18 June 2007

Been thinking about work and not-work and howlers and, okay, Kipling.

...
'Djinn of All Deserts,' said the Horse, 'is it right for any one
to be idle, with the world so new-and-all?'

'Certainly not,' said the Djinn.

'Well,' said the Horse, '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.'

'Whew!' said the Djinn, whistling, 'that's my Camel, for all the
gold in Arabia! What does he say about it?'

'He says "Humph!"' said the Dog; 'and he won't fetch and carry.'

'Does he say anything else?'

'Only "Humph!"; and he won't plough,' said the Ox.

'Very good,' said the Djinn. 'I'll humph him if you will kindly
wait a minute.'

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 a pool of water.

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

'Humph!' said the Camel.

The Djinn sat down, with his chin in his hand, and began to think
a Great Magic, while the Camel looked at his own reflection in
the pool of water.

'You've given the Three extra work ever since Monday morning, all
on account of your 'scruciating idleness,' said the Djinn; and he
went on thinking Magics, with his chin in his hand.

'Humph!' said the Camel.

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

And the Camel said 'Humph!' again; but no sooner had he said it
than he saw his back, that he was so proud of, puffing up and
puffing up into a great big lolloping humph.

'Do you see that?' said the Djinn. 'That's your very own humph
that you've brought upon your very own self by not working.
To-day is Thursday, and you've done no work since Monday, when
the work began. Now you are going to work.'

'How can I,' said the Camel, 'with this humph on my back?'

'That's made a-purpose,' said the Djinn, '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; and don't you
ever say I never did anything for you. Come out of the Desert
and go to the Three, and behave. Humph yourself!'

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); 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.

(excerpt from How the Camel Got His Hump)

No comments: