869. Horses were used largely for battle purposes. They were a war symbol of power and strength. They weren't as strong or as capable as the donkeys, camels, and cattle to serve as beasts of burden.
870. Jericho, an imposing fortress near where the Jordan enters the Dead Sea, stood in the way of the Israelites, but with the blasts of the ram's horn, or shofar, the walls tumbled down. Ancient breeds of sheep often grew huge horns from which musical instruments were made. The horn was heated with steam until it was soft enough for its natural curve to be straightened out. Then the wide end where the horn had been attached to the ram was bent at almost a right angle.
871. The camel had not yet reached Egypt when Abraham visited, according to the findings of archaeologists. It was common in the Fertile Crescent where Abraham's servant was sent to find a bride for his son Isaac. In Genesis 24:12-21, the servant came upon Rebekah who, in offering to water the servant's camels, showed herself to be God's choice for Isaac.
872. The Biblical camel is the one-humped kind, often called a dromedary. Camels are desirable animals only to people who live in deserts because they are excellently adapted to the conditions there. But most of the ancient world preferred other beasts of burden such as donkeys, horses, and oxen. The camel has only one baby every three years, and sometimes fewer than that. Its ability to learn is meager, and it is impossible to train one to respond as well as a horse. It is so bad tempered (especially the males) that Roman soldiers kept them outside the walls of their posts.
873. It is true that a thirsty camel can drink enormous amounts of water very fast, about twenty-five gallons in approximately ten minutes. It is also true that a camel can travel four days without taking a single drink of water. It is not true, however, that water is stored in its hump. The camel's hump actually stores food. It is a mass of muscle around which fat accumulates. A camel can be fed at the beginning of a trip and not again until the end. After a long, hard journey, the hump shrinks and it flops to one side.
