such behavior as _that_";
and just then the Admiral pretended he had just caught sight of her and
said, with a patronizing air, "Ah! How d' ye do? How d' ye do?" as if
they hadn't met for quite a while.

"You know perfectly well how I do, and I consider that a very foolish
remark," replied Dorothy, speaking in a very dignified manner, and not
feeling at all pleased with this reception; and then noticing that
Humphrey was nowhere to be seen, she said severely, "Where's your
Camel?"

"Camels is no good," said the Admiral, evasively. "Leastwise _he_
wasn't."

"Why not?" said Dorothy. She said this very sternly, for she felt
morally certain that the Admiral was trying to conceal something from
her.

"Well, you see," said the Admiral, uneasily, "he talked too much. He was
always grumbling."

"Grumbling about what?" said Dorothy.

"Oh, about a wariety of things," said the Admiral. "Meals and lodgings
and all that, you know. I used to try to stop him. 'Cammy,' I says--"

"'Cammy' is short for camel," explained Sir Walter, and Dorothy laughed
and nodded, and the Admiral went on--

"'Cammy,' I says, 'don't scold so much'; but lor! I might as well have
talked to a turnpike-gate."

"Better," put in Sir Walter. "_That_ shuts up sometimes, and _he_ never
did."

"Oh, jummy!" said the Highlander, with a chuckle, "_that's_ a good one!"

"But what was it all about?" persisted Dorothy.

"_You_ tell her, Ruffles," said the Admiral.

"Well," said Sir Walter, "it was all the same thing, over and over
again. He had it all in verses so he wouldn't forget any of it. It went
like this:

"Canary-birds feed on sugar and seed,
Parrots have crackers to crunch;
And, as for the poodles, they tell me the noodles
Have chickens and cream for their lunch.
But there's never a question
About MY digestion--
ANYTHING does for me!

"Cats, you're aware, can repose in a chair,
Chickens can roost upon rails;
Puppies are able to sleep in a stable,
And oysters can slumber in pails.
But no one supposes
A poor Camel dozes--
ANY PLACE does for me!

"Lambs are inclosed where it's never exposed,
Coops are constructed for hens;
Kittens are treated to houses well heated,
And pigs are protected by pens.
But a Camel comes handy
Wherever it's sandy--
ANYWHERE does for me!

"People would laugh if you rode a giraffe