It was a curious and skeptical crowd that watched the strange cargo being unloaded at Powder Horn, Texas, that day in May, 1856. Nearly everyone called the scheme of importing camels for desert warfare and transportation "Jeff Davis' Folly." Only a few, such as Lieutenant Beale who was put in charge of the experiment, and young Obed Green, assistant veterinarian, were convinced that a camel corps would revolutionize the frontier tactics of the American Army.

The Government, eager to lay a transcontinental highway, had ordered Beale and his outfit to survey a wagon road over the unknown and hazardous territory between Fort Defiance, Arizona, and the Colorado River. Along with the perils of traveling through Indian country and over parched deserts was Obed's own struggle to convince the soldiers that the haughty animals were far superior to former means of transportation.

Around this unique and little-known episode in American history, Olive Burt has built a fascinating tale that skillfully combines all the thrills and excitement of wilderness travel with personal intrigue that reaches a startling climax.

From the dust jacket