once," he said to him, "and go and say to Cais: my father says that you
must this instant pay the wager, or he will come and seize the amount by
main force, and will bring trouble upon you." There was then present a
chief among the sheiks, who, hearing the order that Hadifah had given to
his son, said: "O Hadifah, are you not ashamed to send such a message to
the tribe of the Absians? Are they not our kindred and allies? Does this
proposal harmonize with the counsel and desire of allaying dissensions?
The genuine man shows gratitude for generosity and kindness. I think it
quite reasonable to expect that you desist from this perverse mood,
which will end in our total extermination. Cais has shown himself quite
impartial and has done wrong to no one; cherish, therefore, peace with
the horsemen of the tribe of Abs. Take warning from what happened to the
slave Dames; he struck Dahir, the horse of King Cais, and God punished
him at once; he is left bathed in his slavish blood. I beg you to listen
to none but wise counsels; act nobly, and abandon base designs. While
you are thus forewarned as to your situation, keep a prudent eye on your
affairs." This discourse rendered Hadifah furious. "Contemptible sheik!
Dog of a traitor!" he exclaimed. "What! Must I be in fear of Cais and
the whole tribe of the Absians? By the faith of an Arab, I will let all
men of honor know that if Cais refuse to send the camels I will not
leave one of his tents standing." The sheik was indignant, and to
increase the fear he would cast into the heart of Hadifah he spoke to
him in verses, to the following effect: "Insult is cowardliness, for it
takes by surprise him who is not expecting it, as the night enwraps
those who wander in the desert. When the sword shall once be drawn look
out for blows. Be just and do not clothe thyself with dishonor. Enquire
of those who know the fate of Themond and his tribe, when they committed
acts of rebellion and tyranny. They will tell you that a command of God
from on high destroyed them in one night, and on the morrow they lay
scattered on the ground, their eyes turned towards the sky."