A CAMEL FIGHT.

Manawatu Times, Volume LXIV, Issue 162, 16 July 1907, Page 6

A CAMEL FIGHT.

A visitor to the Philippine Islands thus describes a rare and exciting spectacle he witnessed while staying there—a fight to the death between two camels. One of the camel?, he said, wag an Indian bull of great agility, the other a powerlul Booth Australian draught bull. After some preliminary skirmishing the Australian camel planted his leg 3 firmly and waited for the onslaught of the more nimble Indian animal. With a spring of tremen- | dous swiftness the Indian dashed forward, and, seizing the right fere leg of his antagonist in his jaws, endeavoured to throw him to the ground. But the big Australian waß evidently familiar with this meoeeuvre, tor liko a flash he dropped to hi 3 knee iind seivsd the Indian by the withers, throwing him to earth and tearing away r,hp. flesh. jjftfSAfter that the big fellow bounded to his feet and threw himself on to the smaller camel. The latter, however, was tco nimble to- be caught. Evading the attack, he caught the Australian by the heel and threw him with a mighty thud on his back on the ground. Then he tried to pin the fallen camel to the earth, but the Australian, knowing that once pinned down he would never rise again, fought fcenziedly with teeth and legs, and recovered his feet. Swift and active as the Indian camel was, he could not escape several severe bites, although he left terrible marks on the body of hia enemy. At times the combatants were barely visible amidst the clouds of dust they threw up In the end weight and endurance proved superior to skill and agility, as is often the case in warfare. A tremendous charge of the big camel hurled the Indian to earth, and before he could recover the attacker descended on him with terrific force, orushing the life out of him. But as the old Latin author expresses it, it was a " pyrrhio victory," that is to say, the conqueror suffered as severely as the conquered. The big oame)| in fact, was so torn and battered that it had to be shot. Needless to say we watched this battle of giants from a safe distance. Any human being who got mixed up with a camel fight would be speedily reduced to pulp.