Camel Rider
Teachers’ Notes Written by Bronwyn Owen
CAMEL RIDER
By Prue Mason
Overview
For Adam, living with his pilot father and family in an expatriate compound in Abudai in the Arabian Gulf, life could not be easier. But when war breaks out, Adam finds himself alone and attempting to find his way back to the abandoned compound to save his dog, Tara, who has been left in the mad rush to escape across the boarder. We also meet Walid, living a miserable life as a camel rider in a camp on the outskirts of Abudai. His father is dead and his mother works in Abudai, and he must win enough money racing camels to buy his freedom and return to his mother. By showing kindness to a camel due to foal he is responsible for her accidental death, and for this he is taken to a cave out in the desert, hobbled at hands and feet, and left to die by the cruel men who he was sold to. Dazed and delirious from the desert heat, Adam has finished his water and is close to passing out when he comes across Walid, hoping at first that he might be saved, but then realising that Walid has been tied up and abandoned in the desert. Together the two boys manage to capture a mountain goat, which they milk and then kill for the meat, to keep them alive. Although they do not understand each other’s language, and both assume the other is a fool, they somehow are able to work together to stay alive. Just when things seem to be going well, they are discovered by the two men from Walid’s camel camp – Old Goat and Breath of dog, as Walid calls them – who attack the boys and try to kill them. Somehow Adam and Walid manage to escape and continue their journey towards Abudai. The two boys face instances of real danger and come close to losing their lives on several occasions, but by working together they are finally returned to the compound and to safety. Adam discovers that his family had offered a reward for the boys’ safe return, and it was this that led to Old Goat and Breath of Dog finally taking them back
CAMEL RIDER
By Prue Mason
Overview
For Adam, living with his pilot father and family in an expatriate compound in Abudai in the Arabian Gulf, life could not be easier. But when war breaks out, Adam finds himself alone and attempting to find his way back to the abandoned compound to save his dog, Tara, who has been left in the mad rush to escape across the boarder. We also meet Walid, living a miserable life as a camel rider in a camp on the outskirts of Abudai. His father is dead and his mother works in Abudai, and he must win enough money racing camels to buy his freedom and return to his mother. By showing kindness to a camel due to foal he is responsible for her accidental death, and for this he is taken to a cave out in the desert, hobbled at hands and feet, and left to die by the cruel men who he was sold to. Dazed and delirious from the desert heat, Adam has finished his water and is close to passing out when he comes across Walid, hoping at first that he might be saved, but then realising that Walid has been tied up and abandoned in the desert. Together the two boys manage to capture a mountain goat, which they milk and then kill for the meat, to keep them alive. Although they do not understand each other’s language, and both assume the other is a fool, they somehow are able to work together to stay alive. Just when things seem to be going well, they are discovered by the two men from Walid’s camel camp – Old Goat and Breath of dog, as Walid calls them – who attack the boys and try to kill them. Somehow Adam and Walid manage to escape and continue their journey towards Abudai. The two boys face instances of real danger and come close to losing their lives on several occasions, but by working together they are finally returned to the compound and to safety. Adam discovers that his family had offered a reward for the boys’ safe return, and it was this that led to Old Goat and Breath of Dog finally taking them back