell in the desert, and how the horse is one of the most patient of animals. You see, it never knows What will happen to it if it complains again.

No Out-of-Works. Germany has enormously reduced her unemployed in the last two years and is steadily training and aiding all those still unemployed. Wherever men are still unemployed they are being trained to be useful. The labour camps, where all young people of all classes are expected to serve"th'eir turn, are said to be successful; and it is an imposing flight to see them drilling with spades instead of rifles. Dog 1 in Command., A bmve strange story eomes from Germany about two seamen and a dog. The men were taking a small vessel from Norway to Hamburg. Heavy seas were running, and one of the men, who was at the helm, was washed overboard. The other man now had to decide to leave his friend to his fate or desert the ship and risk his own life. Quickly he stopped the engines, lowered a boat, and, jumping down into it, went to the Tescue .of his messmate.

The ship, with the dog in command, was. driven by wind and waves away from the struggling men, and went ashore on the island of Luderum.

After a long battle tne man who fell overboard was hauled into tne boat, and by pluck, seamanship, and hardihood, he and his companion, 19 hours after abandoning their ship, reached .Luderum and- rejoined her. The dog, we can be certain, almost wagged his- tail off. Yet when his friends came on board again they took away his greatness. Surely it is a great thing for a dog to command, a ship, and there cannot be many dogs that have risen to this lonely height.