A retelling of How Camel Got Its Hump from Just So Stories By Rudyard Kipling
Long, long ago, when the world was brand new, and animals were just starting to help humans, there was a Camel who lived alone at the edge of a huge, wild desert. This Camel didn’t want to work at all – he was super lazy! He spent his days munching on whatever desert plants he could find – dry grass, leaves from thorny acacia trees, and tough tamarisk shrubs.
The Camel was so lazy that he barely moved around. Whenever anyone tried to talk to him or ask him to do something, he would just say, “Humph!” That’s all he would say – just “Humph!” and nothing else.
One day, the Horse came to see the Camel. The Horse was wearing a saddle and had a bit in his mouth, ready for work. He said, “Hey Camel! Come on out and trot around with the rest of us. We all have jobs to do!โ

But the Camel just said, “Humph!” and nothing else.
The Horse left and told the Human about the lazy Camel.
A little while later, the Dog visited the Camel. The Dog had a stick in his mouth and said, “Camel, oh Camel! Come and help fetch and carry things like the rest of us do.”
But again, the Camel only said, “Humph!” and that was all.
The Dog went away and also told the Human about the Camel who wouldn’t work.
Next, the Ox came to talk to the Camel. The Ox was wearing a yoke around his neck, ready to plow the fields. He said to the Camel, “Come on, Camel! Join us and help plow the fields like we do.”

And just like before, the Camel replied with nothing but a “Humph!”
The Ox left, feeling frustrated, and went to tell the Human about the Camel’s behavior.
At the end of the day, the Human called the Horse, the Dog, and the Ox together and said, “My hardworking friends, with the world so new-and-all, Iโm sorry, but that Humph-thing in the desert canโt work, or he would have joined us by now. I am going to leave him alone, and I’m afraid you’ll have to work extra hard to make up for him.โ
This upset the three animals, so they decided to have a big meeting at the edge of the desert to discuss what to do. While they were talking, the Camel came by, slowly chewing on some desert plants and looking very lazy. He laughed at the other animals, said, “Humph!” once more, and then wandered away.
Just then, a magical creature called a Djinn appeared. The Djinn was in charge of all the deserts in the world. He came rolling in on a big cloud of dust (that’s how Djinns travel!). The Djinn stopped to talk with the three hardworking animals.

The Horse spoke up first. “Djinn of All Deserts,” he said, “is it right for anyone to be idle when there’s so much work to be done in this new world?”
โCertainly not,โ said the Djinn.
โWell,โ said the Horse, โthereโs a thing in your huge, wild desert with a long neck and long legs, and he hasnโt done any work at all. He wonโt even try to trot.โ
โWhew!โ said the Djinn, whistling, โthat must be my Camel! What does he say about it?โ
โHe says โHumph!โโ said the Dog, โand he wonโt fetch and carry.โ
โDoes he say anything else?โ
โOnly โHumph!โ and he wonโt plow,โ said the Ox.
โDonโt worry,โ said the Djinn. โIโll ‘humph’ him. Wait here for a minute.โ
The Djinn wrapped himself in his dust cloak and zoomed across the desert. He found the Camel lounging near a rare desert oasis, looking as lazy as ever.

“My long-necked friend,” said the Djinn. “whatโs this I hear of your doing no work, with the world so new and all. What do you have to say for yourself?”
The Camel just looked at the Djinn and said, โHumph!โ
The Djinn sat down on a sun-warmed rock, put his chin in his hand, and started to think of a magical plan. Meanwhile, the Camel went right back to dozing, completely ignoring the Djinn.
“You know,” said the Djinn, “you’ve caused the other animals to work extra hard because you’ve been so lazy.โ
“Humph!” said the Camel again.
“I wouldn’t say that again if I were you,” warned the Djinn. “You might say it once too often. Now listen, I want you to work.”
But the Camel, being stubborn, said “Humph!” one more time. As soon as he said it, something amazing happened. The Camel’s back, which he was so proud of, started to puff up and up. It grew into a big, wobbly lump!

“Do you see that?” asked the Djinn. “That’s your very own ‘humph’ that you’ve brought upon yourself by not working. Today is Thursday, and you haven’t done any work since Monday when everyone else started. Now you’re going to have to work.โ
“But how can I work with this big lump on my back?” asked the Camel, shocked.
“That lump is there for a reason,” explained the Djinn. “It’s because you missed three days of work. Now you’ll be able to work for three days without eating because you can use the food stored in your hump. So don’t say I never did anything for you! Now, go join the others, and behave yourself!โ
The Camel, now with his new hump, had no choice but to join the other animals and start working. And that’s why, to this very day, these humps help camels survive in the desert by storing food and water.
We call it a “hump” now instead of a “humph” so we don’t hurt their feelings.
Even today, camels might sometimes look relaxed, calmly chewing their cud in the desert sun. But don’t be fooled – these amazing animals are tough and hardworking, perfectly suited to life in challenging environments.

But their humps remind us all of an important lesson: it’s better to be helpful and hardworking than lazy and grumpy.
And here’s a fun little rhyme to remember this story by:
The camel’s hump is quite a sight,
You’ll see it standing tall.
But did you know that you and I
Can feel a bit like that at all?
When we have nothing much to do,
We might get grumpy, too.
We frown and moan and feel so glum,
That’s our own special hump, it’s true!
But there’s a simple cure, you see,
To chase that hump away.
Find something useful and fun to do,
To brighten up your day,
So, big or small, when you are able,
Remember this tale of the camel.
A little work goes a long way,
To keep our feelings stable!
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