How The Camel Got His Hump

                                                      

  
Characters: 
Narrator 1 
Narrator 2 
Camel 
Horse 
Dog 
Ox 
Man 
Djinn  

Narrator 2:  We would like to present How The Camel Got His Hump by Rudyard 
                     Kipling.  

Narrator 1:  (grandly, in sonorous tones) In the beginning of years, when the world                        
  was so new-and-all and the animals were just beginning to work for man, 

                  
  there was a camel. He lived in the middle of howling desert because he                         
 did not want to work; besides, he was a howler himself.  

Narrator 2:  So he ate sticks and thorns and tamarisks and milkweeds and prickles, 

                   
  most "scruciating idle". When anybody spoke to him he said, 

Camel:         Humph! 

Narrator 2:  and no more. 

Narrator 1:  Presently the horse came to himon Monday morning with a saddle on his                   
   back and a bit in his mouth. 

Horse:         Camel, O Camel, come out and trot like the rest of us. 

Camel:         Humph! 

Narrator 1:  And the horse went away and told the man. 

Narrator 2:  Presently the dog came to him with a stick in his mouth. 

Dog:            Camel, O Camel, come and fetch and carry like the rest of us. 

Camel:        Humph! 

Narrator 2:  And the dog went away and told the man. 

Narrator 1:  Presently the ox came to him with the yoke on his neck.  

Ox:              Camel, O Camel, come and plow like the rest of us. 

Camel:        Humph! 

Narrator 1:  And te ox went away and told the man. 

Narrator 2:  At the end of the day the man called the horse and the dog and the ox                         
  together. 

Man:           Three, O three, I'm very sorry for you (with the world so new-and-all); but                      
 that hump-thing in the desert can't work, or he would have been here by                       
now. I'm going to leave him alone, and you must work doubletime to                               
make up for it. 

Narrator 1:  That made the three very angry (with the world so new-and-all), and they                      
  held a palaver, and an indaba, and a punchayet, and a pow-wow on the                         
 edge  of the desert; and the camel came chewing milkweed most                                   

 "scrutiating idle", and laughed at them. 

Narrator 2:  Then he said, 

Camel:         Humph! 

Narrator 2:  and went away again. 

Narrator 1:  Presently there came along a djinn in charge of all deserts, rolling on a                       
  cloud of dust (djinns always travel that way becaus it is magic), and he                          
stopped to palaver and pow-wow with the three. 

Horse:          Djinn of All Deserts: Is it right for anyone to be idle with te world so new-                      
 and-all? 

Djinn:           (firmly) Certainly not. 

Horse:          Well, there's a thing in the middle of your howling desert (and he's a                            
  howler himself) with a long neck and long legs, and he hasn't done a                              
stroke of work since Monday morning. He won't trot.  

Djinn:          (whistling) Whew! That's my camel, for all the gold in Arabia! What does                       
 he say about it?  

Dog:            He says "Humph!" and he won't fetch and carry. 

Djinn:          Does he say anything else? 

Ox:              Only "Humph!" and he won't plow. 

Djinn:          Very good. I'll "humph" him if you will kindly wait a minute.  

Narrator 1:  The djinn rolled himself up in his dust cloak, and took a bearing across                         
 the desert, and found the camel most "scruciatingly idle" looking at his                         
 own reflection in the pool of water. 

Djinn:           My long and bubbling friend: What's this I hear of your doing no work                          
  with the world so new-and-all? 

Camel:          Humph! 

Narrator 2:  The djinn sat down with his chin in his hand and began to think a great                        
  magic, while the camel looked at his own reflectioni the pool of water. 

Djinn:           You've given the three extra work ever since Monday morning, all on                            
  account of your "scruciating idleness". 

Narrator 1:  The djinn went on thinking magics with his chin in his hand. 

Camel:         Humph!

Djinn:           I shouldn't say that again if I were you. You might say it once too often.                        
  Bubbles, I want you to work. 

Camel:         Humph! 

Narrator 2:  No sooner had the camel said, 

Camel:         Humph! 

Narrator 2: than he saw his back, that he was so proud of, puffing up and puffing up                     
                    into a great big lolloping humph. 

Djinn:          Do you see that? That's your very own humph that you've brought upon                       
 your very own self by not working. Today is Thursday, and you've done                       

no work since Monday when the work began. Now you are going to work.  

Camel:         (whining) How can I with this humph on my back? 

Djinn:          That's made a-purpose, all because you missed those three days. You                           
 will be able to work now for three days without eating because you can                         
 live on your humph. Don't you ever say I did anything for you. Come out                       
 of the desert and go to the three, and behave. Humph yourself! 

Narrator 1:  And the camel humphed himself, humph and all, and went away to join                       
 the three. And from that day to this the camel always wears a humph (we                       
call it "hump" now, not to hurt his feelings). 

Narrator 2:  But he has never yet caught up with the three days that he missed at the                      
  beginning of the world, and he has never yet learned how to behave.  

All:               Humph!