Helen knelt beside her lover ready to help, and the men stood far back against the wall making bets upon the outcome of it all, watching the stupendous picture, full of admiration for the white people, who had tackled the situation without hesitation, whilst the grooms flung themselves into the seething mass of dogs and fought to dominate them.
And the dogs far back in the hall, who fought to get forward, flung themselves on the men against the wall and on the grooms, then, losing the woman’s scent in the male garments, sat back and howled and barked and fought each other, until the place was like a corner of hell let loose.
Rādi the bitch, in one last effort of revenge, made a sudden rush and making a spring-board of the Nubian’s body, with a wonderful leap, which brought shouts of approval from the men, landed on the top of the dais at Helen’s side.
With the Arabian’s scent strong in her pointed nose, she rushed to where she crouched and turned and ripped Helen’s coat as the girl flung herself sideways and caught her by the neck, calling to her, hanging on to her with both hands. The bitch recognized the voice she had learned to obey in love, and turned suddenly and thrust her muzzle into Helen’s neck and hands, just as the head groom shouted from the body of the hall.
“Whistle, Excellency,” he shouted. “The madness is past. They obey. Whistle to them, then with thy hand upon the bitch’s neck, I beseech thee to lead the way to the kennels.”
“Yea! Excellency!” yelled the different men from the kennels and the stables, as they stood holding on to a struggling dog with each hand. “They will follow thy whistle, loving thee.”
Helen laughed as she led Rādi to the top step, looking like “Diana of the Uplands” in a strange setting as the splendid greyhound strained to get down to her companions.
She gave a long, low whistle, upon which every dog fought as frenziedly to get to her in love as they had fought to get to the Arabian in hate.
“Hold them!” she cried. “I will whistle them back to the kennels.”
Which words were heard and taken up by a child standing outside in the shadows, and passed on to the women, who, with a hate in their hearts even greater than that of the dogs for the Arabian, had crept from their quarters and half-way up the steps to the Hall of Judgment.