Long ago, when the world was new and the Animals were just beginning to work for Man, there was a Camel. He lived in the middle of a desert because he did not want to work.
One day, the Horse came to him, with a saddle on his back, and said, "Camel, come out and trot like the rest of us."
"Humph!" said the Camel.
Soon, the Dog came to him, with a stick in his mouth, and said, "Camel, come and fetch and carry like the rest of us."
"Humph!" said the Camel.
Presently the Ox came to him, with the yoke on his neck, and said, "Camel, come and plough like the rest of us."
"Humph!" said the Camel.
So the Man told the Horse, Dog, and Ox that they would have to work double-time to make up for the Camel. Then, a Genie in charge of All Deserts rolled in on a cloud of dust. The Three complained to him about the Camel's laziness. The Genie agreed that it was wrong for the Camel to do no work while they had to work twice as hard.
"My friend," said the Genie to the Camel, "what's this I hear of your doing no work?"
"Humph!" said the Camel.
No sooner had he said it than he saw his back puffing up into a great big humph. "That's your very own humph that you've brought upon yourself," said the Genie. "Now get to work."
From that day the Camel wears a humph, or as we call it now, a hump.
