ave thus distinguished, because of his wisdom,
rectitude, and noble heart. I am the slave of Cais, and am his property;
I intend to be the supporter of him whom I love, and the enemy of
whosoever resists him. It shall never be said, as long as I live, that I
have suffered an enemy to affront him. As to the conditions of this
wager, it is our duty to see them observed. The best thing, accordingly,
to do is to let the horses race unobstructed, for victory comes from the
creator of day and night. I make an oath, therefore, by the holy house
at Mecca, by the temple, by the eternal God, who never forgets his
servants and never sleeps, that if Hadifah commits any act of violence,
I will make him drink the cup of vengeance and of death; and will make
the whole tribe of Fazarah the byword of all the world. And you, Arab
chieftains, if you sincerely desire the race to take place, conduct
yourselves with justice and impartiality; otherwise, by the eyes of my
dear Ibla, I will make the horses run the race in blood." "Antar is
right," the horsemen shouted on all sides.

Hadifah chose, as the rider of Ghabra, a groom of the tribe of Dibyan.
This man had passed all his days and many of his nights in rearing and
tending horses. Cais, on the other hand, chose as rider of Dahir a groom
of the tribe of Abs, much better trained and experienced in his
profession than was the Dibyanian. When the two contestants had mounted
their horses King Cais gave this parting instruction to his groom: "Do
not let the reins hang too loosely in managing Dahir; if you see him
flag, stand up in your stirrups, and press his flanks gently with your
legs. Do not urge him too much, or you will break his spirit." Hadifah
heard this advice and repeated it, word for word, to his rider.

Antar began to laugh. "By the faith of an Arab," he said to Hadifah,
"you will be beaten. Are words so scarce that you are obliged to use
exactly those of Cais? But as a matter of fact Cais is a king, the son
of a king; he ought always to be imitated by others, and since you have
followed, word by word, his speech, it is a proof that your horse will
follow his in the desert."

At these words the heart of Hadifah swelled with rage and indignation,
and he swore with an oath that he would not let his horse run that day,
but that he wished the race to take place at sunrise, next morning. This
delay was indispensable to him in preparing the act of perfidy which he
meditated, for he ha