A gentle bedtime story to help you fall asleep — read slowly and softly by Martin, for anyone lying awake in need of something kind to drift off to.
Tonight's reading is How the Camel Got His Hump, one of Rudyard Kipling's best-loved Just So Stories, first published in 1902 and long out of copyright.
It's a warm, funny little tale from the beginning of the world, when the animals were only just starting to work alongside people. A camel lives out in the middle of the desert doing absolutely nothing, answering everything that is said to him with a single word — until the Djinn in charge of all deserts comes rolling by in his cloud of dust and settles the matter once and for all.
The story
Transcribed from the audio, so the odd word may be off. Tap any line while it plays to keep the words in step with Martin's voice.
Books at bedtime by calming anxiety. How the camel got his hump by radyard Kipling. Now this is the next tale and it tells us how the camel got his big hump. In the beginning of years, when the world was so new and all, and the animals were just beginning to work for men, there was a camel and he lived in the middle of the hallowing desert because he did not want to work and besides he was a howler himself.
So he ate sticks and films and tamarruks and milkweed and prickles, most excruciating idle and when anybody spoke to him he said, "Humph, just hump and no more."
Presently, the horse came to him on Monday morning with a saddle on his back and a bit in his mouth and said, "Camel, O camel, come out and trotth like the rest of us." "Humph," said the camel and the horse went away and told the man. Presently the dog came to him with a stick in his mouth and said, "Camel, O camel, come and fetch and carry like the rest of us." "Humph," said the camel and the dog went away and told the man.
Presently, the ox came to him with a yoke on his neck and said, "Camel, O camel, come and plow like the rest of us." "Humph," said the camel and the ox went away and told the man. At the end of the day, the man called the horse and the dog and the ox together and said, "Three, oh 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.
So I'm going to leave him alone and you must do double work time to make up for it. That made the three very angry, what with the world so new and all and they held a party on the edge of the desert with a power well and the camel came chewing on milkweed, most cruciatingly idle and laughed at them then he said, "Pump," and went away again.
Presently, they came along the gin in charge of all deserts rolling in a cloud of dust. Gin's always travelled that way because it is magic and he stopped and he stopped at the power well with the three. Gin of all desert said the horse, "Is it right for anyone to be idle with the world so new and all?" "Certainly not," said the gin.
"Well," said the horse, "there's a thing in the middle of your howling desert and he's a howling himself with a long neck and long legs and he hasn't done a stroke of work since Monday morning. He won't trot." "Phew," said the gin, whistling, "that's my camel. For all the gold in Arabia, what does he say about it?"
He says, "Hump," said the dog and he won't fetch and carry. Does he say anything else? Only hump and he won't plow," said the ox. Very good said Gin.
"I'll hump him if you will kindly wait a minute." The gin rolled himself up in his dust cloak and took a bearing across the desert and found the camel most cruciatingly idle. Humping at his own reflection in a pool of water, "my long and babbling friends," said the gin. "What's this I hear of you doing no work with the world so new and all?"
"Hump," said the camel. The gin 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 "scrush-eating" eyewitness, said the gin and he went on thinking magics with his chin in his hand. Hump said the camel.
"I shouldn't say that again if I were you," said the gin, "well you might say it once up too often, bubble, I want you to work." And the camel said Hump again, but no sooner had he said it, that he saw his back, that he was so proud of, puffing and puffing up into a great big, lullaping hump. "Do you see that?" said the gin. "That's your very own hump 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, are you going to work?" "How can I," said the camel, "with this hump on my back?" "That's made a purpose," said the gin, "all because you missed those three days, you'll be able to work now for three days without eating, because you can live on your hump."
And don't say, "I ever did anything for you." Come out to the desert and go to the three and behave, hump yourself. And the camel humped himself. Hump for all and went away to join the three.
And from that day to this, the camel always wears a hump, although we call it a hump now, not to hurt its fear. But he is never yet caught up with the three days that he missed at the beginning of the world. And he is never yet learnt how to behave.