At the beginning of time, when the world was very young and the animals began to share the work to help man, there was a camel that refused to work. The very lazy man spent the day lying on the sand, sunbathing and chewing sticks. Every time someone spoke to him, he replied:

“Don’t bother me!”

On Monday, a horse appeared with saddle and bit on, and said:

—Camel, come with me and run like we all do.

“Don’t bother me!” replied the camel.

And the horse went away and told the man everything.

On Tuesday, the dog came to see him with a stick in his mouth and said:

—Camel, look for and carry things like we all do.

“Don’t bother me!” replied the camel.

And the dog went away and told the man everything.

On Wednesday, the ox with the yoke around its neck went to see him and said:

—Camel, come and plow like we all do.

“Don’t bother me!” replied the camel dryly.

And the ox went away and told the man everything.

At the end of the day, the man called the horse, dog and ox and said to them:

“I’m sorry the camel doesn’t want to help you.” He is terribly lazy and I can’t help but leave him alone. Therefore, you will have to do your job.

These words greatly infuriated the trio of animals. So it was, when a genie appeared flying in a cloud of dust and stopped before them.

—Desert genius, do you think it’s fair that, being this world so new, someone can be so lazy? said the horse.

-Of course not! —replied the genie— I imagine you are talking about the camel. He’s the only one I’ve seen wandering.

—Yes, it’s the camel I’m talking about, every time we ask him to work he says: “Don’t bother me!” said the dog. And he doesn’t want to pick things up and bring them back to the man either.

“Did he say anything else?” asked the genie.

“No, he just says, ‘Don’t bother me,’ and he doesn’t want to plow the land either,” added the ox.

“Very well,” said the genie, “in a moment you will see how I will give the camel his well-deserved lesson.”

The genie wrapped himself in his cloud of dust and went to look for the camel. The next day, he found him lying on the sand doing absolutely nothing and told him:

—Friend camel, is it true that you refuse to collaborate with the tasks of this new world?

“Don’t bother me!” replied the camel.

The camel’s insolence took the genius by surprise. With his finger on his chin he began to think of a powerful spell. The camel had risen to admire his reflection in a pool of water.

—Because of your laziness, you have made the three animals have to work more.

“Don’t bother me!” exclaimed the camel.

“Don’t say that to me again,” the genie warned. I order you to get to work immediately!

The camel looked at the genie and said again:

“Don’t bother me!”

But just by saying it, he saw how his back, which he was so proud of, swelled and swelled into a huge hump.

“Do you see what happened to you?” said the genius. It is the hump that you yourself have put on yourself for being lazy. Today is Thursday and since Monday you haven’t done anything.

“How do you want me to work with this hump on my back?” asked the camel.

“That hump has a purpose,” replied the genie, “and all because you’ve wasted three days.” Now you can work three days without eating, because you can live off your hump; And don’t say I haven’t done anything for you. Get out of the desert, go with the three animals and behave yourself.

Since that day, the camel walks with its hump on its back. Although being somewhat vain, she prefers to be called humpback.