)i \ 3 . CONQUEST OF GRANADA. — PEOPLE'S EDITION. -J^- -LlOUE I^HRONICLE or TUB CONQUEST OF GRANADA. FROM THE MSS. OF FRAY ANTONIO AGAPII>A BY WASPnXGTON IRVING. AUTHOR'S REVISED EDITIOV NE-W YORK G. P. PUTNAM^S SONS 182 FIFTH AVENUE r< H' Entered, according to Act of Congress, In the year 1850, bj Washington Irvinq, 111 tUu Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Cn^ed States, lot the Southern District of New York. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. PAsa Of the Kingdom of Granada, and the Tribute which it 1 j>aid to the Castilian Crown CHAPTER II. }f the Embassy of Don Juan de Vera to demand Arreara of Tribute from the Moorish Monarch ... 9 CHAPTER III. I>)Ciastic Feuds in the Alhambra. — Rival Sultanas. — Pr».diction3 concerning Boabdil, the Heir to the Ihrone. — How Ferdinand meditates War against Granada, and how he is anticipated .... IS CHAPTER IV. Expedition of Muley Abul Hassan against the Fortress of Zahara 20 CHAPTER V. riXpedition of the Mi..-ques of Cadiz against Alhama . 26 CHAPTER TL How the People of Granada were affected on hearing of the Capture of Alhama; and how the Moorish King sallied forth to regain it 39 vi CONTENTS. CHAPTER VII. PAoa How the Duke of Medina Sidonia, and the Chivalry of Andalusia, hastened to the Relief of Alhama . . 47 CHAPTER VIII. Sequel of the Events at Alhama . . » . • 52 CHAPTER IX. Events at Granada, and Rise of the Moorish King Boab- dil el Chico 59 CHAPTER X. Royal Expedition against Loxa 63 CHAPTER XI. How Muley Abul Hassan made a Foray into the Lands of Medina Sidonia, and how he was received . . 74 CHAPTER XII. Foray of Spanish Cavaliers among the Mountains of Malaga . . . • 83 CHAPTER Xni. Effects of the Disasters among the Jlountaics of Malaga 100 CHAPTER XIV. How King Boabdil el Chico marched over the Border . 105 CHAPTER XV. Dow the Count de Cabra sallied forth from his Castle in Quest of King Boabdil 110 CHAPTER XVI. The Battle of Lucena 117 CONTENTS. vil CHAPTER XVII. Lamentations of the Moors for the Buttle of Lucena . 127 CHAPTER XVIII. How Muley Abul Hassan profited by the Misfortunes of his Son Boabdil 133 CHAPTER XIX. Captivity cf Boabdil el Chico 136 CHAPTER XX. Of the Treatment of Boabdil by the Castilian Sovereigns 142 CHAPTER XXI. Betom of Boabdil from Captivity 147 CHAPTER XXII. Foray of the Moorish Alcaydes, and Battle of Lopera . 154 CHAPTER XXIII. Retreat of Hamet el Zegri, Alcayde of Ronda . . • 166 CHAPTER XXIV. Of the Reception at Court of the Count de Cabra and the Alcayde de los Donceles 171 CHAPTER XXV. How the IMarques of Cadiz concerted to surprise Zahara, and the Result of his Enterprise .... 178 CHAPTER XXVI. Of the Fortress of Alhama, and how wisely it was gov- erned by the Count de Tendilla . . • . 186 Vifl CONTENTS. CHAPTER XXVII. PASl Foray of Christian Knights into the Territory of the iloors , , 19Q CHAPTER XXVIII. Attempt of El Zagal to surprise Boabdil in Almeria . 198 CHAPTER XXIX. How King Ferdinand commenced another Campaign against the Moors, and how he laid Siege to Coin and Cartama 203 CHAPTER XXX. Siege of Ronda 219 CHAPTER XXXI. How the People of Granada invited El Zagal to the Throne, and how he marched to the Capital . . 218 CHAPTER XXXII. How the Count de Cabra attempted to capture another King, and how ho fared in his Attempt . . . 224 CHAPTER XXXIII. Expedition against the Castles of Cambil and Alabahar 233 CHAPTER XXXIV. Efitirprlse of the Knights of Calatrava against Zalea . 243 CHAPTER XXXV. Death of Muley Abul Hassan 248 CHAPTER XXXVI. *ff the Christian Army which assembled at the City of (yordova . . , 251 Cy.N TENTS. \X CHAPTER XXXVII. PAOa How fresh Comtnotians broke out in Granada, and how tbo Peojile uudirtook to allay them .... 261 CHAl'TEIi XXXVIII. How King Ferd'naiul held a Council of War, at the iiock of the Lovers ....■•• 265 CHAPTER XXXIX. How the Royal Army appeartd before tf/e Ci*v of Loxa, and how it was received; and of the doughty Achievoraents of the English Earl .... 269 CHAPTER XL. , Conclusion of the Siege of Loxa 276 CHAPTER XLI. Capture of niora . . ; 280 CHAPTER XLII. 0/ the Arrival of Queen Isabella at the Camp before Moclin; and of the Pleasant Sayings of the English Earl 284 CHAPTER XLIII. flow King Ferdinand attacked Moclin, and of the strange Events that attended its Capture .... 290 CHAPTER XLIV. How King Ferdinand foraged the Vega: and of the Bat- tle of the Bridge of Pinos, and the Fate of the two Moorish Brothers ... ... 29fl CHAPTER XLV. Attempt of El Zagal upon the Life of Boabdil, and how the latter was roused to Action . . • . 304 t: CONTENTS. CHAPTER XLVI. PAaa How IBoabdil returned secretly to Granada, and ho-vv he was received. — Second Embassy of Don Juan du Vera, and his Perils in the Alhambra . . • 308 CHAPTER XLVn. Hew King Ferdinand laid Siege to Velez Malaga . . 317 CHAPTER XLVIH. How King Ferdinand and his Army were e:iposed to imminent Peril, before Velez Malaga . . . 328 CHAPTER XLIX. Result of the Strata^r:-..! of El Zagal to surprise King Fi LjiV* 334 CHAPTER L. How- the People of Granada rewarded the Valor of El Zagal . 3W CHAPTER LI. Surrerder of Velez Malaga and other Places . . 344 CHAPTER LH. Of the C.\y of Malaga, and its Inhabitants. — Mission of Hcniando del Pulgar 347 CHAPTER LHI. Advance of King Ferdinand against Malaga . . • 351 CHAPTER LIV. Siege of Malaga 361 CHAPTER LV. Siege of Malaga continued. — Obstinacy of Hamet el Zegri 36S CONTENTS. XX CHAPTEU LVr. Pisa Attack of the JIarques of Cadiz upon Gibralfaro . . 36'J CHAPTER LVII. Siege of ifalaga continued. — Stratagems 61 various Kinds S73 CHAPTER LVIII. Sufferings of the People of JIalaga 379 CHAi'TER LIX. IIov/ a Moorish Sunton undertook to deliver the City of Malaga from the Power of its Enemies . • . ^84 CHAPTER LX. How Hamet el Z^gri was hardened in his Obstinacy, by **>« Arts of a Moorish Astrologer .... 390 nWAPTER LXI. Siege of ^lalaga covi uued. — Destruction of a Tower, by Francisco Ramirez de Marl -id .... 395 CHAPTER LXH. How the People of Malaga expostulated with Hamet el Zegri 398 CHApyiiR Lxnr. How Hamet el Zegri sallied fc-.th with the sacred Ban- ner, to attack the Christian Camp .... 40i CHAPTER LXIV. Hew the City of Malaga capitulated .... 408 CHAPTER LXV. Fnlfillment of the Prophecy of the Dervise. — Fate of Hamet el Zegri . 411 ni CONTENTS. CHAPTER LXVI. how the Castilian Sovereigns took Possession of the City of Malaga, and how King Ferdinand signalized him- self b}' his Skill in bargaining with the Inhabitants for their Raasom 418 CHAPTER LXVn. How King Ferdinand prepared to carry the War into a Diflerent Part of the Territories of the Moors . . 427 CHAPTER LXYHI. How King Ferdinand invaded the Eastern Side of the Kingdom of Granada, and how he was received by El Zagal 433 CHAPTER LXIX. How the Moors made various Enterprises against the Christians 438 CHAPTER LXX. How King Ferdinand prepared to besiege the City of Baza and how the City prepared for Defense . . 44d CHAPTER LXXI. The Battle of the Gardens before Baza .... 451 CHAPTER LXXir. Siege of Baza. — Embarrassments of the Army • • 45? CHAPTER LXXin. Siege of Baza continued. — How King Ferdinand com pletely invested the City. 461 CHAPTER LXXIV. Exploit of Hernando Peiez del Pulgar and other Cava- liers 465 CONTENTS. xiu CHAPTER LXXV. rAQi Continuation of the Siege of Baza .... 470 CHAPTER LXXVI. How two Friars from the Holy Land arrived at the Camp 476 CHAPTER LXXVn. How Queen Isabella devised Means to supply the Army with I'rovisions 482 CHAPTER LXXVHI. Of the Disasters which befell the Camp .... 486 CHAPTER LXXIX. Encounters between the Cliristi.ins and Moors before Baza; and the Devotion of the Inhabitants to the Defense of their City 490 CHAPTER LXXX. How Queen Isabella arrived at the Camp, and the Con- sequences of hur Arrival 495 CHAPTER LXXXI. Surrender of Baza 500 CHAPTER LXXXII. Submission of El Zajjal to the Castilian Sovereigns . 508 CHAPTER LXXXIII Events at ("Jranada, subsequent to the Submission cf El Zagal 617 CHAPTER LXXXI V How King Ferdinand tuTiid his Hostilities against the City of Granada , . . . . . lik XIV CONTENTS CHAPTER LXXXV. PAttl The Fate of the Castle of Roma 630 CHAPTER LXXXVI. How Boabdil el Chico took the Field;- and his Expedi- tion against Alhendin 535 CHAPTER LXXXVII. Exploit of the Count de Tendilla 539 CHAPTER LXXXVHI. Expedition of Boabdil el Chico against Salobrena. — Exploit of Hernan Pei'ez del Piilgar . . . 547 CHAPTER LXXXIX. How King Ferdinand treated the People of Guadix, and how El Zagal finished his Regal Career . . 654 CHAPTER XC. Preparations of Granada for a Desperate Defense . . 560 CHAPTER XCI. How King Ferdinand conducted the Siege cautiously; and how Queen Isabella arrived at the Camp . . 566 CHAPTER XCn. Of the Insolent Defiance of Tarfe the Moor, and the Daring Exploit of Hernan Perez del Pulgar . . 569 CHAPTER XCIII. How Queen Isabella took a View of the City of Granada, and how her Curiosity cost the Lives of many Christians and Woors 673 CHAPTER XCIV. The Last Ravage before Granada 684 CONTENTS. X\ CHAPTER XCV. PAOB Conflagration of the Christian Camp. — Building of Santa Fo scenes described. Having taken up my abode for .< time at Seville, I there resumed my manuscript anr* rewrote it, benefited by my travelling notes and the fresh and vivid impressions of my recent tour. In constructing my chronicle, I adopted the fiction of a Spanish monk as the chronicler. Fray Antonio Agapida was intended as a personification of the monkish zealots, who hovered about the sovereigns in their campaigns, marring the chivahy of th*' camp by the bigotry of the cloister, and chi-onicling in rapturous strains every act of intolerance towards the Moors. In fact, scarce a sally of the pretended friar, when he bursts foi-tli in rapturous eulogy of some great stroke of selfish policy on the part of Ferdinand, or exults over some overwhelming dis- aster of the gallant and devoted Moslems, but is taken almost word for word from one or other of f he orthodox chroniclers of Spain. The ironical vein also was provoked by the mix- tui'e of kingcraft and priestcraft, discernible through- out this great enterprise, and the mistaken zeal and self-delusion of many of its most gallant and gener- ous champions. The romantic coloring seemed to belong to the nature of the subject, and was in har- mony with what I had seen in my tour through the poetical and romantic regions in which the events had taken place. With all these doiuctions the INTRODUCTION. xxm work, in all its essential points, was faithful to his- torical fact, and built upon substantial documents. It was a great satisfaction to me, therefore, after the doubts that had been expressed of the authenticity of my chronicle, to find it repeatedly and largely used by Don Miguel Lafuenle Alcantara, of Granada, in his recent learned and elaborate history of his native city ; he having had ample opportunity, in his varied and indefatigable researches, of judging how far it accorded with documentary authority. I have stUl more satisfaction in citing the foUow- in£c testimonial of JMr. Prescott, whose researches for his admirable history of Ferdinand and Isabella took him over the same gi-ound I had trodden, llis testi- monial is written in the liberal and courteous spirit characteristic of him ; but with a degree of eulogium which would make me shrink from (juoting it, did I not feel the unjjortance of his voucher for the sub- stantial accuracy of my work. " ^Ir, Irving's late publication, the ' Chronicle of tlie Conquest of Granada,' has superseded all further necessity for poetry, and, unfortunately for me, for history. He has fully availed himself of all the picturesque and animating movement of this roman- tic era ; and the reader who will take the trouble to compare his chronicle with the present more prosaic and literal narrative, will see how little he has been eeduced from historic accuracy by the poetical aspect of his subject. The fictitious and romantic dress of his work has enabled him to make it the medium of reflecting more vividly the floating opinions and chi- merical foncies of the age, while he has illuminated the picture with the dramatic brilliancy of coloring denied to sober history." ^ In the present edition I have endeavored to reiv 1 Frescott's /'erdinancj and Itabella, vol. i\., c. 15. XXIV INTRODUCTION. der the work more worthy of the generous encomiun) of Mi. Prescott. Though I still retam the fiction of the monkish author Agapida, I have brought my narrative more strictly within historical bounds, have corrected and enriched it in various parts with facts recently brought to light by the researches of Alcantara and others ; and have sought to render it a faithful and characteristic picture of the romantic portion of history to which it relates. W. I. Sdkntsidb 1S50. li A CHRONICLE OF THE CONQUEST OF GRANADA. CHAPTER I. Of the Kingdom of Granada, and the Tribute -which it paid to the Castilian Crown. HE history of those bloody and disastrous wars, which have caused the downfall of mighty empires (observes Fray An- tonio Agapida), has ever been considered a study highly delectable, and full of precious edification. What then must be the history of a pious cru- sade, waged by the most Catliolic of sovereigns, to rescue from the power of the infidels one of the most beautiful but benighted regions of the globe? Listen then, while, from the solitude of my cell, I relate the events of the conquest of Granada, where Christian knight and turbaned infidel dis- puted, inch by inch, the fair land of Andalusia, until the crescent, that symbol of heathenish abom- ination, was cast down, and the blessed cross, the tree of our redemption, erected in its stead. Nearly eight hundred years were past and gone, 1 2 CONQUEST OF GRANADA. since the Arabian invaders harl sealed the per dition of Spain, by the defeat of Don Roderick, the last of her Gothic kings. Since that dis- astrous event, one portion after another of the peninsula had been gradually recovered by the Christian princes, until the single, but powerful and warlike territory of Granada, alone remained under the domination of the Moors. This renowned kingdom, situated in the south- ern part of Spain, and washed on one side by the Mediterranean sea, was traversed in every direc- tion by sierras or chains of lofty and rugged mountains, naked, rocky, and precipitous, render- ing it almost impregnable, but locking up within their sterile embraces deep, rich, and verdant valleys of prodigal fertility. In the centre of the kingdom lay its capital, the beautiful city of Granada, sheltered, as it were, in the lap of the Sierra Nevada, or Snowy Mountains. Its houses, seventy thousand in number, covered two lofty hills with their de- clivities, and a deep valley between them, through which flowed the Darro. The streets were narrow, as is usual in Moorish and Arab cities, but there were occasionally small squares and open places. The houses had gardens and in- terior courts, set out with orange, citron, and pomegranate trees, and refreshed by fountains, so that as the edifices ranged above each other up the sides of the hills, they presented a delightful appearance of mingled grove and city. One of the hills was surmounted by the Alcazaba, a strong fortress, commanding all that part of the TUE CITY OF GRANADA. 3 city ; the other by the Alhambra, a royal palace and warrior castle, capable of containing within its alcazar and towers a garrison of forty thousand men ; but possessing also its harem, the vohiptuou3 abode of the Moorish monarchs, laid out with courts and gardens, fountains and baths, and stately halls, decorated in the most costly style of oriental luxury. According to Moorish tradition, the king who built this mighty and magnificent pile, was skilled in the occnU sciences, and fur- nished himself witli the necessary funds by means of alchemy. 1 Such was its lavish splendor that even at the present day, the stranger, wandering through its silent courts and deserted halls, gazes with astonishment at gilded ceilings and fretted domes, the brilliancy and beauty of which have survived the vicissitudes of war and the silent dilapidation of ages. The city was surrounded by high walls, three leagues in circuit, furnished with twelve gates, and a thousand and thirty towers. Its elevation above the sea, and the neighborhood of the Sierra Nevada crowned with perpetual snows, tempered the fervid rays of summer ; so that, while other cities were panting with the sultry and stifling heat of the dog-days, the most salubrious breezes played through the marble halls of Granada. The glory of the city, however, was its vega or plain, which spread out to a circumference of thirty-seven leagues, surrounded by lofty moun- tains and was proudly compared to the famous plain of Damascus. It was a vast garden of 1 Zurita, lib. 20, c. 42. 4 cox QUEST OF GRaXADA. delight, refreshed by nnraerous fountains, and by the silver windings of the Xenil. The labor and ingenuity of the Moors had diverted the waters of this river into thousands of rills and streams, and diffused tliem over the whole surface of the plain. Indeed, they had wrought up this happy region to a degree of wonderful prosperity, and took a pride in decorating it, as if it had been a favorite mistress. The hills were clothed with orchards and vineyards, the valleys embroidered with gardens, and the wide plains covered with Avaving grain. Here were seen in profusion the orange, the citron, the fig, and pomegranate, with great plantations of midberry trees, from which was produced the finest silk. The vine clambered irom tree to tree ; the grapes hung iu rich clusters about the peasant's cottage, and the groves were rejoiced by the perpetual song of the nightingale. In a word, so beautiful was the earth, so pure the air, and so serene the sky of this delicious region, that the Moors imagined the paradise of their prophet to be situated iu that part of the heaven which OA'erhuns: the kingdom of Granada. "Within this favored realm, so prodigally en- dowed and strongly fortified by nature, the Mos- lem wealth, valor, and intelligence, which had once shed such a lustre over Spain, had gradually retired, and here they made their final stand. Granada had risen to splendor on the ruin of other Moslem kingdoms ; but in so doing had be- come the sole object of Christian hostility, and bad to maintain its very existence by the sword. The Moorish capital accordingly presented a sin- LUXURY OP THE MOORS. 5 gtilar scene of Asiatic luxury and refinement, mingled witli the glitter and tiie din of arms. Letters were still cultivated, phllosopliy and poetry had their schools and disciples, and the language spoken was said to be the most elegant Arabic. A passion for dress and ornament per- vaded ail ranks. That of tiie princesses and ladies of high rank, says Al Kattib, one of tlieii* own writers, was carried to a height of luxury and magnificence that bordered on delirium. They wore girdles and bracelets and anklets of gold and silver, wrought with exquisite art and delicacy, and studded with jacinths, chrysolites, emeralds, and other precious stones. Tiiey were fijnd of braiding and decorating their beautiful long tresses, or confining them in knots sparkling with jewels. They were finely formed, excessively fair, graceful in their manners, and fascinating in their conversation ; when they smiled, says Al Kattib, they displayed teeth of dazzling whiteness, and their bieath was as the perfume of flowers. The Moorish cavaliers, when not in armor, de- lighted in dressing themselves in Persian style, in garments of wool, of silk, or cotton, of the finest texture, beautifully wrought with stripes of various colors. In winter they wore, as an outer garment, the African cloak or Tunisian albornoz ; but in the heat of summer, they arrayed themselves in linen of spotless wiiiteness. The same luxury prevailed in their military equipments. Their armor was iidaid and chased with cold and silver. The sheaths of their scimetars were richly labored and enameled, the blades were of Damascus bear 6 CONQUEST OF GRANADA. ing texth from the Koran, or martial and amorous mottoes ; the belts were of golden filagree, studded with gems ; their poniards of Fez, were wrought in the arab'esque fashion ; their lances bore gay bandaroles ; their horses were sumptu- ously caparisoned with housings of green and crimson velvet, wrought with silk and enameled with gold and silver. All this warlike luxury of the youthful chivalry was encouraged by the Moorish kings, who ordained that no tax should be imposed on the gold and silver employed in these embelHshments ; and the same exception was extended to the bracelets and other ornaments worn by the fair dames of Granada. Of the chivalrous gallantry which prevailed between the sexes in this romantic period of Moorish history, we have traces in the tliousand ballads which have come down to our day, and which have given a tone and coloring to Spanish amatory literature, and to everything in Spain connected with the tender passion. War was the normal state of Granada and its inhabitants ; the common people were subject at any moment to be summoned to the field, and all the upper class was a brilliant chivalry. The Christian princes, so successful in regaining the rest of the peninsula, found their triumphs checked at the mountain boundaries of this kingdom. Ev- ery peak Jiad its atalaya or watch-tower, ready to make its lire by night or to send up its column of smoke by day, a signal of invasion, at which the whole country was on the alert. To penetrate the defiles of this perilous country, to surprise a i PAYMENT OF TRIBUTE. 7 frontier fortress or to make a foray into the vega and a hasty ravage within sight of tlie very cap- ital, were among the most favorite and daring ex- ploits of the Castilian chivalry. But tliey never pretended to hold the region thus ravaged ; it was Back, burn, plunder, and away ! and these desola- ting inroads were retaliated in kind by the Moor- ish cavaliers, whose greatest delight was a tola, or predatory incursion into the Christian territoriea beyond the mountains. A partisan warfare of this kind had long ex- isted between Granada and its most formidable antagonist, the kingdoms of Castile and Leon. It was one whicli called out the keen yet generous rivalry of Christian and Moslem cavaliers, and gave rise to individual acts of chivalrous gallantry and daring prowess ; but it was one which was gradually exhausting the resources and sapping the strength of Gnmada. One of the latest of its kings, therefore, Aben Ismael by name, dis- heartened by a foray which had laid waste the vega, and conscious that the balance of warfare was against his kingdom, made a truce in 1457 with Henry IV., King of Castile and Leon, stip- ulating to pay him an annual tribute of twelve thousand dohlas or pistoles of gold, and to liberate annually six hundred Cliristian captives, or in de- fault of captives to give an equal number of IMoors as hostages; all to be delivered at the city of Cor- dova.^ The truce, however was of a partial nature, with singular reservations. It did not include 1 Garibay, Compend. lib. 17, c. 3. 8 CONQUEST OF GRANADA. the Moorish frontier towards Jaen, which was to remain open for the warlike enterprises of either nation ; neither did it prohibit sudden attacks upon towns and castles, provided they were mere forays, conducted furtively, without sound of trumpet or display of banners, or pitching of camps, or regular investment, and that they did not last above three days.^ Aben Ismael was faithful in observing the 3on- ditions of the truce, but they were regarded with impatience by his eldest son, Muley Abul Hassan, a prince of a fiery and belligerent spirit, and fond of casing himself in armor and mounting his war- horse. He had been present at Cordova at one of the payments of tribute, and had witnessed the Bcoffs and taunts of the Christians, and his blood boiled whenever he recalled the humiliating scene. When he came to the throne in 1465, on the death of his father, he ceased the payment of the tribute altogether, and it was sufficient to put him into a tempest of rage only to mention it. " He was a fierce and warlike infidel," says the pious Fray Antonio Agapida ; " his bitter- ness against the holy Christian faith had been signalized in battle during the lifetime of his father, and the same diabolical spirit of hostility was apparent in his ceasing to pay this most righ- teous tribute." 1 Zurita, Anales de Aragon, lib. 20, c. 42. Mariana, Hist, de £spana, lib. 25, c. 1. Bleda, Cwon. de Moras, lib. 5, c. 3. ciiArxER ir. Of the Embassy of Don Juan de Vera to demand Arrears oi Tribute from the Moorish Monarch. (HE flagrant want of faith of Muley Abul Hassan ia fulfilling treaty stipulations, passed unresented during the residue of the reigu of Henry the Impotent, and the truce was tacitly continued without the enforcement of tribute, during the first three years of the reign of his successors, Ferdinand and Isabella, of glo- rious and happy memory, who were too much en- grossed by civil commotions in their own dominions and by a war of succession waged with them by the king of Portugal, to risk an additional conflict with the Moorish sovereign. When, however, at the expiration of the term of truce, Muky Abul Hassan sought a renewal of it, the pride and pi- ety of the Castilian sovereigns were weakened to the flagrant defalcation of the infidel king, and they felt themselves called upon, by their relig- ious obligations as champions of the faith, to make a formal demand for the payment of arrear ages. In the year of grace 1478, therefore, Don Juan de Vera, a zealous and devout knight, full of ar- dor for the faith and loyalty to the crown, was sent as ambassador for the purpose. He was 10 CONQUEST OF GRANADA. armed at all points, gallantly mounted, and fol- lowed by a moderate but well-appointed retinue ; in this way he crossed the Moorish frontier, and passed slowly through the country, looking round him with tlie eyes of a practiced warrior, and carefully noting its military points and capabil- ities. He saw that the Moor was well prepared for possible hostilities. Every town was strongly fortified. The ves:a was studded with towers of refuge for the peasantry, every pass of the moun- tain had its castle of defense, every lofty height its watch-tower. As the Christian cavaliers passed under the walls of the fortresses, lances and scim- etars flashed from their battlements, and the Moor- ish sentinels darted from their dark eyes glances of hatred and defiance. It was evident that a war with this kingdom must be a war of posts, full of doughty peril and valiant enterprise ; where every step must be gained by toil and bloodshed, and maintained with the utmost difficulty. The warrior spirit of the cavaliers kindled at the thoughts, and they were impatient for hostilities ; not," says Antonio Agapida, " from any thirst for rapine and revenge, but from that pure and holy indignation which every Spanish knight en- tertained at beholding this beautiful dominion of his ancestors defiled by the footsteps of infidel usurpers. It was impossible," he adds, " to con- template this delicious country, and not long to gee it restored to the dominion of the true faith, and the sway of the Christian monarchs." Arrived at the gates of Granada, Don Juan de Vera and his companions saw the same vigi- (; EMBASSY OF DON JUAN DE VERA. 11 Innt preparations on the part of the Moorish king. His walls and towers were of vast strength, in complete repair, and mounted with loinbards and other heavy ordnance. His magazines were well stored with the munitions of war; he had a mighty host of foot-soldiers, together with squad- rons of cavalry, ready to scour tiie country, and carry on either defensive or predatory warfare. The Christian wari-iors noted these things with- out dismay; their hearts rather glowed with emulation, at the thoughts of encountering so worthy a foe. As they slowly pranced througli the streets of Granada, they looked round with eagerness on its stately palaces and sumptuous mosques ; on its alcayceria or bazar, crowded with silks and cloth of silver and gold, with jewels and precious stones, and other rich mer- chandise, the luxuries of every clime ; and they longed for the time when all this wealth should be the spoil of the soldiers of the faith, and when each tramp of their steeds might be fetlock deep in the blood and carnage of the infidels. The Moorish inhabitants looked jealously at this small but proud array of Spanish chivalry, as it paraded, with that stateliness possessed only by Spanish cavaliers, through the renowned gate of Elvira. They were struck with the stern and lofty demeanor of Don Juan de Vera, and his sinewy fiame, which showed him formed for hardy deeds of arms ; and they supposed he had eome in search of distinction, by defying the Moorish knights in open tourney, or in the famous tilt with reeds, for which they were ao 12 CONQUEST OF GRANADA. renowned ; for it was still the custom of the knights of either nation to mingle in these cour- teous and chivalrous contests during the intervals of war. When they learned, however, that he was come to demand the tribute so abhorrent to the ears of the fiery monarch, they observed that it well required a warrior of his apparent nerve to execute such an embassy, Muley Abul Hassan received the cavalier in state, seated on a magnificent divan, and sur- rounded by the officers of his court, in the hall of ambassadors, one of the most sumptuous apartments of the Alhambra. When De Vera had delivered his message, a haughty and bitter smile curled the lip of the fierce monarch. " Tell your sovereigns," said he, " that the kings of Granada, who used to pay tribute in money to the Castilian crown, are dead. Our mint at pi-esent coins nothing but blades of scimetars and heads of lances." ^ The defiance couched in this proud reply was heard with secret satisfaction by Don Juan de Vera, for he was a bold soldier and a devout hater of the infidels ; and he saw iron war in the words of the Moorish monarch. Being mas- ter, however, of all points of etiquette, he re- tained an inflexible demeanor, and retired from the apartment with stately and ceremonious gravity. His treatment was suited to his rank and dignity ; a magnificent apartment in the Alhambra was assigned to him ; and before his departure a scimetar was sent to him by the 1 Garibay, lib. 40, c. 29, Conde, Eht. Arab., pt. 4, c, 34. EMBASSY OF DON JUAN DE VERA. 13 kin"-; the blade of the finest Damascus steel, the hilt of agate, enriched with precious stones, and the guard of gold. De Vera drew it, and smiled grimly as he noticed the admirable temper of the blade. " His majesty has given me a trenchant weapon," said he : '• I trust a time will come when I may show him that I know how to use his royal present." The reply was consid- ered a compliment, of course ; the bystanders little knew the bitter hostility that lay couched beneath. On his return to Cordova, Don Juan de Vera delivered the reply of the Moor, but at the same time reported the state of his territories. Tiiese had been strengthened and augmented during the weak reign of Henry IV. and the recent troubles of Castile. Many cities and strong places con- tiguous to Granada, but heretofore conquered by the Christians, had renewed their allegiance to Muley Abul Hassan, so that his kingdom now contained fourteen cities, ninety-seven fortified places, besides numerous unwalled towns and villages defended by formidable castles, while Granada towered in the centre as the citadel. The wary Ferdinand, as he listened to the military report of Don Juan dc Vara, saw that the present was no time for hostilities with a warrior kingdom, so bristled over with means of defense. The internal discords of Castile still continued, as did the war with Portugal ; under these circumstances he forbore to insist upon the payment of tribute, and tacitly permitted the truce to continue ; but the defiance contained ia 14 CONQUEST OF GRANADA. the reply of Muley Abul Hassan remained rank- ling in his bosom as a future ground of war; and De Vera's description of Granada as the centre of a system of strongholds and rock-buiU castles, suggested to hira his plan of conquest; by taking town after town, and fortress after for- tress, and gradually plucking away all the sup- ports before he attempted the capital. He ex- pressed his resolution in a memorable pun, or play upon the name of Granada, which signifies a pomegranate. " I will pick out the seeds of this pomegranate one by one," said the cool and crafty Ferdinand. Note. — In the first edition of this work the anthor re- counted a characteristic adventure of the stout Juan de Vera, as happening on the occasion of this embassy; a further con- sultation of historical authorities has induced him to transfer it to a second embassy of De Vera's; which the reader will find related in a subsequent chapter. CHAPTER HI. Domestic Feuds in tlie Alhambra. — Rival Sultanas. — Pre- dictions concernitir; Hoalxlil the Heir to the Throne. — IIow Ferdinand meditates War against Granada, and how he is anticipated. IIOUGTI Mnley Abul Haspan, was at peace in his external relations, a civil war raged in his liarem, which it is proper to notice, as it had a fixtal effect upon tiie fortunes of the kingdom. " Thonjh cruel by na- ture, he was uxorious, and somewhat prone to be managed by his wives. Early in life he had married his kinswoman, Ayxa (or Ayesha), daughter of his great uncle the Sultan Moham- med VIL, surnamed El Playzari, or the left- handed. She was a woman of almost masculine spirit and energy, and of such immaculate and inaccessible virtue, that she was generally called La Horra, or The Chaste, By her he had a son, Abu Abdallah ; or, as he is commonly named by historians, Boabdil. The court astrologers, according to custom, cast the horoscope of the infant, but were seized with fear and trembling as they regarded it, " Allah Achbar ! God is great ! " exclaimed they, " He alone controls the fate of empires. It is written in the book of fate that this child will one day sit upon the throne, 16 CONQUEST OF GRANADA. but that the downfall of the kingdom will be accomplished during his reign. " From that tima the prince had been regarded with aversion by his father ; and the prediction which hung over him, and the persecutions to which he be- came subjected, procured him the surname of El Zogoybi, or The Unfortunate. He grew up, however, under the protection of his valiant- hearted mother, who, by the energy of her char- acter, long maintained an undisputed sway in the harem, until, as her youth passed away and her beauty declined, a formidable rival arose. In one of the forays of the Moorish chivalry into the Christian territories, they had surprised a frontier fortress, commanded by Sancho Ximenes de Solis, a noble and valiant cavalier, who fell in bravely defending it. Among the captives was his daughter Isabella, then almost in her infancy ; who was brought to Granada, delicately raised, and educated in the Moslem faith. ^ Her Moor- ish captors gave her the name of Fatima, but as she grew up her surpassing beauty gained her the surname of Zoraya, or the Morning Star, by which she has become known in history. Her charms at length attracted the notice of Muley Abul Hassan, and she soon became a member of his harem. Some have spoken of her as a Christian slave, whom he had made his concubine ; but others, with more truth, represent her as one of his wives, and ultimately his favor- ite Sultana ; and indeed it was often the case that female captives of rank and beauty, when 1 Cronica del Gran. Cardinal, cap. 71. FEUDS IN TUE ALUAMBRA. 17 converted to the faith of Islam, became united to the proudest and loftiest of their captors. Zoraya soon acquired complete ascendency over the mind of Muley Abid Hassan. She was us ambitious as she wsus beautiful, and, having become the mother of two sons, looked forward to the possibility of one of them sitting on the throne of Granada. These ambitious views were encourapted, if not suggested, by a faction which gathered round her, inspired by kindred sympa- thies. The king's vizier, Abul Caccm Vanegas, who had great influence over him, was, like Zo- raya, of Christian descent, being of the noble house of Luqiie. His father, one of the Van- egas of Cordova, had been captured in infancy and brought up as a Moslem.^ From him sprang the vizier, Abul Cacem Vanegas, and his brother Reduau Vanegas, likewise high iu rank in the court of Muley Abul Hassan; and they had about them numerous and powerful connec- tions, all baskinir in court favor. Thoujjh Mos- lems in faith, they were all drawn to Zoraya by tne tie of foreign and Christian descent, and sought to elevate her and her children to the dis- paragement of Ayxa la Horra and her son Boab- dil. The latter, on the other hand, were sup- ported by the noble and once potent family of the Abencerrages, and by Aben Comixer, alcayde of the Alhambra ; and between these two fac- tions, headed by rival sultanas, the harem of Muley Abul Hassan became the scene of invet- erate jealousies and intrigues which, in time, as 1 Cura dt ks Pahcios, Hist, de los Reyes Catol. cap. 66. 18 CONQUEST OF GRANADA, will be shown, led to popular commotions and civil wars.^ While these female feuds were threatening Muley Abul Hassan with trouble and disaster at home, his evil genius prompted him to an enter- prise which involved him in tenfold danofer from abroad. Tiie reader has already been apprised of a sinsrular clause in the truce existiucr between o O the Christians and the Moors, permitting hasty dashes into each others' territories, and assaults of towns and fortresses, provided they were car- ried on as mere forays, and without the parade of regular warfare. A long time had elapsed, however, without any incursion of the kind on the part of the Moors, and the Christian towns on the frontiers had, in consequence, fallen into a state of the most negligent security. In an un- lucky moment, ]Muley Abul Hassan was tempted to one of these forays by learning that the for- tress of Zahara, on the frontier between Ronda and Medina Sidonia, was but feebly garrisoned and scantily supplied, and that its alcayde was careless of his charge. This important post Avas built on the crest of a rocky mountain, with a strong castle perched above it, upon a cliff, so high that it was said to be above the flight of birds or drift of clouds. The streets and many of the bouses were mere excavations, wrought out of the 1 It is to be noted that several historians have erroneously represented Zoraya as the mother of Boabdil, instead of Ayxa la Horra ; and the Abencerrages as the opponents of Boabdil, instead of his strenuous adherents. The statement in the text is according to the most reliable authorities. STRENGTH OF ZAUARA. 19 living rock. The town had but one gate, open- ing to the west, and defended by towers and bul- warks. Tlie onlj ascent to this cragged fortress was by roads cut in the rock, so rugged in many phices as to resemble broken stairs. In a word, the impregnable security of Zahara had become BO proverbial throughout Spain, that a woman of forbidding and inaccessible virtue was called a Zahareiia. But the strongest fortress and sternest virtue have weak points, and require unremitting vigilance to guard them : let warrior aud dame take waruins: from the fate of Zahara. ■^^i: W CHAPTER IV. Expedition of Muley Abnl Hassan against the Fortress of Zahara. jN the year of our Lord one thousand four hundred and eighty -one, and but a night or two after the festival of the most jiessed Nativity, the inhabitants of Zahara were sunk in profound sleep ; the very sentinel had de- serted his post, and sought shelter from a tempest which had raged for three nights in succession ; for it appeared but little probable that an enemy would be abroad during such an uproar of the elements. But evil spirits work best during a storm. In the midst of the night, an uproar rose within the walls of Zahara, more awful than the raging of the storm. A fearful alarm cry — " The Moor ! the Moor ! " resouuded through the streets, mingled with the clash of arms, the shriek of anguish, and the shout of victory. Muley Abul Hassan, at the head of a powerful force, had hurried from Granada, and passed unobserved through the mountains in tlie obscurity of the tempest. While the storm pelted the sentinel from his post, and howled round tower and battle- ment, the Moors liad planted their scaling-ladders, and mounted securely into both town and castle. The garrioou was unsuspicious of danger, until SURPRISE OF ZAHARA. 21 battle and innssacre burst forth within its very walls. It set'int'd to the affrighted inhabitants, aa if the fiends of tlie air h;id come upon the wings of the wind, and possessed tliemselves of tower and turret. The war-cry resounded on every side, shout answering shout above, below, on the battlements of the castle, in the streets of the town — the foe was in all parts, wrapped in ob- scurity, but acting in concert by the aid of pre- concerted signals. Starting from sleep, the sol- diers were intercepted and cut down as they rushed from their quarters ; or if they escaped, they knew not where to assemble, or where to strike. Wherever lights appeared, the flashing Bcimetar was at its deadly work, and all who attempted resistance fell beneath its edge. lu a little while tiie struggle was at an end. Those who were not slain took refuge in the secret places of their houses, or gave themselves up as captives. The clash of arms ceased ; and the storm continued its howling, mingled with the occasional shout of tiie Moorish soldiery, roaming in search of plunder. Wiiile the inhabitants were trembling for their fate, a trumpet resounded through the streets, summoning them all to as- semble, unarmed, in the public square. Here they were surrounded by soldiery, and strictly guarded, until daybreak. When the day dawned, it was piteous to behold this once prosperous com- munity, who had laid down to rest in peaceful se- curity, now crowded together without distinction of age, or rank, or sex, and almost without rai- ment, during the severity of a wintry storm. The 22 CONQUEST OF GRANADA. fierce Muley Abul Hassan turned a deaf ear to all their prayers and remonstrances, and ordered them to be conducted captives to Granada. Leav- ing a strong gan-ison in both town and castle, with orders to put them in a complete state of defense, he returned, flushed with victory, to his capital, entering it at the head of iiis troops, laden with spoil, and bearing in triumph the banners and pennons taken at Zahara. While preparations were making for jousts and other festivities, in honor of this victory over the Christians, the captives of Zahara arrived — a wretched train of men, women, and children, worn out with fatigue and haggard with despair, and driven like cattle into the city gates, by a detach- ment of Moorish soldiery. Deep was the grief and indignation of the people of Granada at this cruel scene. Old men, who had experienced the calamities of warfare, anticipated coming troubles. Mothers clasped their infants to their breasts, as they be- held the hapless females of Zahara, with their children expiring in their arms. On every side, the accents of pity for the sufferers were mingled with execrations of the barbarity of the king. The preparations for festivity were neglected ; and the viands, which were to have feasted the conquerors, were distributed among the captives. Tiie nobles and alfaquis, however, repaired to the Alhambra to congratulate the king ; for, whatever storms may rage in the lower regions of society, rarely do any clouds, but clouds of incense, rise to the awful eminence of the throne. PEEDJCTIOy OF A SANTON. 23 In this instance, however, a voice rose from the midst of tlie obsequious crowd, and burst like thunder upon the ears of Abul Hassan. " Woe ! woe! woe! to Granada!" exclaimed the voice; "its hour of desolation approaches. The ruing of Zahara will fall upon our heads ; my spirit tells me that the end of our empire is at hand ! " All shrank back aghast, and left the denouncer of woe standing alone in ilie centre of the hall. He was an ancient and hoary man, in the rude attire of a dervise. Age had withered his form without quenching the fire of his spirit, which glared iu baleful lustre from his eyes. He was (say the Arabian historians) one of those holy men termed santons, who pass their lives in her- mitages, in fasting, meditation, and prayer, until they attain to the purity of saints and the lore- sight of prophets. " He was," says the indignant Fray Antonio Agapida, " a son of Belial, one of those fanatic infidels possessed by the devil, who are sometimes permitted to predict the truth to their followers ; but with the proviso, that their predictions shall be of no avail." The voice of the santon resounded through the lofty hall of the Alhambra, and struck silence and awe into the crowd of courtly sycophants. Muley Abul Hassan alone was unmoved ; he eyed the hoary anchorite with scorn as he stood dauntless before him, and treated his predictions as the ravings of a maniac. The santon rushed from tlie royal presence, and, descending into the fity, hurried through its streets and squares with frantic gesticulations. His voice was heard, iu 24 CONQUEST OF GRANADA. every part, in awful denunciation. " The peace is broken ! exterminating war is commenced. Woe ! woe ! woe to Granada ! its fall is at hand ! desolation will dwell in its palaces ; its strong men will fall beneath the sword, its children and maidens be led into captivity. Zahara is but a type of Granada ! " Terror seized upon the populace, for they con- sidered these ravings as the inspirations of prophecy. Some hid themselves in their dwell- ings, as in a time of general mourning; while some gathered together in knots in the streets and squares, alarming each other with dismal forebodings, and cursing the rashness and cruelty of the kinij. The Moorish monarch heeded not their mur- murs. Knowing that his exploit must draw upon him the vengeance of the Christians, he now threw off all reserve, and made attempts to surprise Castellan and Elvira, though without success. He sent alfaquis, also, to the Barbary powers, informing them that the sword was drawn, and inviting the African princes to aid him with men and supplies in maintaining the kingdom of Granada, and the religion of Ma- homet, against the violence of unbelievers. While discontent exhaled itself in murmurs among the common people, however, it fomented in dangerous conspiracies among the nobles, and Muley Abul Hassan was startled by information of a design to depose him and place his son Boabdil upon the throne. His first measure was to confine the prince and his mother in the tower ESCAPE OF DOABDIL. 25 of Comarcs ; tlion, callinn; (o miiul tlie prediction of tlie astrol()jrt'i>, tliat tlie yoiiili would one day sit on the tlimne of Granada, he impiously set the stars at deliance. " The sword of tlie execu- tioner," said he, "shall prove the fallacy of those lyinf^ horoscopes, and sliall silence the ambition of IJoabdil." The Sultana Ayxa, apprised of the imminent danger of her son, concerted a plan for his escape. At the dead of the night she gained access to his prison, and tying together the shawls and scarfs of herself and her female attendants, lowered him down from a balcony of the Alham- bra to the steep, rocky hill-side which sweeps down to the Darro. Here some of her devoted adherents were waiting to receive him, who, mounting him on a swift horse, spirited him away to the city of Guadix, in the Alpuxaras. CHAPTER V. Expedition of the Marques of Cadiz against Alhama. jjREAT was the indignation of King Ferdinand when he heard of the storm- ing of Zahara; tliough the outrage of the Moor happened most opportunely. The war between Castile and Portugal had come to a close ; the factions of the Spanish nobles were for the most part quelled. The Castiliau mon- archs had now, therefore, turned their thoughts to the cherished object of their ambition, the conquest of Granada. The pious heart of Isa- bella yearned to behold the entire peninsula re- deemed from the domination of the infidel ; while Ferdinand, in whom religious zeal was mingled with temporal policy, looked with a craving eye to the rich territory of the ]Moor, studded with wealthy towns and cities. Muley Abul Hassan had I'ashly or unwarily thi-own the brand that was to produce the wide conflagration. Ferdi- nand was not the one to quench the flames. He immediately issued orders to all the adelantados and alcaydes of the frontiers, to maintain the utmost vigilance at their posts, and to prepare to carry fire and sword into the territories of the Moors. Among the many valiant cavaliers who rallied THE MARQUES OF CADIZ. 27 round the throne of Ferdinand and Isabella, one of the most eminent in rank and renowned in arms was Don Roderigo Ponce de Leon, Marques of Cadiz. As he was tiie distinguished cliampion of this holy war, and commanded iu most of ita enterprises and battles, it is meet that some par- ticular account should be given of him. He was born in 14.43, of the valiant lineage of the Ponces, and from his earliest youth had rendered himself illustrious in the field. He was of the middle stature, with a muscular and powerful frame, capable of great exertion and fatigue. His hair and beard were red and curled, his countenance was open and magnanimous, of a rnddy complexion, and slightly marked with the small-pox. He was temperate, chaste, valiant, vigilant; a just and generous master to his vas- sals ; frank and noble in his deportment towards his equals; loving and faitliful to his friends; fierce and terrible, yet magnanimous, to his ene- mies. He was considered the mirror of chivalry of his times, and compared by contemporary his- torians to the immortal Cid. The marques of Cadiz had vast possessions in the most fertile parts of Andalusia, including many towns and castles, and could lead forth an army into the field from his own vassals and de- pendents. On receiving the orders of tlie king, lie burned to signalize himself by some sudden incursion into the kingdom of Granada, tiiat should give a brilliant commencement to the war, and should console the sovereigns for the insult they had received in the capture of Zahara. Aa 28 CONQUEST OF GRANADA. his estates lay near to the Moorish frontiers, and were subject to sudden inroads, he had always in his pay numbers of adalides, or scouts and guides, many of them converted Moors. These he sent out in all directions, to watch the move- ments of the enemy, and to procure all kinds of information important to the security of the fron- tier. One of thase spies came to him one day in his town of Marchena, and informed him that the Moorish town of AUiama was sliglitly gar- risoned and negligently guarded, and might be taken by surprise. This was a large, wealthy, and populous place, within a i'ew leagues of Gra- nada. It Avas situated on a rocky height, nearly surronnded by a river, and defended by a fortress to which there was no access but by a steep and cragged ascent. The strength of its situation, and its beinsf embosomed in the centre of the kingdom, had produced the careless security which now invited attack. To ascertain fully the state of the fortress, the marques dispatched secretly a veteran soldier, who was highly in his confidence. His name was Ortega de Prado, a man of great activity, shrewdness, and valor, and captain of escaladors (soldiers employed to scale the walls of fortresses in time of attack). Ortega approached Albania one moonless night, and paced along its walls with noiseless step, laying his ear occasionally to the ground or to the wall. Every time, he dis- tinguished the measured tread of a sentinel, and now and then the challenge of the night-watch going its rounds. Finding the town thus guarded MARCH TO ALU AM A. 29 he clambered to the castle : — there all was silent. As he ranged its lofty battlements, be- tween him and the sky he saw no sentinel on duty. lie noticed certain places where the wall might be ascended by scaling-ladders ; and hav- ing marked the hour of relieving guard, and made all necessary observations, be retired with- out being discovered. Ortega returned to Marchena, and assured the marques of Cadiz of the practicability of scaling the castle of Albania, and taking it by surprise. The marques had a secret conference with Don Pedro Enriquez, Adelantado of Andalusia ; Don Diego de Merlo, commander of Seville : Sancho de Avila, Alcayde of Carmona, and others, who all agreed to aid him with their forces. On an appointed day, the several commanders assembled at Marchena with their troops and retainers. None but the leaders knew the object or destina- tion of the enterprise ; but it was enough to rouse the Andalusian spirit, to know that a foray was intended into the country of their old ene- mies, the Moors. Secrecy and celerity were necessary for success. They set out promptly, witli three thousand genetes, or light cavalry and four thousand infantry. " They chose a route but little travelled, by the way of Antiquera, passing with great labor through rugged and sol- itary defiles of the Sierra or chain of mountains of Arrecife, and left all their baggage on the banks of the river Yeguas, to be brought after them. This march was principally in the night ; all day they remained quiet ; no noise was suf- 30 CONQUEST OF GRANADA. fered in their camp, and no fires were made, lest the smoke should betray them. On the third day they resumed their march as the evening darkened, and forcing themselves forward at aa quick a pace as the rugged and dangerous moun- tain roads would permit, they descended towards midnight into a small deep valley, only half a league from Alhama. Here they made a halt, fatigued by this forced march, during a long dark evening towards the end of February. The marques of Cadiz now explained to the troops the object of the expedition. He told them it was for the glory of the most holy faith, and to avenge the wrongs of their countrymen at Zahara ; and that the town of Alhama, full of wealthy spoil, was the place to be attacked. The troops were roused to new ardor by these words, and desired to be led forthwith to the assault. They arrived close to Alhama about two hours before daybreak. Here the army remained in ambush, while three hundred men were dispatched to scale the walls and get possession of the castle. They were picked men, many of them alcaydes and officers, men who preferred death to dishonor. This gallant band was guided by the escalador Ortega de Prado, at the head of thirty men with scaling-ladders. They clambered the ascent to the castle in silence, and arrived under the dark Bhadow of its towers without being discovered. Not a light was to be seen, not a sound to be heard ; the whole place was wrapped in profound repose. Fixing their ladders, they ascended cautiously A NIGIIT ATTACK. 31 and with noiseless steps. Ortega was the first that mountetl upon the battlement?, foUowed by one Martin Galindo, a youthful esquire, full of spirit and eager ft)r distinction. Moving stealthily along the parapet to the portal of the citadel, they came upon the sentinel by surprise. Ortega seized him by the throat, brandi.-hed a dagger before his eyes, and ordered him to point the way to the guard-room. Tiie infidel obeyed, and was instantly dispatched, to prevent his giving an alarm. The guard-room was a scene rather of massacre than combat. Some of the soldiery Avere killed while sleeping, others were cut down almost without resistance, bewildered by so un- expected an assault: all were dispatched, for the scaling party was too small to make prisoners or to spare. Tlie alarm spread throughout the castle, but by this time the three hundred picked men had mounted the battlements. The garrison, startled from sleep, found the enemy already masters of the towers. Some of the Moors were cut down at once, others fought desperately from room to room, and the whole castle resounded with the clash of arms, the cries of the combat- ants, and the groans of the wounded. The army in ambush, finding by the uproar that the castle was surprised, now rushed from their concealment, and approached the walls with loud shouts, and sound of kettle-drums and trumpets, to increase the confusion and dismay of the garrison. A violent conflict took place in the court of the castle, where several of the scaling party sought to throw open the gates to admit their country- 32 CONQUEST OF GRANADA. men. Here fell two valiant alcaydes, Nicholas de Roja and Sancho de Avila ; but they fell honor- ably, upon a heap of slain. At length Ortega de Prado succeeded in throwing open a postern, through which the marques of Cadiz, tlie ade- lantado of Andalusia, and Don Diego de Merlo, entered with a host of followers, and the citadel remained in full possession of the Christians. As tiie Spanish cavaliers were ranging from room to room, the marques of Cadiz, entering an apartment of superior richness to the rest, beheld, by the light of a silver lamp, a beautiful Moorish female, the wife of the alcayde of the castle, whose husband was absent, attending a wedding feast at Velez JMalaga. She would have fled at the sight of a Christian warrior in her apartment, but, entangled in the covering of the bed, she fell at the feet of the marques, imploring mercy. That Christian cavalier, who had a soul full of honor and courtesy towards the sex, raised her from the floor, and endeavored to allay her fears ; but they were increased at the sight of her female attendants, pursued into the room by the Spanish soldiery. The marques reproached his soldiers with unmanly conduct, and reminded them that they made war upon men, not on defenseless women. Having soothed the terrors of the females by the promise of honorable protection, he appointed a trusty guard to watch over the se- curity of their apartment. The castle was now taken ; but the town below it was in arms. It was broad day, and the people, recovered from their panic, were enabled to see A FIGHT BY DATLFGHT. 33 and estimate the force of the enemy. The irihal>- itaiita were chiefly merchants and tradespeo{)le ; but the Moors all possessed u knowledge of the use of weapons, and were of brave and warlike spirit. They confided in the strength of their walls, and the certainty of speedy relief from Granada, which was but about eiirht leairues dis- tant. Manning the battlements and towers, they discharged showers of stones and arrows, when- ever the part of the Christian army, without the walls, attempted to approach. They barricadoed the entrances of their streets, also, which opened towards the castle ; stationing men expert at the cross-bow and arquebuse. These kept up a con- stant fire upon the gate of the castle, so that v.r, one could sally forth without being instantly shot down. Two valiant cavaliers, who attempted to lead forth a party in defiance of this fatal tempest, were shot dead at the very portal. The Christians now found themselves in a situation of great peril. Reinforcements must soon arrive to the enemy from Granada ; unless, therefore, they gained possession of the town in the course of the day, they were likely to be sur- rounded and beleaguered, without provisions, in the castle. Some observed that, even if they took the town, they should not be able to maintain possession of it. They proposed, therefore, to make booty of everything valuable, to sack the Kistle, set it on fire, and make good their retreat to Seville. The marques of Carliz was of different counsel. "Go*! has given the citadel into Christian hands/' 34 CONQUEST OF GRANADA. said he ; " he will no doubt strengthen tbem to maintain it. We have gained the place with difficulty and bloodshed ; it would be a stain upon our honor to abandon it through fear of imaginary dangers." The adelantado and Don Diego de Merlo joined in his opinion ; but without their earnest and united remonstrances, the place would have been abandoned ; so exhausted were the troops by forced marches and hard fighting, anc? so apprehensive of the approach of the Moors of Granada. The strength and spirits of the party withio the castle, were in some degree restored by th<^ provisions which they found. The Christian army beneath the town, being also refreshed by a morn- ing's repast, advanced vigorously to the attack of the walls. They planted their scaling-ladders, and, swarming up, sword in hand, fought fiercelj with the Moorish soldiery upon the ramparts. In the meantime, the marques of Cadiz, seeing that the gate of the castle, which opened toward the city, was completely commanded by the artil- lery of the enemy, ordered a large breach to be made in the wall, through which he might lead his troops to the attack ; animating them, in this perilous moment, by assuring them that the place should be given up to plunder, and its inhabitants made captives. The breach being made, the marques put him- self at the head of his troops, and entered sword in hand. A simultaneous attack was- made by the Christians in every part — by the ramparts, by the gate, by the roofs and walls which con- CAPTURE OF THE CITY. 35 nectcd the castle with tlie town. Tlie Moors fought valiantly in their streets, from their win- dows, and fioin the tops of their houses. Tlioy were not equal to the Cliristians in bodily Btrengtii, for they were for the most part peace- ful men. of industrious callings, and enervated by the frequent use of the warm bath ; but they were superior in nimiber, and unconquerable in spirit; old and young, strong and weak, fought with the same desperation. Tiie Moors fought for property, for liberty, for life. Tliey fought at their thresholds and their hearths, with the shrieks of their wives and cliildren ringing in their ears, and they fought in the hope that each moment would bring aid from Granada. They regarded neither their own wounds nor the death of their companions; but continued fighting until they fell, and seemed as if, when they could no longer contend, they would block up the thresh- olds of their beloved homes with their mangled bodies. The Christians fought for glory, for re- venge, for the holy faith, and for the spoil of these wealthy infidels. Success would place a rich town at their mercy ; failure would deliver them into the hands of the tyrant of Granada. The contest raged from morning until night, when the Moors began to yield. Retreating to a large mosque near the walls, they kept up so galling a fire from it with lances, cross-bows, and arquebuses, that for some time the Chribtians dared not approach. Covering themselves, at length, with bucklers and mantelets,^ to protect 1 Mantelet — a movable parapet, made of thick planko, to 36 CONQUEST OF GRANADA. them from the deadly shower, the latter made their way to the raosque, and set fire to the doors. When the smoke and flames rolled in upon them, the Moors gave up all as lost. Many rushed forth desperately upon the enemy, but were immediately slain ; the rest surrendered themselves captives. The struggle was now at an end ; the town remained at the mercy of the Christians ; and the inhabitants, both male and female, became the slaves of those who made them prisoners. Some few escaped by a mine or subterranean way, which led to the river, and concealed them- selves, their wives and children, in caves and secret places ; but in three or four days were compelled to surrender themselves through hun- The town was given up to plunder, and the booty was immense. There were found prodig- ious quantities of gold and silver, and jewels, and rich silks, and costly stuffs of all kinds ; together with horses and beeves, and abundance of grain and oil, and honey, and all other productions of this fruitful kingdom ; for in Alhama were col- lected the royal rents and tributes of the sur- rounding country ; it was the richest town in the Moorish territory, and, from its great strength and its peculiar situation, was called the key to Granada. Great waste and devastation were committed by the Spanish soldiery ; for, thinking it would protect troops w'len advancing to sap or assault a walled jjJace. CONDUCT Of TUE VICTORS. Z7 be impossible to keep possession of the place, they began to destroy wliatevcr tliey could not take away. Immense jars of oil were broken, costly fiirnitiire shattered to pieces, and maga- zines of grain broken open, and tlieir contents fioatlcred to the winds. iMaiiy Cliristian cap- tives, who had been taken at Zahara, were found buried in a Moorish dungeon, and were trium- phantly restored to light and liberty; and a rene- gado Spaniard, avIio had often served as guide to tlie Moors in their incursions into the Christian territories, was hanged on the highest part of the battlements, for the edilication of the army. CHAPTER VI. How tlie People of Granada were affected, on hearing of the Capture of Alhama; and how the Moorish King sallied forth to regain it. MOORISH horseman had spurred across the vega, nor reined his pant- ing steed until he alighted at the gate of tlie Alhambra. Pie brought tidings to Miiley Abul Hassan of the attack upon Alhama. " The Christians," said he, " are in the land. They came upon us, we know not whence or how, and scaled the walls of tlie castle in the night. There lias been dreadful fighting and carnage in its towers and courts ; and when I spurred my steed from the gate of Alhama, the castle was in lx)ssession of the unbelievers." Muley Abul Hassan felt for a moment as if swift retribution had come upon him for the woes he had inflicted upon Zahara. Still he flattered himself that this had only been some transient inroad of a party of marauders, intent upon plunder; and that a little succor, thrown into the town, would be sufficient to expel them from the castle, and drive them from the land. He or- dered out, therefore, a thousand of his chosen cavalry, and sent them in all speed to the assist- WOE rS ME, ALU AM A! 39 ance of AUiama. Tliey arrived before its walb the morning after its capture ; the Ciiristian standards floated upon its towers, and a body of cavalry poured forth from its gates and came wheeling down into the plain to receive them. The Moorish horsemen turned tlie reins of their steeds, and galloped back for Granada. They entered its gates in tumultnons confusion, Bpreading terror and lamentation by their tidings. *' AUiama is fallen ! Alhama is fallen!" exclaimed they ; " the Cluistians garrison its walls ; the key of Granada is in the hands of the enemy!" When the people heard these words, they re- membered the denunciation of the santon. His prediction seemed still to resound in every ear, and its fulfillment to be at hand. Nothinor was heard throughout the city but sighs and wailings. "Woe is me, Alliama!" was in every mouth; and this ejaculation of deep sorrow and doleful foreboding, came to be the burthen of a plaintive ballad, which remains until the present day. ^ Many aged men, who had taken refuge in Granada from other Moorish dominions which had fallen into the power of the Cluistians, now groaned in despair at the thoughts that war was to follow them into this last retreat, to lay waste this pleasant land, and to bring trouble and sor- row upon their declining years. The women were more loud and vehement in their grief; for they beheld the evils impending over their chil- 1 The mournful little Spanish romance of Ayde mi Alhamal Ib supposed to be of Moorish origin, and to embody the grief of the people of Granada on this occasion. 40 CONQUEST OF GRANADA. drcD, and what can I'estrain the agony of a mother's heart ? Many of them made their way through the halls of the Alhambra into the pres- ence of the king, weeping, and wailing, and tear- ing their hair. " Accursed be the day," cried they, " that thou hast lit the flame of war in our land ! May the holy Prophet bear witness be- fore Allah that we and our children are innocent Bf this act ! Upon thy head, and upon the heads of thy posterity, until the end of the world, rest the sin of the desolation of Zahara ! " ^ Muley Abul Hassan remained unmoved amidst all this storm ; his heart was hardened (observes Fray Antonio Agapida) like that of Pharaoh, to the end that, through his blind violence and rage, he might produce the deliverance of the land from its heathen bondage. In fact, he was a bold and fearless warrior, and trusted soon to make this blow recoil upon the head of the enemy. He had ascertained that the captors of Alhama were but a handful : they were in the centre of his dominions, within a short distance of his cap- *tal. They were deficient in munitions of war and provisions for sustaining a siege. By a rapid movement he might surround them with a powerful army, cut off all aid from their coun- trymen, and entrap them in the fortress they had taken. To think was to act, with Muley Abul Has- Ban ; but he was prone to act with too much pre- cipitation. He immediately set forth in person, with thi'ee thousand horse and fifty thousand foot, 1 Garibay, lib. 40, c. 29. MARCH OF AGVILAR. 41 and, in hi3 eagerness to arrive at the scene of action, would not wait to provide artillery and the various engines required in a siege. " The raultitude of my forces," said he, confidently, " will be sufficient to overwhelm the enemy." The marques of Cadiz, who thus held posses- sion of Alliama, had a chosen friend and faithful companion in arms, among the most distinguished of the Christian chivalry. This was Don Alonzo de Cordova, senior and lord of the house of Aguilar, and brother of Gonsalvo of Cordova, afterwards renowned as Grand Captain of Spain. As yet, Alonzo de Aguilar was the glory of bis name and race — for his brother was but young in arms. He was one of the most hardy, val- iant, and enterprising of the Spanish knights, and foremost in all service of a perilous and ad- venturous nature. He had not been at hand, to accompany his friend, Ponce de Leon, marques of Cadiz, in his inroad into the Moorish terri- tory ; but he hastily assembled a number of re- tainers, horse and foot, and pressed forward to join the enterprise. Arriving at the river Ye- guas, he found the baggage- of the army still upon its banks, and took charge of it to ciirry it to Alhama. The marques of Cadiz heard of the approach of his friend, whose march was slow in consequence of being encumbered by the baggage. He was within but a few leagues of Alhama, when scouts came hurrying into the place, with intelligence that the Moorish king was at hand with a powerful army. The marques of Cadiz wus tilled with alarm le."t De Aguilar 42 CONQUEST OF GRANADA. should fall into the hands of the enemy. For. getting his own danger, and thinking only of that of his friend, he dispatched a well-mounted messenger to ride full speed, and warn him not to approach. The first determination of Alonzo de Aguilar, when he heard that the Moorish king was at hand, was to take a strong position in the moun- tains, and await his coming. The madness of an attempt with his handful of men to oppose an immense army, was represented to him with such force as to induce him to abandon the idea ; he then thought of throwinj? himself into Alhama, io share the fortunes of his friend : but it was now too late. The Moor would infallibly inter- cept him, and he should only give the marques the additional distress of beholding him captured beneath his walls. It was even urged upon him that he had no time for delay, if he would con- Bult his own safety, which could only be insured by an immediate retreat into the Christian terri- tory. This last opinion was confirmed by the return of scouts, who brought information that Muley Abul Hassan had received notice of his movements, and was rapidly advancing in quest oi him. It was with infinite reluctance that Don Alonzo de Aguilar yielded to these united anil powerful reasons. Proudly and sullenly he drew off his forces, laden with the baggage of the army, and made an unwilling retreat towards Antiquera. Muley Abul Hassan pursued hira for some distance through the mountains, but 9ooa gave up the chase, and turned with hia forces upon Alhama. BIEGE OF ALB AM A. 43 As tlie army approaclied the town, they beheld the fields strewn wilh the dead bodies of theif countrymen, who liad fallen in defense of tho place, and had been cast Ibrlh and left uidjuried by the Cliiislians. There they lay, mangled and exposed to every indignity ; wliile droves of half- famished dogs were preying upon them, and fight- ing and howling over their hideous repast.^ Fu- rious at the sight, tlie INIoors, in the first transports of tlieir rage, attacked those ravenous animals : their next measure was to vent their fury upon the Christians. They rushed like madmen to the walls, applied scaling-ladders in all parts, without waiting tur tlie necessary mantelets and other pro- tections, — tiiinking, by attacking suddenly and fit various points, to distract the enemy, and over- come them by the force of numbers. The marques of Cadiz, with his confederate commanders, distributed themselves along the walls, to direct and animate their men in the de- fense. The Moors, in their blind fury, often as- sailed the most difificult and dangerous places. Darts, stones, and all kinds of missiles, were hurled down upon their defenseless heads. As fast as they mounted, they were cut down, or dashed from the battlements, their ladders overturned, and all who were on them precipitated headlong below. Muley Abul Hassan stormed with passion at the sight; he sent detachment Kfter detachment to scale the walls — but in vain; they were like waves rushing upon a rock, only to dash them- selves to pieces. The jMoors lay in heaps beneath ^ Pulgar Ci'onica. 44 . CONQUEST Of G BAN ADA. the wall, and among them many of the bravest cavaliers of Granada. The Christians, also, sal- lied frequently from the gates, and made great havoc in the irregular multitude of assailants. Muley Abul Hassan now became sensible of his error in hurrying from Granada without the proper engines for a siege. Destitute of all means to batter the fortifications, the town remained un- injured, defying the mighty army which raged and roamed before it. Incensed at being thus foiled, Muley Abul Hassan gave orders to under- mine the walls. The INIoors advanced with shouts to the attempt. They were received with a deadly fire fi'om the ramparts, which drove them from their works. Repeatedly were they repulsed, and repeatedly did tiiey return to the charge. The Christians not merely galled them from the bat- tlements, but issued forth and cut them down in the excavations they were attempting to form. The contest lasted throughout a whole day, and by evening two thousand Moors were either killed or wounded. Muley Abul Hassan now abandoned all hope of carrying the place by assault, and attempted to distress it into terms by turning the channel of the river which runs by its walls. On this stream the inhabitants depended for their supply of water ; the place being destitute of fountains and cisterns, from which circumstances it is called Alhama la teca, or " the dry." A desperate conflict ensued on the banks of the river, the Moors endeavoring to plant palisades in Us bed to divert the stream, and the Christians SIEGE OF ALU A MA. 45 Btiiving to prevent them. The Spanish comman- ders exposed themselves to the utmost dann;er to niiimate tlieir men, wlio were repeatedly driven back into the town. The marques of Cadiz was often np to his knees in the stream, fighting hand to hand with the Moors. Tlie water ran red with blood, and was encumbered vvitii dead bodies. At length, tlie overwhelming numbers of tiie Moors gave them the advantage, and they suc- ceeded in diverting the greater part of the water. The Christians hud to struggle severely, to supply themselves from the feeble rill which remained. They sallied to the river by a subterraneous pas- sage ; but the Moorisli cross-bowmen stationed themselves on the opposite bank, keeping up a lieavy fire upon the Christians, whenever they attempted to fdl their vessels from the scanty and turbid stream. One party of the Christians had, therefore, to fight, while another drew water. At all hours of the day and night, this deadly strife was maintained, until it seemed as if every drop of water were purchased with a drop of blood. In the mean time the sufferings of the town became intense. None but the soldiery and tiieir horses were allowed the precious beverage so dearly earned, and even that in quantities that only tantalized their wants. The wounded, who could not sally to procure it, were almost desti- tute ; while the unhappy prisoners, shut up in the mosques, were reduced to frightful extremi- ties. Many perished raving mad, fancying them- selves swimming in boundless seas, yet unable to assuage their thirst. Many of the soldiers lay 46 CONQUEST OF GRANADA. parclied and panting along the battlements, no longer able to draw a bowstring or hurl a stone ; while above five thousand Mcors, stationed upon a rocky height which overlooked part of the town, kept up a galling fire into it with slings and cross- bows ; so that the marques of Cadiz was obliged to heighten the battlements, by using the doors from the private dwellings. The Cliristian cavaliers, exposed to this ex- treme peril, and in imminent danger of falling into the hands of the enemy, dispatched fleet messen- gers to Seville and Cordova, entreating the chiv- alry of Andalusia to hasten to their aid. They sent likewise, imploring assistance from the king and queen, who at that time held their court in Medina del Campo. In the midst of their dis- tress, a tank or cistern of water was fortunately discovered in the city, which gave temporary re- lief to their sufferings. CHAPTER VII. How the Duke of ^ledina Sidonia, and the Chivalry of Anda- lusia, hastened to the Relief of Alhania. [HE perilous situation of the Christian Ciiviilieis pent up and beleaguered witliiu the walls of Alhama, spread terror among their friends, and anxiety throughout all Andalusia. Nothltiff, however could equal the anguish of the marchioness of Cadiz, the wife of the gallant Roderigo Ponce de Leon. In her deep distress, she looked round for some power- ful noble, who had the means of rousing the coun- try to the assistance of her husband. No one appeared more competent for the purpose than Don Juan de Guzman, the duke of Medina Sido- nia. He was one of the most wealthy and puis- sant grandees of Spain ; his possessions extended over some of the most fertile parts of Andalusia, embracing towns, and sea-ports, and numerous villages. Here he reigned in feudal state, like a petty sovereign, and could at any time bring into the field an immense force of vassals and retain- ers. The duke of Medina Sidonia and the marques of Cadiz, however, were at this time deadly foes. An hereditary feud existed between them, which 48 CONQUEST OF GRANADA. had often arisen to bloodshed and open war ; for as yet the fierce contests between the proud and puissant Spanish nobles had not been completely quelled by the power of the crown, and in this respect they exerted a right of sovereignty, in leading their vassals against each other in open field. The duke of Medina Sidonia would have ap- peared, to many, the very last person to whom to apply for aid of the marques of Cadiz ; but the marchioness judged of him by the standard of her own high and generous mind. She knew him to be a gallant and courteous knight, and had already experienced the magnanimity of his spirit, having been relieved by him when besieged by tlie Moors in her husband's fortress of Arcos. To the duke, therefore, she applied in this moment of sudden calamity, imploring him to furnish succor to her husband. The event showed how well noble spirits understand each other. No sooner did the duke receive this appeal from the wife of his enemy, than he generously forgot all feeling of animosity, and determined to go in person to his succor. He immediately dispatched a courteous letter to the marchioness, assuring her that in consideration of the request of so honor- able and estimable a lady, and to rescue from peril so valiant a cavalier as her husband, whose loss would be great, not only to Spain, but to all Christendom, lie would forego the recollection of all past grievances, and hasten to his relief with all the forces he could raise. The duke wrote at the same time to the al- 81EGE OF ALU A MA. 49 caydes of his towns and fortresses, ordering them to join him fortliwith at Si'villc with all the forces they could spare from tlieir pirrisons. lie called on all the chivalry of Andalii:?ia to make a common cause in the rescue of tiiose Christian cavaliers, and he offered large pay to all volun- teers who would resort to him with horses, armor, and provisions. Thus all who could be incited by honor, religion, patriotism, or thirst of gain, were induced to hasten to his standard, and he took the field with an army of five thousand horse and fifty thousand foot.^ Many cavaliers of distin- guished name accompanied him in this generous enterprise. Among these was the redoubtable Alonzo de Aguihir, the chosen friend of the marques of Cadiz, and with him his younger brother, Gonsalvo Fernandez de Cordova, after- wards renowned as the Grand Captain ; Don Ko- derigo Giron, also, Master of the order of Cala- trava, together with Martin Alonzo de Monte- mayor, and the marques De Villena, esteemed tile best lance in Spain. It was a gallant and splendid army, comprising the fiower of Spanish chivalry, and poured forth in brilliant array from the gates of Seville, bearing the great standard of that ancient and renowned city. Ferdinand and Isabella were at Medina del Campo, when tidings came of the capture of Al- bania. The king was at mass when he received the news, and ordered Te Deum to be chanted for this signal triumph of the holy faith. When the 1 Cronica de Los Daques de Medina Sidonia, por Pedti. d« Medina, MS. 50 CONQUEST OF GRANADA. first flush of triumph had subsided, and the king learnt the imminent peril of the valorous Ponce de Leon and his companions, and the great danger that this stronghold might again be wrested from their grasp, he resolved to hurry in person to the scene of action. So pressing appeared to him the emergency, that he barely gave himself time to take a hasty repast while horses were providing and then departed at furious speed for Andalusia, leaving a request for the queen to follow him.-^ He was attended by Don Beltram de la Cueva, duke of Albuqiierque, Don Inigo Lopez de Men- doza, count of Tendilla, and Don Pedro Mauriques, count of Trevino, with a few more cavaliers of prowess and distinction. He travelled by forced journeys, frequently changing his jaded horses, being eager to arrive in time to take command of the Andalusian chivalry. When he arrived within live leagues of Cordova, the duke of Albuquerque remonstrated with him upon enter- ing, with such incautious haste, into the enemies* country. He represented to him that there were troops enough assembled to succor Alhama, and that it was not for liira to venture his royal persou in doing what could be done by his subjects especially as he had such valiant and experienced captains to act for him. " Besides, sire," added the duke, " your majesty should bethink you that the troops about to take the field are mere men of Andalusia, whereas your illustrious predecessors never made an inroad into the territory of the Moors, without being accompanied by a powerful ^ Illesa^s, nisi. Pontijical. SIEGE OF AinAMA. 51 force of the stanch and iron warriors of old Castile." " Duke," replied the king, " your counsel might have been good, had I not departed from Medina with the avowed determination of succoring these cavaliers iti person. I am now near the end of my journey, and it would be beneath my dignity to change my intention, befors even I had met with an impediment. I shall take the troops of this country who are assembled, without waiting for those of Castile, and with the aid of God, Bhall prosecute my journey." ^ As King Ferdinand approached Cordova, the principal inhabitants came forth to receive him. Learning, however, that the duke of Medina Sidonia was already on the march, and pressing forward into the territory of the Moors, the king was all on fire to overtake him, and to lead iii person the succor to Alliama. Without entering Cordova, therefore, he exchanged his weary horses for those of the inhabitants who had come forth to meet him, and pressed forward for the army. He dispatched fleet couriers in advance, requesting the duke of Medina Sidonia to await his coming, that he might take command of the forces. Neither the duke nor his companions in arms, however, felt inclined to pause in their generous expedition, and gratify tlie inclinations of the king. They sent back missives, representing that they were far within the enemies' frontier, and it was dangerous either to pause or turn back. They A Pulgar, Cronica, p. 3. cap. 3. 52 CONQUEST OF GRANADA. had likewise received pressing entreaties from the besieged to hasten their speed, setting forth their great sufTerings, and their hourly peril of being overwhelmed by the enemy. The king vi^as at Ponton del Maestre, when he received these missives. So inflamed was he with zeal for the success of this enterprise, that he would have penetrated into the kingdom of Gra- nada with the handful of cavaliers who accom- panied him, but they represented the rashness of such a journey, through the mountainous defiles of a hostile country, thickly beset with tovvna and castles. With some difficulty, therefore, he was dissuaded from his inclination, and prevailed upon to await tidings from the army, in the frontier city of Antiquera. CHAPTER vin. Sequel of the Events at Albania. 'IIILE all Andalusia was thus in arms and pouring its chivalry through the mountain passes of the Moorish fron- tiers, the garrison of Alhama was reduced to great extremity, and in danger of sinking under its sufferings before the promised succor could arrive. The intoleraljle thirst that 2'>revailed in conse- quence of the scarcity of water, the incessant watch that had to be maintained over the vast force of enemies without, and the, great number of prisoners within, and tiie wounds which almost every soldier had received in the incessant skir- mishes and assault", had worn grievously both flesh and spirit. The noble Ponce de Leon, marques of Cadiz, still animated the soldiery, however, by word and example, sharing every hardship, and being foremost in every danger : exemplifying that a good commander is the vital spirit of an army. When JMuley Abul Hassan heard of the vast force tliat was approaching under the command of the duke of Medina Sidonia, and that Ferdi- nand was coming in person with additional troops, he perceived that no time was to be lost: Al- 54 CONQUEST OF GRANADA. Lama must be carried by one powerful attack, or abandoned entirely to the Christians. A number of Moorish cavaliers, some of the bravest youth of Granada, knowing the wishes of the king, proposed to undertake a desperate enterprise, which, if successful, must put Alhama in his power. Early one morning, when it was scarcely the gray of the dawn, about the time of changing the watch, these cavaliers approached the town, at a place considered inaccessible, from the steepness of the rocks on which the wall was founded; which it was supposed, elevated the battlements beyond the reach of the longest scaling-ladder. The Moorish knights, aided by a number of the strongest and most active escalad- ors, mounted these rocks, and applied the ladders, without being discovered ; for, to divert attention from them, Muley Abul Hassan made a false at- tack upon the ^pwn in another quarter. The scaling party mounted with difficulty, and in small numbers ; the sentinel was killed at his post, and seventy of the Moors made their way into the streets before an alarm was given. The guards rushed to the walls, to stop the hostile throng that was still pouring in. A sharp con- flict, hand to hand and man to man, took place on the battlements, and many on both sides fell. The Moors, whether wounded or slain, were thrown headlong without the walls ; the scaling- ladders were overturned, and those who were mounting were dashed upon the rocks, and from thence tumbled upon the plain. Thus, in a little while, the ramparts were cleared by Christian SEQUEL OF EVENTS AT ALU AM A 55 prowess, led on by that valiant knight Don Alonzo Ponce, the uncle, and that brave esquire Pedro Pineda, nephew of the marques of Cadiz. The walls being cleared, these two kindred cavaliers now hastened with their forces in pur- suit of the seventy IMoors, who had gained an entrance into the town. The main party of the garrison being engaged at a distance resisting the feigned attack of the ^Moorish king, this fierce band of infidels had ranged the streets almost without opposition, and were making their way to the gates to throw them open to the army.^ They were chosen men from among the ^Moorish forces, several of them gallant knights, of the proudest families of Granada. Their footsteps through the city were in a manner printed in blood, and they were tracked by the bodies of those they had killed and wounded. They had attained the gate ; most of the guard had fallen beneath their scimetars ; a moment more, and Alhama would have been thrown open to the enemy. Just at this juncture, Don Alonzo Ponce and Pedro de Pineda reached the spot with their forces. The Moors had the enemy in front and rear ; they placed themselves back to back, with their banner in the centre. In this way tiiey fought with desperate and deadly determination, making a rampart around them with the slain. More Christian troops arrived, and hemmed them in ; bit still they fought, without asking for quar- ter. As their numbers decreased, they serried 1 Zurita, lib. 20, c. 43. 56 CONQUEST OF GRANADA. their circle still closer ; defending their banner from assault ; and the last Moor died at his post, grasping the standard of the prophet. This stan- dard was displayed from the walls, and the tur- baned heads of the Moors were thrown down to the besiegers.-^ Muley Abul Hassan tore his beard with rage at the failure of this attempt, and at the death of so many of his chosen cavaliers. He saw that all further effort was in vain ; his scouts brought word that they had seen from the heights the long columns and flaunting banners of the Chris- tian army approaching through the mountains. To linger, would be to place himself between two bodies of the enemy. Breaking uji his camp, therefore, in all haste, he gave up the siege of Alhama, and hastened back to Granada; and the last clash of his cymbals scarce died upon the ear from the distant hills, before the stan- dard of the duke of Medina Sidonia was seen emerging in another direction from the defiles of the mountains. When ihe Christians in Alhama beheld their enemies retreating on one side, and their friends advancing on the other, they uttered shouts of joy and hymns of thanksgiving, for it was as a sud- den relief from present death. Harassed by sev- eral weeks of incessant vigil and fighting, suffer ing from scarcity of provisions and almost contin- 1- Pedro de Pineda received the honor of knighthood from the hand of king Ferdinand, for his valor on this occasion (Alonzo Ponce was already knight). — SeeZuiliga, Annali of BeviUe.Yih 12, au. 1482. SPANISH CniVALRT. 57 nal thirst, tlicy rcsemhlerl skeletons rather than living men. It was a noble and gracious spectacle — tlie meeting of those hitlieito inveterate foes, the duke of ^Medina Sidonia and the marques ol Cadiz. At sight of his magnanimous deliverer the marques melted into tears : all past animosi- ties only gave the greater poignancy to i)rese";it feelings of gratitude and admiration. The lato deadly rivals clasped each other in their arms, and from that time forward were true and cor- dial friends. While this generous scene took place between the commanders, a sordid contest arose amonsr their troojis. The soldiers who had come to the rescue claimed a portion of the spoils of Alhama ; and so violent was the dispute, that both parties seized their arms. The duke of Medina Sidonia interfered, and settled the -juestiou with his char- acteristic magnanimity. He declared that the spoil belonged to those who had captured the city. " We have taken the field," said he, " only for honor, for religion, and for the rescue of our countrymen and fellow Christians ; and the suc- cess of our enteqirise is a sulficient and a glorious reward. If we desire booty, there are sullicient Moorish cities yet to be taken, to enrich us all." The soldiers were convinced by the frank and chivalrous reasonuig of the duke; they replied to his speech by acclamations, and the transient broil was happily appeased. The maichioness of Cadiz, with the forethought of a loving wi/e, had dispatched her majpr-uut a thousand iiorse, and a confused multitude of foot. While they were scattered and partly dismounted on the banks of the Gua- dalete, a fresh storm of war burst upon tlieut from an opposite direction. It was the marcjues of Cadiz, leading on his household troops and the fighting men of Xeres. When the Christian war- riors came in sight of the Moors, they were roused to fury at beholdinir many of them arrayed in the armor of the cavaliers who had been slain among the mountains of Malaga, Nay, some who had been in that defeat beheld their own armor, which they had cast away in their flight, to enable themselves to climb the mountains. Exasperated at the sight, they rushed upon the foe with the ferocity of tigers, rather than the temperate courage of cavaliers. Each man felt as if he were avenjrin": the death of a relative, or wiping out his own disgrace. The good marques, himself, beheld a powerful Moor bestriding the horse of his brother Beltran : giving a cry of rage and anguish at the sight, he rushed through the thickest of the enemy, attacked the Moor I 1G4 CONQUEST OF GRANADA. with resistless fury, and after a short combat, hurled him breatldess to the earth. The Moors, already vanquished in spirit, could not withstand the assault of men thus madly ex- cited. They soon gave way, and fled for the de- file of the Serrania de Ronda, where the body of troops had been stationed to secure a retreat. These, seeing them come galloping wildly up the defile, with Christian banners in pursuit, and the flash of weapons at their deadly work, thought all Andalusia was upon them, and fled without await- ing an attack. The pursuit continued among glens and defiles ; for the Christian warriors, eager for revenge, had no compassion on the foe. When the pursuit was over, the marques of Cadiz and his followers reposed themselves upon the banks of the Guadalete, where they divided the spoil. Among this were found many rich corselets, helmets, and weapons — the Moorish trophies of the defeat in the mountains of Mal- aga. Several were claimed by their owners ; others were known to have belonged to noble cavaliers, who had been slain or taken prisoners. There were several horses, also, riclily capari- soned, which had pranced proudly with the un- fortunate warriors, as they sallied out of Anti- quera upon that fatal expedition. Thus the exultation of the victors was dashed with melan- choly, and many a knight was seen lamenting over the helmet or corselet of some loved com- panion in arms. The good marques of Cadiz was resting under a tree on the banks of the Guadalete, when the EXULTATION MIXED WITH SORROW. 1G5 horse wliich liad belonpjoil to Iiis slau'^htered brother Beltraii was brought to him. lie hiid his hand upon the mane, and looked wistfully at the empty saddle. His bosom heaved with vio- lent agitation, and his lip qirivered and was pale. " Ay de mi ! hermano ! " (woe is me ! my brother!) was all that he said ; for the grief of a warrior has not many words. He looked round on the Held strewn with the bodies of the enemy, and in the bitterness of his woe felt consoled by the idea that his brother had not been unreveiifred. Note. — "En el despojo de la Batalla se vieron muchas ricas corazas e capacetes, e barberas de las que se liabian perdido en el Axarquia, e otras muchas annas, e algunes fueron conocidas de sus duefios que las hahian dejailo por fair, 6 otras fueron conocidas, que eran niui sei'aladas de hombres principales que liabian quedado muertos e cautivos, i fueron tornados mudios de los inisiiios Cabailos con sui ricas f illas, de los que quedaron en la Axarquia, e fueron con- ocidos culos eran." — Cura de los Palacios, cap. 67. CHAPTER XXIII. Retreat of Hatnet el Zegri, Alcayde of Ronda. I HE bold alcayde of Ronda, Hamet el Ze- gri, had careered wide over the Cam- piSa of Utrera, encompassing the flocks and lierds, when he heard the burst of war at a distance. There were with him but a handful of his Gomeres. He saw the scamper and pur- suit afar off, and beheld the Christian horsemen spurring madly -towards the ambuscade on the banks of tlie Lopera. Hamet tossed his hand triumphantly aloft, for his men to follow him. " The Christian dogs are ours ! " said he, as he put spurs to his horse, to take the enemy in rear. The little band wdiich followed Hamet scarcely amounted to thirty horsemen. They spurred across the plain, and reached a rising ground, just as the force of Puerto Carrero had charged, with sound of trumpet, upon the flank of the party in ambush. Hamet beheld the headlong rout of the army with rage and consternation. He found the country was pouring forth its le- gions from every quarter, and perceived that there was no safety but in precipitate flight. But which way to fly ? An army was be- tween him and the mountain pass ; all the forces RETREAT OF HAMET EL ZEGRl. 1G7 of the neighborhood were rushing to the borders ; the whole route by which he had come wus by this time occupied by the foe. He checked his steed, rose in the stirrups, and rolled a storn ami thoughtful eye over the country; then sinking into his saddle, he seemed to commune a moment with himself. Turnitig quickly to his troop, he singled out a renegado Christian, a traitor to his religion and his king. " Come hither," said Hamet. " Tliou knowest all the secret passes of the country." " I do," replied the renegado. " Dost thou know any circuitous route, solitary and untravelled, by which we can pass wide within these troops, and reach the Serrania?" The renegado paused : " Such a route I know, but it is full of peril, for it leads through the heart of the Christian land." " Tis well," said Hamet ; " tlie more dangerous in appearance, the less it will be suspected. Now hearken to me. Ride by my side. Thou seest this purse of gold and this scimetar. Take us, by the route thou hast mentioned, safe to the pass of the Serrania, and this purse shall be thy reward; betray us, and this scimetar shall cleave thee to the saddle- bow." 1 The renegado obeyed, trembling. They turned off from the direct road to the mountains, and struck southward toward Lebrixa, passing by the most solitary roads, and along those deep ramblaa and ravines by which the country is intersected. It was indeed a daring course. Every now and theu they heard the distant sound of trumpets, 1 Cura de log Palaciot. ubi sup. 168 CONQUEST OF GRANADA. and the alarm-bells of towns and villages, and found that the war was still hurrying to the bor- ders. They hid tliemselves in thickets and in dry beds of rivers, until the danger had passed by, and then resumed their course. Hamet el Zegri rode on in silence, his hand upon his scim- etar and his eye upon the renegado guide, pre- pared to sacrifice him on the least sign of trea- chery ; while his band followed, gnawing their lips with rage, at having thus to skulk through a country they had oome to ravage. When night fell, they struck into more practi- cable roads, always keeping wide of the villages and hamlets, lest the watch-dogs should betray them. In this way they passed in deep midnight by Arcos, crossed the Guadalete, and effected their retreat to the mountains. The day dawned as they made their way up the savage defiles>. Their comrades had been hunted up these very glens by the enemy. Every now and then they came to where there had been a partial fight, or a slaughter of the furritives ; and the rocks were red with blood, and strewed with mangled bodies. The alcayde of Ronda was almost frantic with rage, at seeing many of his bravest wai*riors lying stiflp and stark, a prey to the hawks and vultures of the mountains. Now and then some wretched Moor would crawl out of a cave or glen, whither he had tied for refuge ; for in the retreat many of the horsemen had abandoned their steeds, thrown away their armor, and clam- bered up the cliffs, where they could not be pur- sued by the Christian cavalry. MOORISH LAMENTATIONS 169 The Moorish army had sallied forth from Rouda, amidst shouts and acclain;itions ; but wail- in"-3 were heard within its walls as the alcayde and his broken band returned without banner or trumpet, and haj^gard with famine and fatigue. The tidings of their disaster had preceded them, borne by the fugitives of the army. No one ventured to speak to the stern Hamet, as he en- tered the city; for they saw a dark cloud upon his brow. It seemed (says the pious Antonio Agapida) as if Heaven meted out this defeat in exact retribution for the ills inflicted upon the Chris- tian warriors in the heights of Malaga. It was equally signal and disastrous. Of the brilliant array of Moorish chivalry, which had descended so confidently into Andalusia, not more than two hundred escaped. The choicest troops of the frontier were either taken or destroyed ; the Moorish garrisons enfeebled ; and many alcaydes and cavaliers of noble linenge carried into cap- tivity, who were afterwards obliged to redeem themselves with heavy ransoms. This was called the battle of Lopera, and was fought on the 17th of September, 1483. Ferdi- nand and Isabella were at Vittoria, in Old Cas- tile, when they received news of the victory, and the standards taken from the enemy. They cele- brated the event with processions, illuminations, and other festivities. Ferdinand sent to the marques of Cadiz the royal raiment which he had worn on that day, and conferred on him, and all those who should inherit his title, the privi- 170 CONQUEST OF GRANADA. lege of wearing royal robes on our. Lady's day, in September, in commemoration of this victory.^ Queen Isabella was equally mindful of the great services of Don Luis Fernandez Puerto Carrero. Besides many encomiums and favors, she sent to his wife the royal vestments and robe of brocade which she had worn on the same day, to be worn by her, during her life, on the anni- versary of that battle.! 1 Mariana, Abarca, Zurita, Pulgar, etc. CHAPTER XXIV. Of the Reception at Court of the Count de Cabra and the Al- cayde de los Donceles. !N the midst of the bustle of warlike affairs, the vvortliy chronicler Fray An- tonio Agapida pauses to note, with curi- ous accuracy, the distinguished reception given to the count de Cabra and his nephew, the alcayde de los Donceles, at the stately and ceremonious court of the Castilian sovereigns, in reward for the capture of the Moorish king Boabdil. The court (lie observes) was held at the time in the ancient Moorish palace of the city of Cordova, and the ceremonials were arranged by tliat vener- able prelate, Don Pedro Gonzales de Mendoza, bishop of Toledo and grand cardinal of Spain. It was on "Wednesday, the 14th of October (continues the precise Antonio Agapida), that the good count de Cabra, according to arrangement, appeared at the gate of Cordova. Here he was met by the grand cardinal, and the duke of Vil- lahermosa, illegitimate brother of the king, to- gether with many of the first grandees and pre- lates of the kingdom. By this august train was he attended to the palace, amidst strains of martial music, and the shouts of a prodigious multitude. When the count arrived in the presence of tho 172 CONQUEST OF GRANADA. Bovereiofns, who were seated in state on a dais or raised part of the hall of audience, they both arose. The king advanced exactly five steps to- ward the count, who knelt and kissed his royal hand ; however, the king would not receive him as a mere vassal, but embraced him with affection- ate cordiality. The queen also advanced two steps, and received the count with a countenance full of sweetness and benignity : after he had kissed her hand, the king and queen returned to their thrones, and, cushions being brought, they ordered the count de Cabra to be seated in their presence. This last circumstance is written in large letters, and followed by several notes of admiration, in the manuscript of the worthy Fray Antonio Agapida, who considers the extraordinary privilege of sitting in presence of the Catholic sovereigns an honor well worth fighting for. The good count took his seat at a short distance from the king, and near him was seated the duke of Najera, then the bishop of Palencia, then the count of Aguilar, the count Luna, and Don Gu- tierre de Cardenas, senior commander of Leon. On the side of the queen were seated the grand cardinal of Spain, the duke of Villahermosa, the count of Monte Rey, and the bishops of Jaen and Cuenca, each in the order in which they are named. The infanta Isabella was prevented, by indisposition, from attending the ceremony. And now festive music resounded through the ball, and twenty Lidies of the queen's retinue entered, magnificently attired ; upon which twenty youthful cavaliers, very gay and galliard in their 1 HONORS TO THE VICTORS. 173 array, stepped forth, and, each seeking \ns fair partner, they connnenced a stately dance. Tlie court, in the mean time (observes Fray Antonio Agapida), looked on with lofty and becoming grav- ity. When the dance was concluded, the king and queen rose to retire to supper, and dismissed the count with many gracious expressions. lie was then attended by all the grandees present to the palace of the grand cardinal, where they partook of a sumptuous banquet. On the following Saturday, the alcayde da los Donceles was received, likewise, with great hon- ors ; but the ceremonies were so arranged, as to be a degree less in dignity than those siiown to his uncle ; the latter being considered the principal actor in this jrreat achievement. Thus the jirand cardinal and the duke of Villaherniosa did not meet him at the gate of the city, but received him in the palace, and entertained him in con- versation until summoned to the sovereigns. When the alcayde de los Donceles entered the presence chamber, the king and queen rose from their chairs, but without advancing. They greeted him graciously, and commanded him to be seated next to the count de Cabra. The infanta Isabella came forth to this re- ception, and took her seat beside the queen. When the court were all seated, the music again Bounded through the hall, and the twenty ladies came forth as on the preceding occasion, richly attired, but in different raiment. They danced as before ; and the infanta Isabella, taking a 174 CONQUEST OF GRANADA. young Portuguese damsel for a partner, joined in the dance. When this was concluded, the king and queen dismissed the alcayde de los Donceles with great courtesy, and the court broke up. The worthy Fray Antonio Agapida here in- dulges in a long eulogy on the scrupulous dis- crimination of the Caslilian court, in the dis- tribution of its honors and rewards, by which means every smile, and gesture, and word of the sovereigns, had its certain value, and conveyed its equivalent of joy to the heart of the subject ; — a matter well worthy the study (says he) of all monarchs, who are too apt to distribute honors with a heedless caprice that renders them of no avail. On the following Sunday both the count de Cabra and the alcayde de los Donceles were in- vited to sup with the sovereigns. Tiie court that evening was attended by the highest nobility, ar- rayed with that cost and splendor for which the Spanish nobility of those days were renowned. Before supper, there was a stately and cere- monious dance, befitting the dignity of so august a court. The king led forth the queen, in grave and graceful measure ; the count de Cabra was honored with the hand of the infanta Isabella ; and the alcayde de los Donceles danced with a daughter of the marques de Astorga. The dance being concluded, the royal party re- paired to the supper-table, which was placed on an elevated part of the saloon. Here, in full view of the court, the count de Cabra and the alcayde de los Donceles supped at the same I MEMORIALS OF THE VICTORY. 175 lal)le with the king, tlie queen, and tlie infanta. The royal family were served by tlie marques uf Villena. Tlie cupbearer to the king was his nephew, Fachigue de Toledo, son to the duke of Alva. Don Alexis de Estafiiga had the honor of fulfilling that office for the queen, and Tello de Aguilar for the infanta. Other cavaliers of rank and distinction waited on the count and the alcayde de los Donceles. At one o'clock, the two distinguished guests were dismissed with many courteous expressions by the sovereigns. Such (says Fray Antonio Agapida) were the great honors paid at our most exalted and cere- monious court to these renowned cavaliers ; but the gratitude of the sovereigns did not end here. A few days afterwards, they bestowed upon them large revenues for life, and others to descend to their heirs, with the privilege for them and their descendants to prefix the title of Don to tlieir names. They gave them, moreover, as armorial bearings, a Moor's head crowned, with a golden chain round the neck, in a sanguine field, and twenty-two banners round the margin of the es- cutcheon. Their descendants, of the houses of Cabra and Cordova, continue to bear these arms at the present day, in memorial of the victory of Lucena and the capture of Boabdil el Chico.^ 1 The account given by Fray Antonio Agapida of this ceremonial, so characteristic of the old Spanish court, agrees m almost every particular with an ancient manuscript, mada up from the chronicles of the Curate of los I'alaciod aud othei old Spauish writers. B CPIAPTER XXV. How the Marques of Cadiz concerted to surprise Zahara, and the Result of his Enterprise. HE valiant Roderigo Ponce de Leon, mar- ques of Cadiz, was one of the most vigi- lant of commanders. He kept in his pay a number of converted Moors, to serve as adalides, or armed guides. These mongrel Christians were of great service in procuring information. Avail- ing themselves of their Moorish character and tongue, they penetrated into the enemy's country, prowled about the castles and fortresses, noticed the state of the walls, the gates and towers, the strength of their garrison, and the vigilance or negligence of their commanders. All this they reported minutely to the marques, who thus knew the state of every fortress upon the frontier, and when it might be attacked with advantage. Be- sides the various towns and cities over which he held feudal sway, he had always an armed force about him, ready for the field. A host of retain- ers fed in his hall, who were ready to follow him to danger and death itself, without inquiring who or why they fought. The armories of his castles were supplied with helms and cuirasses, and weap- ons of all kinds, ready burnished for use ; and his PROJECT FOR SURPRISING ZAIIARA 177 Stables were filled with hardy steeds, that could stand a inoimtain scamper. Tiie marques was aware that the late defeat of the Moors on the banks of the Lopera had weak- ened their whole frontier ; for many of the castles and fortresses had lost their alcaydes, and their choicest troops. He sent out his war-Iiounds, therefore, upon the range, to ascertain where a successful blow might be struck ; and they sooa returned, with word that Zaliara was weakly gar- risoned and short of provisions. This was the very fortress, which, about two years before, had been stormed by Muley Abul Hassan ; and its capture had been the first blow of this eventful war. It had ever since remained a thorn in the side of Andalusia. All the Chris- tians had been carried away captive, and no civil population had been introduced in their stead. There were no women or children in the place. It was kept up as a mere military post, command- ing one of the most important passes of the moun- tains, and was a stronghold of Moorish marauders. The marques was animated by the idea of regain- ing this fortress fur his sovereigns and wresting from the old Moorish king this boasted trophy of his prowess. He sent missives, therefore, to the brave Luis Fernandez Puerto Cariero, who had distinguished himself in the late victory, and to Juan Almaraz, captain of the men-at-arms of the Holy Brotherhood, informing them of his designs, and inviting them to meet him with their forces on the banks of the Gaudalete. It was on the day (says Fray Antonio Agapida) U 178 CONQUEST OF GRANADA. of the glorious apostles St. Simon and Judas, the twenty-eighth of October, in the year of grace one thousand four hundred and eighty- three, that tliis chosen band of Christian soldiers assembled sud- denly and secretly at the appointed place. Their forces, when united, amounted to six hundred horse and fifteen hundred foot. Their gathering place was at the entrance of the defile leading to Zahara. That ancient town, renowned in Moorish warfare, is situated in one of the roughest passes of the Serrania de Ronda. It is built round the craggy cone of a hill, on the lofty summit of which is a strong castle. The country around is broken into deep barrancas or ravines, some of which approacli its very walls. The place had until re- cently been considered impregnable ; but (as the worthy Fray Antonio Agapida observes) the walls of impregnable fortresses, like the virtue of self-confident saints, have their weak points of attack. The marques of Cadiz advanced with his little army in the dead of the night, marching silently into the deep and dark defiles of the mountains, and stealing up the ravines which extended to the walls of the town. Their approach was so noise- less that the Moorish sentinels upon the walls heard not a voice or a footfall. The marques was accompanied by his old escalador, Ortega de Prado, yv\\o had distinguished himself at the scaling of Albania. This hardy veteran was stationed, with ten men, furnished with scaling-ladders, in a cav- ity among the rocks, close to the walls. At a little distance, seventy men were hid in a ravine, CAPTURE OF ZABARA. 179 to be at hand to second liim, when he should have fixed his hidders. The rest of the troops were concealed in another ravine, commanding a fair approach to the gate of the fortress. A shrewd and wary adalid, well acquainted with the place, was appointed to give signals, and so stationed, that he could be seen by the various parties in ambush, but not by the garrison. The remainder of the night passed away in pro- found quiet. The Moorish sentinels could be heard tranquilly patrolling the walls, in perfect security. The day dawned, and tlie rising sun began to shine against the lofty peaks of the Ser- rania de Ronda. The sentinels looked from their battlements over a savage but quiet mountain country, where not a human being wiis stirring ; they little dreamt of the mischief lurking in every ravine and chasm of the rocks around them. Ap- prehending no danger of surprise in broad day, the greater part of the soldiers abandoned the walls and towers, and descended into the city. By orders of the marques, a small body of light cavalry passed along the glen, and, turning round a point of rock, showed themselves before the town : they skii-red the fields almost to the gates, as if by way of bravado, and to defy the garrison to a skirmish. The Moors were not slow in replying to it. About seventy horse, and a number of foot who had guarded the walls, rallied forth impetuously, thinking to make easy prey of these insolent marauders. The Christian horsemen fled for the ravine, the Moors pursued them down the hill, until they heard a great 180 CONQUEST OF GRANADA. shouting and tumult behind them. Looking round towards the town, they beheld a scaling party mounting the walls sword in hand. Wheel- ing about, they galloped for the gate ; the mar- ques of Cadiz and Luis Fernandez Puerto Car- rero rushed forth at the same time with their ambuscade, and endeavored to cut them off; but the Moors succeeded in throwing themselves within the walls. While Puerto Carrero stormed at the gate, the marques put spurs to his horse and galloped to the support of Ortega de Prado and his scaling party. He arrived at a moment of imminent peril, when the party was assailed by fifty Moors, armed with cuirasses and lances, who were on the point of thrusting them from the walls. The marques sprang from his horse, mounted a ladder, sword in hand, followed by a number of his troops, and made a vigorous attack upon the enemy.^ They were soon driven from the walls, and the gates and towers remained in possession of the Christians. The Moors defended them- selves for a short time in the streets, but at length took refuge in the castle, the walls of which were strong, and capable of holding out until relief should arrive. The marques had no desire to carry on a siege, and he had not provisions suffi- cient for many prisoners ; he granted them, there- fore, favorable terms. Tiiey were permitted, on leaving their arms behind them, to march out with as much of their effects as they could carry ; and it was stipulated that they should pass over 1 Cura de lo$ Falacios, c. 68. HONORS OF TEE MARQUES. 181 to Barbary. The marques remaiiieJ in the place until both town and castle were put in a perfect state of defense, and strongly garrisoned. Thus did Zaliara return once more in posses- sion of the Clirislians, to the great confusion of old ]Muley Abul Hassan, who, having paid the penalty of his ill-timed violence, was now de- prived of its vaunted fruits. The Castilian sov- ereigns were so gratified by this achievement of the valiant Ponce de Leon, that they authorized him thenceforth to entitle himself duke of Cadiz and marques of Zahara. The warrior, however, was so proud of the original title, under which he had si often signalized himself, that he gave it the precedence, and always signed himself mar- ques, duke of Cadiz. As the reader may have acquired the same predilection, we shall continue to call him by his ancient title. «l» (^S£> CHAPTER XXVI. Of the Fortress of Alhama, and how wisely it was governed by the Count de Tendilla. |N this part of his chronicle, the worthy father Fray Antonio Agapida indulges in triumphant exultation over the down- fall of Zahara : Heaven pometimes speaks (says he) through the mouths of false prophets, for the confusion of the wicked. By the fall of this fortress was the prediction of the santon of Gra- nada in some measure fulfilled, tliat '' the ruins of Zahara should fall upon the heads of the in- fidels." Our zealous chronicler scoffs at the Moorish alcayde, who lost his fortress by surprise in broad daylight ; and contrasts the vigilance of the Chris- tian governor of Alhama, the town taken in re- taliation for the storming of Zahara. The important post of Alhama was at this time confided by King Ferdinand to Don Inigo Lopez de Mendoza, count of Tendilla, a cavalier of noble blood, brother to the grand cardinal of Spain. He had been instructed by the king, not merely to maintain his post, but also to make Bailies and lay waste the surrounding country. His fortress was critically situated. It was STATE OF ALB A MA. 183 within seven leagues of Granada, and at no great di.staiice from tlie warlike city of Loxa. It was nestled in the lap of the mountains, commanding the high-road to Malaga and a view over the ex- tensive vega. Thus situated, in the heart of the enemy's country, surrounded by foes ready to assail him, and a rich country for him to ravage, it behooved this cavalier to be forever on the alert. He was in fact an experienced veteran, a shrewd and wury ofTieer, and a commander amaz- ingly prompt and fertile in expedients. On assuming the command, he found that the garrison consisted but of one thousand men, horse and foot. They were hardy troops, seasoned in rough mountain campaigning, but reckless and dissolute, as soldiers are apt to be when accus- tomed to predatory warfare. They would fight hard for booty, and then gamble it heedlessly away, or squander it in licentious reveling. Al- hama abounded with hawking, sharping, idle hang- ers-on, eager to profit by the vices and follies of the garrison. The soldiers were oftener gam- bling and dancing beneath the walls, than keeping watch upon the battlements ; and nothing was heard, from morning till night, but the noisy con- test of cards and dice, mingled with the sound of the bolero or fandango, the drowsy strumming of the guitar, and the rattling of the castanets; while often the whole was interrupted by the loud brawl, and fierce and bloody contest. The count of Tendilla set himself vigorously to reform these excesses ; he knew that laxity of morals is generally attended by neglect of duty 184 CONQUEST OF GRANADA. and that the least breach of discipline in the ex- posed situation of his fortress might be fatal. " Here is but a handful of men," said he ; " it is necessary that each man should be a hero." He endeavored to awaken a proper ambition in the minds of his soldiers, and to instill into them the high principles of chivalry. "A just war," he observed, " is often rendered wicked and disastrous by tlie manner in which it is con- ducted ; for the righteousness of the cause is not sufficient to sanction the profligacy of the means, and the want of order and subordination among the troops may bring ruin and disgrace upon the best concerted plans." But we cannot describe the character and conduct of this renowned com- mander in more forcible language than that of Fray Antonio Agapida, excepting that the pious father places in the foreground of his virtues his hatred of the Moors. " The count de Ten- dilla," says he, " was a mirror of Christian knight- hood — watchful, abstemious, chaste, devout, and thoroughly filled with the spirit of the cause. He labored incessantly and strenuously for the glory of the faith, and the prosperity of their most Catholic majesties ; and, above all, he hated the infidels with a pure and holy hatred. This worthy cavalier discountenanced all idleness, riot- ing, chambering, and wantonness, among his sol- diery. He kept them constantly to the exercise of arms, making them adroit in the use of their weapons and management of their steeds, and prompt for the field at a moment's notice. He permitted no sound of lute or harp, or song, or THE COV^T OF TENDILLJL 185 other loose minstrelsy, to be heard iti liis forlress, debauching the ear and softening the valor of the Boldier ; no otiier music was allowed but tlio wholesome rolling of the drum and braying of the trumpet, and such like spirit-stirring instru- ments, as fill tlie mind witli thouglits of irou-wnr. All wandering minstrels, sharping pedlars, sturdy trulls, and otiier camp trumpery, were ordered to pack up their baggage, and were drummed out of the gates of Aliiama. In place of such lewd rabble, he introduced a train of holy friars to in- spirit his people by exhortation, and prayer, and choral cliantiiig, and to spur them on to figlit the good fight of liiith. All games of chance were prohibited, except the game of war ; and this he labored, by vigilance and vigor, to reduce to a game of certainly. Heaven smiled upon the efforts of this rigliteous cavalier. His men be- came soldiers at all points, and terrors to the Moors. The good count never set forth on a rav- age, without observing the rites of confession, absolution, and communion, and obli£iii2 his fol- lowers to do tlie same. Tlieir banners were blessed by the holy friars whom he maintained in Albania ; and in this way success was secured to his arms, and he was enabled to lay waste tlie land of the heathen." " The fortress of Alhama " continues Fray An- tonio Agapida "overlooked from its lofty site a great part of the fertile vega, watered by the Cazin and the Xenil ; from this he made fre^iuent sallies, sweeping away the flocks and herds from the pasture, the laborer from the field, and the 186 CONQUEST OF GRANADA. convoy from the road ; so that it was said by the Moors,, that a beetle could not crawl across the vega without being seen by count Tendilla. The peasantry, therefore, were fain to betake them- selves to watch-towers and fortified hamlets, where they shut up their cattle, garnered their corn, and sheltered their wives and children. Even there they were not safe ; the count would Btorm these rustic fortresses with fire and sword ; make captives of their inhabitants ; carry off the corn, the oil, the silks, and cattle ; and leave the ruins blazing and smoking, within the very sight of Granada." *' It was a pleasing and refreshing sight," con- tinues the good father, " to behold this pious knight and his followers returning from one of these crusades, leaving the rich land of the infidel in smoking desolation behind them ; to behold the long line of mules and asses, laden with the plunder of the Gentiles — the hosts of captive Moors, men, women, and children — droves of sturdy beeves, lowing kine, and bleating sheep ; all winding up the steep acclivity to the gates of Albania, pricked on by the Catholic soldiery. His garrison thus thrived on the fat of the land and the spoil of the infidel ; nor was he unmindful of the pious fathers, whose blessings crowned his enterprises with success. A large portion of the spoil was always dedicated to the church ; and the good friars were ever ready at the gate to hail him on his return, and receive the share allotted them. Beside these allotments, he made many votive oflferings, either in time of peril or on the DEFENSE OF ALU AM A. 187 evo of ii foray ; anrl the chapels of Alhama were resplendent with chalices, crosses, and other pre- cious gifts made by thia Catholic cavalier." Thus eloquently does the venerable Fray Antonio Aujapida dilate in praise of the good count de TendiUa ; and other historians of ecjual veracity, but less unction, agree in pronouncing him one of the ablest of Spanish generals. So terrible in fact did he become in the land, that the Moorish peasantry could not venture a league from Granada or Loxa to labor iu the fields, without peril of being carried into captivity. The people of Granada clamored against Muley Abul Hassan, for suirerlng his lands to be thus outraged and insulted, and demanded to have this bold marauder shut up in his fortress. The old monarch was roused by their remonstrances. He sent forth powerful troops of horse, to protect the country, during the season that the husband- men were abroad in the fields. These troops patrolled in formidable squadrons in the neighbor- hood of Alhama, keeping strict watch upon its gates ; so that it was impossible for the Christians to make a sally, without being seen and in- tercepted. While Alhama was thus blockaded by a roving force of JSIoorish cavalry, the inhabitants were awakened one niglit by a tremendous crash, that shook the fortress to its foundations. The garri- son flew to arms, supposing it some assault of the enemy. The alarm proved to have been caused by the rupture of a portion of the wall, which, undermined by heavy rains, had suddenly given 188 CONQUEST OF GRANADA. way, leaving a large chasm yawning towards the plain. The count de Tendilla was for a time in great anxiety. Should this breach be discovered by the blockading horsemen, they would arouse the country, Granada and Loxa would pour out aa overwhelming force, and they would find his walls ready sapped for an assault. In this fearful emergency, the count displayed his noted talent for expedients. He ordered a quantity of linen cloth to be stretched in front of the breach, painted in imitation of stone, and indented with battle- ments, so as at a distance to resemble the other ^arts of the walls : behind this screen he employed workmen, day and night, in repairing the fracture. No one was permitted to leave tlie fortress, lest information of its defenseless plight should be carried to the Moor. Light squadrons of tiie enemy were seen hovering about the plain, but never approached near enough to discover the de- ception ; and thus, in the course of a few days, the wall was rebuilt stronger than before. There was another expedient of this shrewd veteran, which greatly excites the marvel of Agapida. " It happened," he observes, " that this Catholic cavalier at one time was destitute of gold and silver, wherewith to pay the wages of his troops ; and the soldiers murmured greatly seeing that they had not the means of purchasing necessaries from the people of the town. In this dilemma, what does this most sagacious com- mander ? He takes me a number of little morsels of paper, on the which he inscribes ADROIT DEVICE — PAPER MONET. ISO various snm3, large and small, accortling to fhe nature of tlie case, and si^jjus me them with his own hand and name. Tliese did he give to the soldiery, in earnest of their pay. ' How ! ' you will say, 'are soldiers to be paid with scraps of paper?' Even so, I answer, and well paid too, as 1 will presently make manifest : for the good count issued a proclamation, ordering the inhabi- tants of Aliiama to take tliese morsels of paper for the full amount thereon inscribed, promising to redeem them at a future time with silver and gold, and threatening severe punishment to all who should refuse. The people, having full con- iidence in his word, and trusting that he would be as willing to perform the one promise as he certainly was able to perform the other, took those curious morsels of paper without hesitatioa or demur. Thus, by a subtle and most miracu- lous kind of alchemy, did this Catholic cavalier turn worthless paper into precious gold, and make his late impoverished garrison abound in money ! " It is but just to add, that the count de Tendilla redeemed his promises, like a loyal knight ; and this miracle as it appeared in the eyes of Fray Antonio Agapida, is the first instance on record of paper money, which has since inundated the civilized world with unbonnded opulence. CHAPTER XXVII. Foray of Christian Knights into the Territory of the Mooni. (HE Spauish cavaliers who had survived the memorable massacre among the mountains of Malaga, although they had repeatedly avenged the death of their com- panions, could not forget the horror and humilia- tion of their defeat. Nothing would satisfy tliem but a second expedition of the kind, to carry fire and sword throughout a wide part of tiie Moor- ish territories, and leave the region which had triumphed in their disaster a black and burning monument of their vengeance. Their wishes ac- corded with the policy of the king, to destroy the resources of the enemy ; every assistance was therefore given to their enterprise. In the spring of 1484, the ancient city of An- tiquera again resounded with arms ; numbers of the same cavaliers who had assembled there so gayly the preceding year, came wheeling into tho gates with their steeled and shining warriors, but with a more dark and solemn brow than on that disastrous occasion, for they had the recollection of their slaughtered friends present to their minds, whose deaths they were to avenge. lu a little while there was a chosen force of AS OTHER FORAY AGAINST THE MOORS. 191 six thousand horse and twelve thousand foot ns- sembled in Antiquera, many of them the very flower of Spanish chivalry, troops of the estab- lislied military and religious orders, and of the Holy Brotherhood. Precautions had been taken to furnish this army witii all things needful for its perilous inroad. Numerous surgeons accompanied it, who were to attend upon the sick and wounded, without charge, being paid for tlieir services by the queen. Isa- bella also, in her considerate humanity, provided six spacious tents furnished with beds and all things needful for tlie wounded and infirm. These continued to be used in all great expe- ditions throughout the war, and were called the Queen's Hospital. The worthy father, Fray Antonio Agapida, vaunts this benignant provision of the queen, as the first introduction of a regu- lar camp hospital in campaigning service- Thus thoroughly prepared, the cavaliers issued forth from Antiquera in splendid and terrible array, but with less exulting confidence and vaunting ostentation than on their former foray ; and this was the order of the army. Don Alonzo de Aguilar led the advance guard, accompanied by Don Diego Fernandez de Cordova, tlie al- cayde de los Donceles, and Luis Fernandez Pu- erto Carrero, count of Piilma, with their house- hold troops. They were followed by Juan de Merlo, Juan de Almara, and Carlos de Biezman, of the Holy Brotherhood, with the men-at-arms of their captaincies. The second battalion was commanded by the 192 CONQUEST OF GRANADA. marques of Cadiz and the Master of Santiago, with the cavaliers of Santiago and the troops of the house of Ponce Leon ; with these also went the senior commander of Calatrava and the knights of that order, and various other cavaliers and their retainers. The riofht wiiifj of this second battalion was led by Gonsalvo de Cordova, afterwards re- nowned as grand captain of Spain ; the left by Diego Lopez de Avila. They were accompanied by several distinguished cavaliers, and certain captains of the Holy Brotherhood, with their men-at-arms. The duke of Medina Sidonia and the count de Cabra commanded the third battalion, with the troops of their respective houses. They were accompanied by other commanders of note, with their forces. The rear-guard was brought up by the senior commander and knights of Alcantara, followed by the Andalusian chivalry from Xerez, Ecija, and Carmona. Such was the army that issued forth from the gates of Antiquera, on one of the most exten- Bive tolas, or devastating inroads, that ever laid waste the kingdom of Granada. The army entered the Moorish territory by the way of Alora, destroying all the corn-fields, vineyards, and orchards, and plantations of olives, round that city. It then proceeded through the rich valleys and fertile nplands of Coin, Cazar- abonela, Alraexia, and Cartama ; and in ten days all those fertile regions were a smoking aud DESOLATION OF THE VEGA. 193 frightful desert. Hence it pursued its slow and destructive course, like tlie strciun of lava of a volcano, thruugli the regions of Pupiana and Al- liendin, and so on to the vega of Malaga, laying waste the groves of olives and almonds, and the fields of grain, and destroying every green thing. The Moors of some of tiiose places interceded in vain for their groves and fields, offering to de- liver up their Christian captives. One part of the army blockaded tlie towns, while the other ravaged the surrounding country. Sometimes the Moors sallied forth desperately to defend their property, but were driven back to their gates with slaughter and their suburbs pillaged and burnt. It was an awful spectacle at night to be- hold the volumes of black smoke mingled with lurid flames rising from the burning stiburbs, and tiie women on the walls of the town wringing their hands and shrieking at the desolation of their dwellings. The destroying army, on arriving at the sea- coast, found vessels lying off shore laden with all kinds of provisions and munitions sent from Sev- ille and Xeres, and was thus enabled to con- tinue its desolating career. Advancinji to the neighborhood of Malaga, it was bravely assailed by the Moors of that city, and there was severe skirmishing for a whole day ; but while the main part of the army encountered the enemy, the rest ravaged the whole vega and destroyed all the mills. As the object of the expedition was not to capture places, but merely to burn, ravage, and destroy, the host, satisfied with the mischief 13 194 CONQUEST OF GRANADA. tliey had done in the vega, turned their backa upon Malaga, and again entered the mountains. They passed by Coin, and through the regions of Allazayna, and Gatero, and Alhaurin ; all which were likewise desolated. In this way did they make the circuit of a chain of rich and verdant valleys, the glory of those mountains and the pride and delight of the Moors. For forty days did they continue on like a consuming fire, leav- ing a smoking and howling waste to mark their course, until, weary with the work of destruction, and having fully sated their revenge for the mas- sacre of the Axarquia, they returned in triumph to the meadows of Antiquera. In the month of June, king Ferdinand took command in person of this destructive army ; he increased its force, and added to its means of mischief several lombards and other heavy artil- lery, intended for the battering of towns, and managed by engineers from France and Ger- many. With these, the marques of Cadiz as- sured the king, he would soon be able to reduce the Moorish fortresses, which were only calcu- lated for defense against the engines anciently used in warfare. Their walls and towers were high and thin, depending for security on their rough and rocky situations. The stone and iron balls thundered from the lombards would sooa tumble them in ruins upon the heads of their de- fenders. The fate of Alora speedily proved the truth of this opinion. It was strongly posted on a rock washed by a river. The artillery soon bat- CAPTURE OF ALORA AND SETENIL. 195 fert'd clown two of the towers and a part of tlie wall. The Moors were thrown into consterna- tion at the veliemunce of the assault, and the effect of t^iose trcnii'iidous engines upon tlieir vaunted bulwarks. The roaring of the artillery and the tumbling of the walls terrified the women, who beset the alcayde with vociferous supplica- tions to surrender. The place was given up oa the 20lh of June, on condition that the inhabi- tants might depart with their effects. The people of Malaga, as yet unacquainted with the power of this battering ordnance, were so incensed at those of Alora for wliat they considered a tame surrender, that they would not admit them into their city. A similar f;xte attended the town of Setenil, built on a lofty rock, and esteemed impregnable. Many times had it been besieged under former Christian kings, but never taken. Even now, for several days the artillery was directed against it without effect, and many of the cavaliers mur- mured at the marques of Cadiz for having coun- seled the king to attack this unconquerable place.^ On the same night that these reproaches were uttered, the marques directed the artillery him- self: he leveled the lombards at the bottom of the walls and at the gates. In a little while the gates were battered to pieces, a great breach was effected in the walls, and the Moors were fain to capitulate. Twenty-four Christian captains, who had been taken in the defeat of the mountains of Malaga, were rescued from the dungeons of this 1 Cwa de los Palacios, 196 CONQUEST OF GRAlfADA. fortress, and bailed the marques as their deliv« erer. Needless is it to mention the capture of va- rious other places, which surrendered without waiting to be attacked. The Moors *bad always shown great bravery and perseverance in defend- ing their towns ; they were formidable in their sallies and skirmishes, and patient in enduring hunger and thirst when besieged ; but this ter- rible oi'dnance, which demolished their walls with such ease and rapidity, overwhelmed them with dismay, and rendered vain all resistance. King Ferdinand was so struck with the effect of this artillery, that he ordered the number of lombards to be increased ; and these potent engines had henceforth a great influence on the fortunes of this war. The last operation of this year, so disastrous to the Moors, was an inroad by Ferdinand, in the latter part of summer, into the vega, in which he ravaged the country, burned two villages near to Granada, and destroyed the mills near the very gates of the city. Old Muley Abul Hassan was overwhelmed with dismay at the desolation which, during the whole year, had raged throughout his territories, and had now reached the walls of his capital. His fierce spirit was broken by misfortunes and infirmity ; he offered to purchase a peace, and to hold his crown as a tributary vassal. Ferdinand would listen to no propositions : the absolute con- quest of Granada was the great object of this war, and he was resolved never to rest content I TRIUMPHAL RETURN OF FERDINAND. 197 without it3 complete fiilfillinent. Having eiip-i plied and streiigtliened the pan-isous of tlie phices taken in tlie heart of tlie JMoorish territories lie enjoined tlieir commanders to render every as- eistance to the younger JMoorisIi king, in tlie civil war against his father. He then returned with bis army to Cordova, in great triumpii, closing a series of ravaging campaigns, which had filled the kingdom of Granada with grief and couster- Datiou. ynR^, m^m^ ¥^ 1 CHAPTER XXVIIL Attempt of El Zagal to surprise Boabdil in Almeria. lURING this year of sorrow and disas- ter to the Moors, the younger king ^^ Boabdil, most truly called the Unfortu- nate, hell a diminished and feeble court in the maritime city of Almeria. He retained little more than the name of king, and was supported in even this shadow of royalty by the counte- nance and treasures of the Castilian sovereigns. Still he trusted that, in the fluctuation of events, the inconstant nation might once more return to his standard, and replace him on the throne of the Alhambra. His mother, the high-spirited sultana, Ayxa la Horra, endeavored to rouse him from this passive state. " It is a feeble mind," said she, " that waits for the turn of fortune's wheel ; the brave mind seizes upon it, and turns it to its purpose. Take the field, and you may drive danger before you ; remain cowering at home, and it besieges you in your dwelling. By a bold enterprise, you may regain your splendid throne in Granada ; by passive forbearance, you will forfeit even this miserable throne in Almeria." Boabdil had not the force of soul to follow CONSPIRACY AGAINST BOABDIL. 199 these courageous counsels, and in a little time the evils Iiir4 niotiier had predicted fell upon him. Old Muley Abul Hassan was almost extin- guished by age and paralysis. He had nearly lost his sight, and was completely bed-ridden. His brother, Abdallali, surnamed El Zagal, or the Valiant, the same who had assisted in the massacre of tiie Spanish chivalry among the mountains of Malaga, was commander-in-chief of the Moorish armies, and gradually took upon liimself most of the cares of sovereignty. Among other things, he was particularly zealous in es- pousing his brother's quarrel with his sou ; and he prosecuted it with such vehemence, that many affirmed there was something more than mere fraternal sympathy at the bottom of his zeal. The disasters and disgraces inflicted on the country by the Christians during this year had wounded the national feelings of the people of Almeria ; and many felt indignant that Boabdil should remain passive at such a time, or rather, should appear to make a common cause with the enemy. His uncle, Abdallali, diligently fomented this feeling by his agents. The same arts were niade use of that had been successful in Granada. Boabdil was secretly but actively denounced by the alfaquis as an apostate, leagued with the Ciiristians against his country and his early faith ; the affections of the populace and soldiery were gradually alienated from him, and a deep conspir acy concerted for his destruction. In the month of February, 1485, El Zagal suddenly appeared befoi'e Almeria, at the head 200 CONQUEST OF GRANADA. of a troop of horse. The alfaquis were prepared for his arrival, and the gates were thrown opeu to him. He entered with his band, and galloped to the citadel. The alcayde would have made resistance ; but the garrison put him to death, and received El Zagal with acclamations. The latter rushed through the apartments of the Al- cazar, but he sought in vain for Boabdil. He found the sultana, Ayxa la Horra, in one of the saloons, with Aben Haxig, a younger brother of the monarch, and several Abencerrages, who ral- lied round them to protect them. " Where is the traitor Boabdil ? " exclaimed El Zagal. " I know no traitor more perfidious than thyself," ex- claimed the intrepid saltana ; " and I trust my son is in safety, to take vengeance on thy trea- son." The rajje of El Za";al was without bounds when he learned that his intended victim had escaped. In his fury he slew the prince Aben Haxig, and his followers fell upon and massacred the Abencerrages." As to the proud sultana, she was borne away prisoner, and loaded with revil- ings, as having upheld her sou in his rebellion^ and fomented a civil war. The unfortunate Boabdil had been apprised of his danger by a fliithful soldier, just in time to make his escape. Throwing himself on one of his fleetest horses, and followed by a handful of adlierents, he galloped in the confusion out of the gates of Almeria. Several of the cavalry of El Zagal, stationed without the walls, per- ceived his flight, and attempted to pursue him their horses were jaded with travel, and he sooa FLIGHT OF BOABDIL. 201 left them far behind. But whither was he to fly? Every fortress and castle in the kingdom of Gran- ada was closed against him ; he knew not whom among the Moors to trust, for they had been taught to detest him as a traitor and an apostate. He had no alternative but to seek refuge among the Christians, his hereditary enemies. With a heavy heart, he turned his horse's head towards Cordova. He had to lurk, like a fugitive, through a part of his own dominions ; nor did he feel himself secure until he liad passed the frontier, and beheld the mountain barrier of his country towering behind him. Tlien it was that he became conscious of his humiliating state — a fugitive from his throne, an outcast from his na- tion, a king without a kingdom. He smote his breast, in an agony of grief: " Evil indeed," ex- claimed he, "was the day of my birth, and truly was I named El Zogoybi, the Unlucky." He entered the gates of Cordova with down- cast countenance, and with a train of but forty followers. The sovereigns were absent ; but the cavaliers of Andalusia manifested that sympathy in the misfortunes of the monarch which becomes men of lofty and chivalrous souls. They re- ceived him with great distinction, attended him with the utmost courtesy, and he was honorably entertained by the civil and military commanders of that ancient city. In the mean time. El Zagal put a new alcayde over Almeria, to govern in the name of his brother; and, having strongly garrisoned the place, repaired to Malaga, where an attack of 202 CONQUEST OF GRANADA. the Christians was apprehended. The young monarch being driven out of the land, and the old monarch blind, and bed-ridden, El Zagal, at the head of the armies, was virtually the sove- reign of Granada. He was supported by the brave and powerful family of the Alnayans and Venegas ; the people were pleased with having a new idol to look up to, and a new name to shout forth ; and El Zagal was hailed with acclama- tions, as the main hope of the nation. CHAPTER XXIX. How King Ferdinand commenced another Campaifni against the Muors, and how Le laid Siege to Coin and Cartama. II E recent effect of the batterinjx orrl- nance in demolisliinrj the Moorish for- tresses, induced king Ferdinand to pro- cure H powerful tniin for the campaign of 14S5, intending to assault some of the most formidable liolds of the enemy. An army of nine thousand cavalry and twenty thousand infantry assembled at Cordova, early in tlie spring ; and the king took the field on tlie 5th of April. It had been determined in secret council, to attack the city of Malaga, that ancient and important seaport, on •which Granada depended for foreign aid and sup- plies. It was thought proper previously, how- ever, to get possession of various towns and for- tresses in the valleys of Santa Maria and Car- tama, through which pass the roads to Malaga. The first place assailed was the town of Bena- mexi or Bonameji. It had submitted to the Cath die sorereigns in the preceding year, but had since renounced it' allegiance. Kincr Ferdinand was enraged at the rebellion of the inhabitants. " I will make their punishment," said he, *' a ter- ror to others : they shall be loyal through force, 204 CONQUEST OF GRANADA. if not through faith." The place was carried by storm : one hundred and eight of the principal inhabitants were either put to the sword or hanged on the battlenaents : the rest were carried into captivity.^ The towns of Coin and Cartama were be- sieged on the same day ; the first by a division of the army led on by the marques of Cadiz, the second by anotlier division commanded by Don Alonzo de A^uilar and Louis Fernandez Puerto Carrero, the brave senior of Palma. The king, with the rest of the army, remained posted be- ■"ween the two places, to render assistance to either division. The batteries opened upon both places at the same time, and the thunder of the lombarda was mutually heard from one camp to the other. The Moors made frequent sallies and a valiant defense ; but tliey were confounded by the tre- mendous uproar of the batteries, and the destruc- tion of their walls. In the mean time, the alarm- fires gathered together the Moorish mountaineers of all the Serrania, who assembled in great num- bers in the city of Monda, about a league from Coin. They made several attempts to enter the besieged town, but in vain : they were each time intercepted and driven back by the Christians, and were reduced to gaze at a distance in despair on the destruction of the place. While thus situated, there rode one day into Monda a fierce and haughty Moorish chieftain, at the head of a band of swarthy African horsemen : it was Hamet el Zegri, the fiery spirited alcayde of Ronda, at 1 Pulgar, Garibay, Cura de los Palacioi. SEIGE OF COIN. 205 the head of his band of Gomeres. He had not yet recovered from the rage and mortification of his defeat on the banks of the Lopera, in the dis- astrous foray of old Bexir, when he had been obliged to steal back furtively to his mountains, with the loss of the bravest of his followers. IIo had ever since panted for revenge. He now rode amonij the host of warriors assembled at Monda. " Who among you," cried he " feels pity for the women and children of Coin, exposed to captivity and death ? Whoever he is, let him follow me, who am ready to die as a Moslem for the relief of Moslems." So saying, he seized a white ban- ner, and, waving it over his head, rode forth from the town, followed by the Gomeres. Many of the warriors, roused by his words and his ex- ample, «;purred resolutely after his banner. The people of Coin, being prepared for this attempt, sallied forth as they saw the white banner, and made an attack upon the Christian camp ; and in the confusion of the moment, Hamet and his followers galloped into the gates. This rein- forcement animated tlte besieged, and Hamet ex- liorted them to hold out obstinately in defense of life and town. As the Gomeres were veteran warriors, the more they were attacked the harder they fought. At length, a great breach was made in the walls, and Ferdinand, who was impatient of the resistance of the place, ordered the duke of Nax- ara and the count of Bcuaventc to enter with their troops ; and as their forces were not suf- ficient, he sent word to Louis de Cerda, duke of 206 CONQUEST OF GRANADA. ]\Iedina Celi, to send a part of his people to theii assistance. The feudal pride of the duke was roiised at this demand. " Tell my lord the king," said the haughty grandee, " that I have come to succor him with my household troops: if my people are ordered to any place, I am to go with them ; but if I am to remain in the camp, my people must remain with me. For the troops cannot serve without their commander, nor their commander without his troops." The reply of the high-spirited grandee per- plexed the cautious Ferdinand, who knew the jealous pride of his powerful nobles. In the mean time, the people of the camp, having made all preparations for the assault, were impatient to be led forward. Upon this, Pero Ruyz de Alarcon put himself at their head, and, seizing their mantas, or portable bulwarks, and their other defenses^ they made a gallant assault, and fought their way in at the breach. The Moors were so overcome by the fury of their assault, that they retreated, fighting, to the square of the town. Pero Ruyz de Alarcon thought the place was carried, when suddenly Hamet and his Go- meres came scouring through the streets with wild war-cries, and fell furiously upon the Chris- tians. The latter were in their turn beaten back, and, while attacked in the front by the Gomeres, were assailed by the inhabitants with all kinds of missiles from their roofs and windows. They at length gave way and retreated through the breach. Pero Ruyz de Alarcon still maintained his ground I i CAPTURE OF com AND CART AM A. 207 in one of tlie principal streets — the few cavaliers that stood by him urged him to fly : " No," said he ; " I came here to fight, and not to fly." He was presently surrounded by the Gomeres ; his companions fled for their lives ; the last they saw of him, he was covered with wounds, but still fighting desperately for the fame of a good cava- lier.i The resistance of the inhabitants, though aided by the valor of the Gomeres, was of no avail. The battering artillery of the Christians demol- ished their walls ; combustibles thrown into their town, set it on fire in various places ; and tliey were at length compelled to capitulate. They were permitted to depart with their efTects, and the Gomeres with their arms. Ilamet el Zegri and his African band rode proudly through the Christian camp ; nor could the Spanish cavaliers refrain from reirarding with admiration that haughty warrior and his devoted and dauntless followers. The capture of Coin was accompanied by that of Cartama : tlie fortifications of the latter were repaired and garrisoned ; but Coin, being too ex- tensive to be defended by a moderate force, its walls were demolished. The siege of these places struck such terror into the surrounding country, that the Moors of many of the neigh- boring towns abandoned their homes, and fied with such of their effects as they could carry ftway ; upon which the king gave order to de- molish their walls and towers. 1 Pulgar, pt. 3, cap. 42. 208 CONQUEST OF GRANADA. King Ferdinand now left his camp and his heavy artillery near Cartama, and proceeded with his lighter troops to reconnoitre Malaga. By this time, the secret plan of attack^ arranged in the council of war at Cordova, was known to all the world. The vigilant warrior. El Zagal, had thrown himself into the place, put all the fortifi- cations, which were of vast strength, into a state of defense, and sent orders to the alcaydes of the mountain towns, to hasten with their forces to his assistance. The very day that Ferdinand appeared before the place, El Zagal sallied forth to receive him, at the head of a thousand cavalry, the choicest warriors of Granada. A sharp skirmish took place among the gardens and olive-trees near the city. Many were killed on both sides ; and this gave the Christians a foretaste of what they might expect, if they attempted to besiege the place. When the skirmish was over, the marques of Cadiz had a private conference with the king. He represented the difficulty of besieging Mal- aga with their present force, especially as their plans had been discovered and anticipated, and the whole country was marching to oppose them. The marques, who had secret intelligence fi-om all quarters, had received a letter from Juceph Xerife, a Moor of Ronda, of Christian lineage, apprising him of the situation of that important place and its garrison, which at that moment laid it open to attack ; and the marques was urgent with the king to seize upon this critical moment, and secure a place which was one of the most SIEGE OF MALAGA RAISED. 209 powerful Moorish fortresses on the frontiers, and in the hands of Ilamet el Zegri had been the scourge of Andalusia. The good marques had another motive for his advice, becoming of a true and loyal knight. In the deep dungeons of Ronda languished several of his companions in arms, who had been captured in the defeat in the Axarquia. To break their chains, and restore them to liberty and light, he felt to be his pecu- liar duty, as one of those who had most promoted that disastrous enterprise. King Ferdinand listened to the advice of the marques. He knew the importiince of Ronda, which was considered one of the keys to the kingdom of Granada ; and he was disposed to punish the inhabitants, for the aid they had ren- dered to the garrison of Coin. The siege of Malaga, therefore, was abandoned for the present, and preparations made for a rapid and secret move against the city of Ronda. 14 CHAPTER XXX. Siege of Ronda. HE bold Hatnet el Zegri, the alcayde of Ronda, had returned sullenly to his stroushold after the surrender of Coin. He had fleshed his sword in battle with the Christians, but his thirst for vengeance was still unsatisfied. Hamet gloried in the strength of his fortress, and the valor of his people. A fierce and warlike populace was at his command ; his signal-fires could summon all the warriors of the Serrania ; his Gomeres almost subsisted on the spoils of Andalusia ; and in the rock on which his fortress was built, were hopeless dungeons, filled with Christian captives, carried off by these war-hawks of the mountains. Ronda was considered as impregnable. It was situated in the heart of wild and rugged mountains, and perched upon an isolated rock, crested by a strong citadel, with triple walls and towers, A deep ravine, or rather a perpendicu- lar chasm of the rocks, of frightful depth, sur- rounded three parts of the city ; through this flowed the Rio Verde, or Green River. There were two suburbs to the city, fortified by walls and towers, and almost inaccessible, from the nat* ^1 INROAD OF HA MET EL ZEGRl. 211 Ural asperity of the rocks. Arouiul tliis rugged city were deep, rich valleys, slieltercd by the mountiiins, refreshed by constant streams, abouml- ing with grain and the most delicious fruits, and yielding verdant meadows, in which was reared a renowned breed of horses, the best in the whole kingdom for a foray. Hamet el Zegri had scarcely returned to Ronda, when he received intelligence that the Christian army was marching to the siege of Malaga, and orders from El Zagal to send troops to his assistance. Hamet sent a part of his gar- rison for that purpose ; in the mean time, he meditated an expedition to which he was stim- ulated by pride and revenge. All Andalusia was now drained of its troops ; there was an oppor- tunity therefore for an inroad, by which he might wipe out the disgrace of his defeat at the battle of Lopera. Apprehending no danger to his mountain city, now that the storm of war had passed down into the vega of Malaga, he left but a remnant of his garrison to man its walls, and, putting himself at the head of his band of Gom- eres, swept down suddenly into the plains of An- dalusia. He careered, almost without resistance, over those vast campinas or pasture lands, which formed a part of the domains of the duke of Me- dina Sidonia. In rain the bells were runjj, and the alarm fires kindled — the band of Hamet had passed by, before any force could be assembled, and was oidy to be traced, like a hurricane, by the devastation it had made. Hamet regained in safety the Serrania do 212 CONQUEST OF GRANADA. Ronda, exulting in his successful inroad. The mountain glens were filled with long droves of cattle and flocks of sheep, from the campinas of Medina Sidonia. There were mules, too, laden with the plunder of the villages ; and every war- rior had some costly spoil of jewels, for his favor- ite mistress. As the Zegri drew near to Honda, he was roused from his dream of triumph by the sound of heavy ordnance bellowing through the moun- tain defiles. His heart misgave him — he put spurs to his horse, and galloped in advance of his lagging cavalgada. As he proceeded, the noise of the ordnance increased, echoing from cliff to cliff. Spurring his horse up a craggy height which commanded an extensive view, he beheld, to his consternation, the country about Ronda, white with the tents of a besieging army. The royal standard, displayed before a proud encamp- ment, showed that Ferdinand himself was present; while the incessant blaze and thunder of artillery, and the volumes of overhanging smoke, told the work of destruction that was going on. The royal army had succeeded in coming upon Ronda by surprise, during the absence of its al- cayde and most of its garrison ; but its inhab- itants were warlike, and defended themselves bravely, trusting that Ilamet and his Gomeres would soon return to their assistance. The fancied strength of their bulwarks had been of little avail against the batteries of the besiegers. In the space of four days, three towers, and great masses of the walls which defended the suburbs, SIEGE OF RON DA. 213 were battered down, and the sul)url)s taken and plundered. Lombards and other heavy ordnance were now leveled at the walls of the city, and stones and missiles of all kinds hurled into the Btreets. The very rock on which the city stood shook with tlie thunder of the artillery ; and the Cliristian captives, deep within its dungeons, hailed the sound as the promise of deliverance. "When Hamet el Zegri beheld his city thus sur- rounded and assailed, he called upon his men to follow him, and cut their way through to its relief. They proceeded stealthily through the mountains, until they came to the nearest heights above the Christian camp. AVhen night fell, and part of the army was sunk in sleep, they descended the rocks, and, rushing suddenly upon the weakest part of tlie camp, endeavored to break their way through and gain the city. The camp was too strong to be forced ; they were driven back to the crags of the mountains, whence they defended themselves by showering down darts and stones upon their pursuers. Hamet now lit alarm-fires about the heights : his standard was joined by the neighboring moun- taineers, and by troops from Malaga. Thus rein- forced, he made repeated assaults upon the Cliris- tians, cutting off all stragglers from the camp. All his attempts to force his way into the city, however, were fruitless ; many of his bravest men were slain, and he was obliged to retreat into the fastnesses of the mountains. In the meanwhile, the distress of Ronda in- creased hourly. The marques of Cadiz, having 214 CONQUEST OF GRANADA possession of the suburbs, was enabled to ap« proach to the very foot of the perpendicular prec- ipice rising from the river, on the summit of which the city is built. At the foot of this rock is a living fountain of limpid water, gushing into a great natural basin. A secret mine led down from within the city to this fountain, by several hundred steps cut in the solid rock. Hence the city obtained its chief supply of water ; and these steps were deeply worn by the weary feet of Christian captives, employed in this painful labor. The marques of Cadiz discovered this subterra- neous passage, and directed his pioneers to coun- termine in the side of the rock ; they pierced to the shaft, and, stopping it up, deprived the city of the benefit of this precious fountain. While the marques was thus pressing the siege with the generous thought of soon delivering his companions in arms from the Moorish dun- geons, far other were the feelings of the alcayde, Hamet el Zejrri. He smote his breast and gnashed his teeth in impotent fury, as he beheld from the mountain cliffs the destruction of the city. Every thunder of the Christian ordnance seemed to batter against his heart. He saw tower after tower tumbling by day, and various parts of the city in a blaze at night. " They fired not merely stones from their ordnance," says a chronicler of the times, " but likewise great balls of iron, cast in moulds, which demolished everything they struck." They threw also balls of tow, steeped in pitch and oil and gunpowder, which, when once on fire, were not to be extin- RON DA SURRENDERS. 21 5 giiishecl, and which set tlie houses in flameSi Great was the horror of the inhabitants : they knew not where to fly fur refuge : their houses were in a bhize, or shattered by the ordnance ; the streets were perilous from the falling ruins and the bountling balls, which dashed to pieces everything they encountered. At night, the city looked like a fiery furnace ; the cries and wail- injrs of the women between the thunders of the onhiance, reached even to the Moors on the op- posite mountains, who answered them by yells of fury and despair. All hope of external succor being at an end, the inhabitants of Ronda were compelled to cap- itulate. Ferdinand was easily prevailed upon to grant them favorable terms. The place was ca- pable of longer resistance ; and he feared for the safety of his camp, as the forces were daily aug- menting on the mountains, and making frequent assaults. The inhabitants were permitted to de- part with their effects, either to Barbary, Granada, or elsewhere; and those who chose to reside in Spain had lands assigned them, and were in- dulged in the practice of their religion. No sooner did the place surrender, than de- tachments were sent to attack the Moors who hovered about the neiiibborins: mountains. Ha- met el Zegri, however, did not remain to make a fruitless battle. He gave up the game as lost, and retreated with his Gomeres, filled with grief and rage, but trusting to fortune to give him future vengeance. The first care of the good marques of Cadiz, 216 CONQUEST OF GRANADA. on entering Ronda, was to deliver his unfortunate companions in arms from the dungeons of the fortress. What a difference in their looks from the time when, flushed with health and hope, and arrayed in military pomp, they had sallied forth upon the mountain foray! Many of them were almost naked, with irons at their ankles, and beards reaching to their waists. Their meeting with the marques was joyful ; yet it had the look of grief, for their joy was mingled with many bitter recollections. Tliere was an immense num- ber of other captives, among whom were several young men of noble families, who, with filial piety, had surrendered themselves prisoners in place ot their fxthers. The captives were all provided with mules, and sent to the queen at Cordova. The humane heart of Isabella melted at the sight of the piteous cavalcade. They were all supplied by her with food and raiment, and money to pay their ex- penses to their homes. Their chains were hung as pious trophies against the exterior of the church of St. Juan de los Eeyes, in Toledo, where the Christian traveller may regale his eyes with the sight of them at this very day.^ Among the Moorish captives was a young in- fidel maiden, of great beauty, who desired to be- come a Christian and to remain in Spain. She had been inspired with the light of the true faith, through the ministry of a young man who had been a captive in Ronda. He was anxious to complete his good work by marrying her. The 1 Seen by the author in 1826. TROPUIES AND CAPTIVES. 217 queen consented to their pious wishes, having first taken care that the young maiden siiould bo properly purilied by the holy sacrament of baptism. " Thus this pestilent nest of warfare and in- fidelity, tlie city of llonda," says the worthy Fray Antonio Agapida, " was conve^'ted to the true faith by the thunder of our artillery — an exam- ple which was soon followed by Casarabonela, Marbella, and other towns in these parts, inso- much that in the course of this expedition no less than seventy-two places were rescued from tho vile sect of Mahomet, and placed under the be- nignant domination of the cross." 1 CHAPTER XXXI. How the People of Granada invited El Zagal to the Throne, and how he marched to the Capital. HE people of Granada were a versatile, unsteady race, and exceedingly given to make and unmake kings. They had, for a long time, vacillated between old Muley Abul Hassan and his son, Boabdil el Chico ; some- times setting up the one, sometimes the other, and sometimes both at once, according to the pinch and pressure of external evils. They found, however, that the evils still went on increasing, in defiance of every change, and were at their wits' end to devise some new combination or arrangement, by which an efficient government might be wrought out of two bad kings. When the tidings arrived of the fall of Ronda, and the consequent ruin of the frontier, a tumultuous assemblage took place in one of the public squares. As usual, the peo- ple attributed the misfortunes of the country to the faults of their rulers ; for the populace never imagine that any part of their miseries can originate with themselves. A crafty alfaqui, named Alyme INIazer, who had watched the cur- rent of their discontents, rose and harangued them : " You have been choosing and changing," said he, " between two monarchs — and who and EL ZAGAL ACCEPTS THE CROWN 219 what are they ? Muley Abiil Hassan, for one ; n man worn out by age and infirmities, unable to Bally forth against the foe, even when ravaging to the very gates of the city : and Boabdil el Chico, for the other ; an apostate, a traitor, a deserter from his throne, a fugitive among the enemies of his nation, a man fated to misfortune, and proverbially named ' the unlucky.* In a time of overwhelming war, like the present, he oidy is fit to sway a sceptre who can wield a sword, AVould you seek such a man ? You need not look far. Allah has sent such a one, in this time of distress, to retrieve the fortunes of Gra- nada. You already know whom I mean. You know that it can be no other than your general, the invincible Abdallah, whose surname of El Zagal has become a watchword in battle, rousing the courage of the faithful, and striking terror into the unbelievers." The multitude received the words of the alfaqui with acclamations ; they were delighted with the idea of a third king over Granada ; and Abdullah el Zagal being of the royal family, and already in the virtual exercise of royal power, the measure had nothing in it that appeared either rash or violent. A deputation was therefore sent to El Zagal at Malaga, inviting him to repair to Gra- nada to receive the crown. El Zagal expressed great surprise and repug- nance, when the mission was announced to him ; and nothing but his patriotic zeal for the public Bafety, and his fraternal eagerness to relieve the aged Abul Hassan from the cares of government. 220 CONQUEST OF GRANADA. prevailed upon him to accept the offer. Leaviug; therefore, Reduax Vaiiegas, one of the bravest Moorish generals, in command of Malaga, he de- parted for Granada, attended by three hundred trusty cavaliers. Mnley Abul Hassan did not vi^ait for the arrival of his brother. Unable any longer to buffet with the storms of the times, his only solicitude was to seek some safe and quiet harbor of repose. In one of the deep valleys which indent the Mediterranean coast, and which are shut up on the land side by stupendous moun- tains, stood the little city of Almunecar. The valley was watered by the limpid river Frio, and abounded with fruits, with grain and pastumge. The city was strongly fortified, and the garrison and alcayde were devoted to the old monarch. This was the place chosen by Muley Abul Has- san for his asylum. His first care was to send thither all his treasures ; his next care was to take refuge there himself; his third, that his sultana Zoraya, and their two sons, should follow him. In the mean time, Muley Abdallah el Zagal pursued his journey towards the capital, attended by his three hundred cavaliers. The road from INIalaga to Granada winds close by AUiama, and is dominated by that lofty fortress. This had been a most perilous pass for the Moors, during the time that Alhama was commanded by the count de Tendilla : not a traveller could escape his eagle eye, and his garrison was ever ready for a sally. The count de Tendilla, however, had been relieved from this arduous post, and it had EL ZAGAL SURPRISES THE CAVALIERS. 221 been given in charge to Don Gutiere de Padilla, clavero, or treasurer of the order of Calatrava ; an easy, indulgent man, who had with hira three hundred galhuit knights of his order, besides other mercenary troops. The garrison had fallen off in discipline ; the cavaliers were hardy in fight and daring in foray, but confident in themselves and negligent of proper precautions. Just before the journey of El Zigal, a number of tiiese cava- liers, vvitli several soldiers of fortune of the gar- rison, in all about one hundred and seventy men, had sallied forth to harass the Moorish country during its present distracted state, and, having ravaged the valleys of the Sierra Nevada, or Snowy Mountains, were returning to Albania ia gay spirits and laden with booty. As El Zagal passed tlirougli the neighborhood of Alhama, he recollected the ancient perils of the road, and sent light cerradors in advance, to inspect each rock and ravine where a foe might lurk in ambush. One of these scouts, overlooking a narrow valley wliich opened upon the road, de- scried a troop of horsemen on the banks of a little stream. They were dismounted, and had taken the bridles from their steeds, that they might crop the fresh grass on the banks of the river. The horsemen were scattered about, some reposing in tlie shades of rocks and trees, others gambling for the spoil they had taken : not a sentinel was posted to keep guard ; everytiiing showed the perfect security of men who consider themselves beyond the reach of danger. These careless cavaliers were in fact the 222 CONQUEST OF GRANADA. knights of Calatrava returning from their foray A' part of their force had passed on with the cavalgada ; ninety of the principal cavaliers had halted to refresh themselves in this valley. El Zagal smiled with ferocious joy, when he heard of their negligent security. " Here will be trophies," Baid he, " to grace our entrance into Granada." Approaching the valley with cautious silence, he wheeled into it at full speed at the head of his troop, and attacked the Christians so suddenly, that they had not time to put the bridles upon their horses, or even to leap into the saddles. They made a confused but valiant defense, fight- ing among the rocks, and in the rugged bed of the river. Their defense was useless ; seventy- nine were slain, and the remaining eleven were taken prisoners. A party of the Moors galloped in pursuit of the cavalgada : they soon overtook it, winding slowly up a hill. The horsemen who conveyed it, perceiving tiie enemy at a distance, made their escape, and left the spoil to be retaken by the Moors. El Zagal gathered together his captives and his booty, and proceeded, elate with success, to Granada. He paused before the gate of Elvira, for as yet he had not been proclaimed king. This ceremony was immediately performed ; for the fame of his recent exploit had preceded him, and intoxicated the minds of the giddy populace. He entered Granada in a sort of triumph. The eleven cap- tive knights of Calatrava walked in front : next were paraded the ninety captured steeds, bearing TRIUMPHANT ENTRY INTO GRANADA. 223 the armor and weapons of" their late owners, and led by as many mounted Moors : tlien cauie seventy Moorish horsemen, with as many Cliris- tian lieads hanging at their saddle-bows : IMuley Abdallah followed, surrounded by a number of distinguished cavaliers splendidly attired ; and the pageant was closed by a long cavalgada of the flocks and herds, and other booty recovered from the Christians. ^ The populace gazed with almost savage triumph at these captive cavaliers and the gory heads of their companions, knowing them to have been part of the formidable garrison of Alhama, so long the scourge of Granada and the terror of the vega. Tiiey hailed this petty triumph as aa auspicious opening of the reign of their new mon- arch ; for several d;iys, the names of Muley Abul Hassan and Boabdil el Chico were never men- tioned but with contempt, and the whole city resounded with the praises of El Zagal, or the Valiant. 1 Zurita, lib. 20, c. 62. Mariana, Hist, de Espaiia. Abarci^ Anala de Aragon. CHAPTER XXXII. How the Count de Cabra attempted to capture another King, and how he fared in his Attempt. HE elevation of a bold and active veteran to the throne of Granada, in place of ^^ its late bedridden king, made an impor- tant difference in the aspect of the war, and called for some blow that should dash the confidence of the Moors in their new monarch, and animate the Christians to fresh exertions. Don Diego de Cordova, the brave count de Cabra, was at this time in his castle of Vaena, where he kept a wary eye upon the frontier. It was now the latter part of August, and he grieved that the summer should pass away with- out an inroad into the country of the foe. He sent out his scouts on the prowl, and they brought him word that the important post of Moclin was but weakly garrisoned. This was a castellated town, strongly situated upon a high mountain, partly surrounded by thick forests, and partly girdled by a river. It defended one of the rug- ged and solitary passes, by which the Christiana were wont to make their inroads ; insomuch that the Moors, in their figurative way, denominated it the shield of Granada. COUNT DE CABRA'S PROJECT. 225 The count de Cabra sent word to tlie inonarchs of tlie feeble state of the garrison, and gave it as his opinion, that, by a secret and rapid expedition, the phice might be surprised. King Ferdinand asked the advice of his counselors. Some cau- tioned him against the sanguine temperament of tlie count, and his heedlessness of danger ; Moc- lin, they observed, was near to Granada, and might be promptly reinforced. The opinion of the count, however, prevailed ; the king consider- ing him almost infallible, in matters of border warfare, since his capture of Boabdil el Chico. The king departed, therefore, from Cordova, and took post at Alcala la Real, for the purpose of being near to Moclin. The queen also pro- ceeded to Vaena, accompanied by her children, prince Juan and the princess Isabella, and her great counselor in all matters, public and private, spiritual and temporal, the venerable grand car- dinal of Spain. Nothing could exceed the pride and satisfaction of the loyal count de Cabra, when he saw this stately train winding along the dreary mountain roads, and enter! iis the sfates of Vaena. He re- ceived his royal guests with all due ceremony, and lodged them in the best apartments that the warrior castle afforded. King Ferdinand had concerted a wary plan to insure the success of the enterprise. The count de Cabra and Don Martin Alonzo de Montemayor were to set forth with their troops, so as to reach Moclin by a certain hour, and to intei'cept all who should attempt to enter, or should sally from 15 226 CONQUEST OF GRANADA. the town. The master of Calatrava, the troops of the grand cardinal, commanded by the count of Buendia, and the forces of the bishop of Jaen, led by that belligerent prelate, amounting in all to four thousand horse and six thousand foot, were to set off in time to cooperate with the count de Cabra, so as to surround the town. The king was to follow with his whole force, and en- camp before the place. And here the worthy padre Fray Antonio Agapida breaks forth into a triumphant eulogy of the pious prelates, who thus mingled personally in these scenes of warfare. As this was a holy crusade (says he), undertaken for the advance- ment of the faith and the glory of the church, so was it always countenanced and upheld by saintly men ; for the victories of their most Catholic ma- jesties were not followed, like those of mere worldly sovereigns, by erecting castles and tow- ers, and appointing alcaydes and garrisons ; but by the founding of convents and cathedrals, and the establishment of wealthy bishoprics. Where- fore their majesties were always surrounded, in court or camp, in the cabinet or in the field, by a crowd of ghostly advisers, inspiriting them to the prosecution of this most righteous war. Nay, the holy men of the church did not scruple, at times, to buckle on the cuirass over the cassock, to ex- change the crosier for the lance, and thus, with corporal hands and temporal weapons, to fight the good fight of the faith. But to return from this rhapsody of the wor- thy friar. The count de Cabra, being instructed ATTEMPT TO CAPTURE EL ZAGAL. 227 in the complicated arran^jements of tlie kiti;Tj marched forth at midiiii^ht, to execute them pmic- tiially. He h'd his troops by the little river that winds below Vacua, and so up to the wild defdes of the mountains, marching all nij^ht, and stop- ping only in the heat of the following day, to re- pose under the shadowy cliffs of a deep bari'anca, calculating to arrive at Mocliii exactly in time to cooi)erate with the other forces. The troops had scarcely stretched themselves on the earth to take repose, when a scout ar- rived, bringing word that El Zagal had suddeidy sallied out of Granada with a strong force, and had encamped in the vicinity of iNIocIin, It was plain that the wary Moor had received informa- tion of tiie intended attack. This, however, was not the idea that presented itself to the mind of the count de Cabra. He had captured one king • — here was a fair opportunity to secure another. What a prisoner to deliver into the hands of his royal mistress ! Fired with the thoughts, the good count forgot all the arrangements of the king ; or rather, blinded by former success, he trusted everything to courage and fortune, and thought that, by one bold sweep, he might again bear off the royal prize, and wear his laurels without competition.^ His oidy fear was that the master of Calatrava, and the belligerent bishop might come up in time to share the glory of the victory ; so ordering every one to horse, this hot-spirited cavalier pushed on for IMoclin without allowing his troops the necessary time for repose. i Mariana, lib 25, c 17 Abarca. Ziirila, etc 228 CONQUEST OF GRANADA. The evening closed, as the count arrived in the neighborhood of Moclin. It was the full of the moon, and a bright and cloudless night. The count was marching througli one of those deep valleys or ravines, worn in the Spanish moun- tains by the brief but tremendous torrents which prevail during the autumnal rains. It was walled on each side by lofty and almost perpendicular clifls, but great masses of moonlight were thrown into the bottom of the glen, glittering on the ar- mor of the shining squadrons, as they silently passed through it. Suddenly the war-cry of the Moors rose in various parts of the valley ; " El Zagal ! El Zagal ! " was shouted from every cliff, accompanied by showers of missiles, that struck down several of the Christian warriors. The count lifted up his eyes, and beheld, by the light of the moon, every cliff glistening with Moorish soldiery. The deadly shower fell thickly round him, and the shining armor of his followers made them fair objects for the aim of the enemy. The count saw his brother Gonzalo struck dead by his side ; his own horse sank under him, pierced by four Moorish lances ; and he received a wound in the hand from an arquebuse. He remembered the horrible massacre of the mountains of Malaga, and feared a similar catastrophe. There was no time to pause. His brother's horse, freed from his slaughtered rider, was running at large ; seiz- ing the reins, he sprang into the saddle, called upon his men to follow him, and wheeling round, retreated out of the fatal valley. The Moors, rushing down from the heights, TRIUMPH OF EL ZAGAL. 229 pursued tlie rcitreatiiig Cliristians. Tlie chase endured for a league, but it was a league of rouirh and broken road, wiiere the Christians had to turn and fight at almost every step. In these sliort but fierce combats, the enemy lost many Ciivaliers of note; but the loss of tlie Christians was infinitely more grievous, comprising numbers of the noblest warriors of Vaena and its vicinity. Many of the Cliristians, disabled by wounds or exhausted by fatigue, turned aside and endeav- ored to conceal themselves among rocks and thickets, but never more rejoined their compan- ions, being slain or ca[)tured by the Moors, or perishing in their wretclied retreats. The arrival of the troops, led by the master of Calatrava and the bishop of Jaen, put an end to the rout. El Zagal contented himself with the laurels he had gained, aiid, ordering the trumpets to call off his men from the pursuit, re- turned in great triumph to Moclin.' Queen Isabella was at Vaena, awaiting with great anxiety the result of the expedition. She was in a stately apartment of the castle, looking towards the road that winds through the moun- tains from Moclin, and rejrardino the watch-towers on the neighboring heights, in hopes of favorable signals. The prince and princess, her children, were with her, and her venerable counselor, the grand cardinal. All shared in the anxiety of the moment. At length couriers were seen ridiu)' toward the town. They entered its gates, but. before they reached the castle, the nature of their 1 Zurita, lib. 20, c. 4. Pulgar, Cronica. 230 CONQUEST OF GRANADA. tidings was known to the queen, by the shrieks and wailinos from the streets below. The mes- Bengers were soon followed by wounded fugitives, hastening home to be relieved, or to die among their friends and families. The whole town re- sounded with lamentations ; for it had lost the flower of its youth, and its bravest warriors. Isabella was a woman of courageous soul, but her feelings were overpowered by spectacles of woe on every side ; her maternal lieart mourned over the death of so many loyal subjects, who shortly before had rallied round her with devoted affec- tion ; and, losing her usual self-command, she sank into deep despondency. In this gloomy state of mind, a thousand ap- prehensions crowded upon her. She dreaded the confidence which this success would impart to the Moors ; she feared also for the important fortress of Alhama, the garrison of which had not been reinforced, since its foraging party had been cut off by this same El Zagal. On every side she saw danger and disaster, and feared that a gene- ral reverse was about to attend the Castiliau arms. The grand cardinal comforted her with both spiritual and worldly counsel. He told her to recollect that no country was ever conquered without occasional reverses to the conquerors ; that the Moors were a warlike people, fortified in a rough and mountainous country where they never could be conquered by her ancestors, — and that in fact her armies had already, in three years, taken more cities than those of any of her MAGNANIMITY OF ISABELLA. 231 predecessors liai. 240 CONQUEST OF GRANADA. towers tumbling about hirn, and his bravest men dashed from the walls, without the power of inflicting a wound upon the foe, his haughty spirit was greatly exasperated. " Of what avail," said he, bitterly, " is all the prowess of knight- hood against these cowardly engines that murder from afar ? " For a whole day, a tremendous fire kept thun- dering upon the castle of Albahar. The lonibards discharged large stones, which demolished two of the towers, and all the battlements which guarded the portal. If any Moors attempted to defend the walls or repair the breaches, they were shot down by ribadoquines, and other small pieces of artillery. The Christian soldiery issued from the camp, under cover of this fire ; and, approaching the castles, discharged flights of arrows and stones through the openings made by the ordnance. At length, to bring the siege to a conclusion, Francisco Ramirez elevated some of the heaviest artillery on a mount that rose in form of a cone or pyramid, on the side of the river near to Albahar, and commanded both castles. This was au operation of great skill and excessive labor, but it was repaid by complete success ; for the Moors did not dare to wait until this terrible bat- teiy should discharge its fury. Satisfied that all further resistance was vain, the valiant alcayde made signal for a parley. The articles of ca- pitulation were soon arranged. Tiie alcayde and his garrisons were permitted to return in safety to the city of Granada, and the castles were delivered iuto the possession of King Ferdinand, EFFECTS OF THE CAPTURE. 211 on tlie day of the festival of St. iMattliew, In tho month of September. Tliey were immediately repaired, strongly garrisoned, and delivered in charge of the city of Jaen. The effects of this triumph were immediately apparent. Quiet and security once more settled upon the bishopric. Tlie husbandmen tilled their fields in peace, tlie herds and flocks fattened unmolested in the pastures, and the vineyards yielded corpulent skinsful of rosy wine. The good bishop enjoyed, in the gratitude of his peo- ple, the approbation of his conscience, the increase of his revenues, and the abundance of his table, a reward for all his toils and perils. " This glo- rious victory," exclaims Fray Antonio Agapida, " achieved by such extraordinary management and infinite labor, is a shining example of what a bishop can effect, for the promotion of the faith and the good of his diocese." 16 CHAPTER XXXIV. Enterprise of the Knights of Calatras'a against Zalea. HILE these events were taking place on the northern frontier of the kingdom of Granada, the important fortress of Al- hama was neglected, and its commander, Don Gutiere de Padilla, clavero of Calatrava, reduced to great perplexity. The remnant of the forag- ing party, which had been surprised and massa- cred by El Zagal when on his way to Granada to receive the crown, had returned in confusion and dismay to the fortress. They could only s]>eak of their own disgrace, being obliged to abandon their cavalgada and fly, pursued by a superior force : of the flower of their party, the gallant knights of Calatrava, who had remained behind in the valley, they knew nothing. A few days cleared up the mystery of their fate : tidings were brought that their bloody heads had been borne in triumph into Granada. The surviving knights of Calatrava, who formed a part of the garrison, burned to revenge the death of their comrades, and to wipe out the stigma of this defeat ; but the clavero had been rendered cautious by disas- ter — he resisted all their entreaties for a foray. His garrison was weakened by the loss of so ENTERPRISE AGAINST ZALEA. 243 many of its bravest men ; the vcga was patrolled by numerous and powerful squadrons, sent forth by El Zagal ; above all, the movenoeuts of the garrison were watched by the warriors of Zalea, a strong town, only two leagues distant, on the road towards Loxa. This place was a continual check upon All;.ama, when in its most powerful state, placing ambuscades to entrap the Christian cavaliers in the course of their sallies. Frequent and bloody skirmishes had taken place, in conse- quence; and the troops of Alhama, when retm-n- ing fi-om their forays, had often to fight their way back through the squadrons of Zalea. Thus sur- rounded by dangers, Don Gutiere de Padilla re- strained the eagerness of his troops for a sally, knowing that any additional disaster might be fol- lowed by the loss of Alhama. In the meanwhile provisions began to grow scarce ; they were unable to forage the country as usual for supplies, and depended for relief upon the Castilian sovereigns. The defeat of the count de Cabra filled the measure of their perplexities, as it interrupted the intended rein- forcements and supplies. To such extremity were they reduced, that they were compelled to kill some of their horses for provisions. The wortliy clavero, Don Gutiere de Padilla, was pondering one day on this gloomy state of affairs, when a Moor was brought before him who bad surrendered himself at the gate of Alhama, and claimed an audience. Don Gutiere was ac- customed to visits of the kind from renecado Moors, who roamed the country as spies and 244 CONQUEST OF GRANADA. adalides ; but the countenance of this man was quite unknown to him. He had a box strapped to his shoulders, containing divers articles of traf- fic, and appeared to be one of those itinerant traders, who often resorted to Alhama and the other garrison towns, under pretext of vending trivial merchandise, such as amulets, perfumes, and trinkets, but who often produced rich shawls, golden chains and necklaces, and valuable gems and jewels. The Moor requested a private conference with the clavero : " I have a precious jewel," said he, " to dispose of." "I want no jewels," replied Don Gutiere. " For the sake of Him who died on the cross, the great prophet of your faith," said the Moor, solemnly, " refuse not my request ; the jewel I speak of you alone can purchase, but I can only treat about it in secret." Don Gutiere perceived there was something hidden under these mystic and figurative terms, in which the Moors were often accustomed to talk. He motioned his attendants to retire. When they were alone, the Moor looked cau- dously around the apartment, and then, approach- ing close to the kniglit, demanded in a low voice, " What will you give me, if I deliver the fortress of Zalea into your hands ? " Don Gutiere looked with surprise at the hum- ble individual that made such a suirsfestion. " WTiat means have you," said he, " of effect ing such a proposition ? " "I have a brother in the garrison of Zalea," REVENGEFUL PROPOSAL. 245 replied the Moor, " who, for a proper compensa- tion, would admit a body of troops into the cita« del." Don Gutiere turned a scrutinizing eye upon the Moor. " What right have I to believe," said he, " that thou wilt be truur to me, than to those of thy blood and thy religion?" " I renounce all ties to them, either of blood or religion," replied the Moor ; " my mother was a Christian captive ; her country shall henceforth be my country, and her fixith, my faith." ^ The doubts of Don Gutiere were not dispelled by this profession of mongrel Christianity. '' Granting the sincerity of thy conversion," said he, " art thou under no obligations of gratitude or duty to the alcayde of the fortress thou wouldst betray \ " The eyes of the Moor flashed fire at the words ; he gnashed his teeth with fury. "The alcayde," cried he, " is a dog ! He has deprived my brother of his just share of booty ; he has robbed me of my merchandise, treated me worse than a Jew when I murmured at his injustice, and or- dered me to be thrust forth ignominiously fi'om his walls. May the curse of God fall upon my head, if I rest content until I have full revenge ! " " Enough," said Don Gutiere : " I trust more to thy revenge than thy religion." The sood clavero called a council of his offi- cers. The knights of Calatrava were unani- mous for the enterprise — zealous to ap[