Now at the moment when this slaughter was proceeding, the King of Seville, Aben Abed, had arrived in the vicinity of the camps with a carefully chosen body of cavalry, which he had assembled from Jaen and its Comarcas. At the dawn of day he had even approached so near the scene of conflict that his advanced guard had reached the heights above Segura; but on reaching the shores of the Guadimena he found that river so much swollen by floods that his forces could not cross the stream, and they were detained on its banks during the whole day. Aben Abed was at that moment far from suspecting the pressing necessity that existed for his succour; nor was it until he beheld the fugitive remains of his army, with the equally shattered force of his ally, approaching the opposite shore in full flight before their conquerors, that he was made aware of the disasters which had befallen the two leaders, Raymond of Barcelona and Aben Omar.

The first who had the good fortune to cross the river in safety soon made known the unhappy result of the battle; but the panic which had seized the flying troops had now become so violent that numbers of them threw themselves into the stream at places where it was impossible to ford its depths, and these were consequently drowned, their bodies being carried down by the current before the eyes of their companions who watched them from the opposite shore. This infused so much discouragement into the newly arrived troops of the King of Seville that it was not possible to lead them further; they turned their bridles and regained the city of Segura; whence, after the detention of one night only, they retook their way to Jaen, Aben Abed having the cousin of Raymond, Lord of Barcelona, still in his company.

The General Aben Omar, who had escaped from the battle with some few of his followers, now came fast on the steps of his master, whom he overtook, some few days after the grievous defeat he had sustained, at the city of Guada Bullon. Here the general persuaded his lord to fulfil the remainder of the promise which had been made to the Lord of Barcelona, since they could not otherwise effect an exchange of the hostages; and Ben Raymond would in that

case bear off the Infant, even Raxid Aben Aben, as a prisoner, to the land of Barcelona.

The King of Toledo meanwhile, greatly rejoicing in the success which had attended his arms, offered favourable conditions to the people of Murcia, and Aben Taher, accepting these advantages, placed himself and his territory under the shelter and protection of Ismail Ben Dylnoun, to whom he declared himself a faithful vassal; when the principal inhabitants of the city did homage to Aben Ismail in like

manner.

Almamdeleoun Ben Ismail Ben Dylhoun likewise obtained possession of the fortresses of Auricla and Mulaque by a peaceable agreement; and leaving these to the care of his Alcaides, he had no sooner placed the land in tranquillity and good order than he returned to his city of Toledo, when he rewarded his generals with a regal magnificence, the Moslemah, together with the Christians of Gallicia and Castille, who had been his auxiliaries on that successful day.

When the General Aben Omar had collected the sum required for his engagements in Barcelona, he set forward to that city, taking with him the cousin of Ben Raymond the king, for whom he was charged with a rich present of thirty thousand doubloons in gold. He then obtained restitution of the Infant, Raxid of Seville, whom he sent to his father, accompanied by Aben Becar of Tadmir, the latter not consenting to separate himself from the fortunes of Aben Abed. Those who saw the meeting of that illustrious king with his son, declare that he wept for joy at the sight of his child.

Aben Omar was meanwhile busying himself with new negociations, into which he at this time entered with Almutemen, son of the King Almoctadir of Saragossa, who was Wali of Lerida, which he held for his father the king above-named. Here Omar incited the nobles to much discord, and eventually caused the persecution, not to say ruin, of several powerful families, compelling them to depart from the territory. These men then took refuge with Abdilbar Ben Mugihaid, Lord of Denia, when Aben Omar persuaded the Prince of Saragossa to make war on Abdilbar

Ben Mugihaid, against whom Omar himself served in person, taking possession of several fortresses in various parts of the district: all these things occurred in the moon Xaban of the year 468.

While Almoctadir, King of Saragossa, pursuing the perfidious counsels of Aben Omar, was thus rewarding the noble and generous hospitality of Abdilbar Ben Mugihaid, Lord of Denia, by defeating him in a sanguinary battle, and was then preparing to enter his city, where it was the purpose of Omar to cause all who had taken refuge therein to suffer a painful death, there came an Alcayde to Almoctadir exhorting him on the part of Moez-Daula, Lord of Almeria, who had married the daughter of Abdilbar, to desist from a war which was causing him so much discredit, and rather to turn his victorious banners against the enemies of Islam, who were even then infesting the frontiers; while he was casting a shade on his hitherto unblemished reputation by the blood he was so unjustly shedding.

These reasonings prevailed with the King of Saragossa, who immediately returned to his own territories, leaving two of his Alcaides, called Ibrahim and Abdelgebir, sons of Sohail of Bardania, to maintain the conquests he had made. But these generals, deceived by a double treason on the part of Aben Omar, were induced some short time afterwards to sell the fortresses in question to the minister of Aben Abed, the treacherous Aben Omar, defeating in that same act the views and intentions of the two Walies, Iza Ben Leboun and his brother Abdallah, both of whom had earnestly desired to obtain those strongholds, which lay conveniently near to their lordships. Thus, then, did Aben Omar serve his lord the King of Seville by means of perpetual deceptions and the craft of intrigue.

CHAP. VII.-THE KING OF TOLEDO TAKES CORDOVA AND SEVILLEHE DIES IN THE LAST NAMED CITY AFTER IT HAS BEEN DELIVERED BY ABEN ABED.

Now the King Ismail Almamun Ben Dylnoun of Toledo, perceiving himself to be favoured by fortune, and excited

by his own ambition and desires of vengeance, prepared to lead a powerful host against the territory of Cordova, proposing to take Aben Abed at disadvantage, and without giving him time to recover from the defeat and losses which he had sustained in the Battle of Murcia. He assembled his Alcaides and Xeques accordingly; his ally, the Christian King of Gallicia, also coming to his aid with a select body of horsemen, clothed in mail.

With these forces Ismail Almamun Ben Dylnoun entered the territory of Cordova with so much celerity that he effectually surprised his enemies as he had intended. His host poured over the land as doth a tempest of thunder and lightning, carrying desolation into the hearts of all they met, and sweeping the fruitful fields to destruction in the lapse of but a few hours. At the same time Aben Ismail dispatched his general Amir Ben Leboun to the territory of Jaen, where that leader occupied several cities, and among others that of Ubeda, of which King Ismail Ben Dylnoun made him Wali, as he did of Santaberia on the frontier of Saragossa.

In like manner the General Hariz Ben Alhakem took the city of Cordova, which he entered by surprise, and having done so, he proceeded with another body of cavalry to Medina Azarah, the Alcazars of which he occupied with but slight resistance, seeing that the few soldiers by whom they were guarded were easily overcome. There was nevertheless a most sanguinary conflict maintained within the courts of the royal palace, where the African guard, who defended the same, fought with desperate bravery, making unheard of efforts to save the Infant Serag-Daula, son of Aben Abed, King of Seville, a youth in the first flower of his days, who was then at Medina Azahra. But in the struggle between those who desired to take him prisoner and the guards who laboured to retain him within their ranks, the prince unhappily received a mortal wound, of which he instantly expired. The general Hariz Ben Alhakem then returned to Cordova; but first he caused the head of the slain prince to be cut off, and having placed it on the point of a lance, he commanded his people to bear it through the streets of the city: those thus commissioned being furthermore instructed to cry as they went, "Behold the vengeance of

Allah! A great and fearful Avenger is the Lord our God!" For so did Hariz Ben Alhakem believe himself justified in destroying the descendants of him who had so treacherously brought ruin on the house of his master, the good Muhamad Gehwar; even the sons of Aben Abed, King of Seville.

The great body of the King of Toledo's army had meanwhile not made halt, but had proceeded to Seville itself, which they also took without resistance, because the forces of Aben Abed were distributed through the territories of Jaen, Malaga, and Algezira; seeing that in all those districts he was engaged in warfare either of defence or attack, to the last of which his house had lately proved itself but too well inclined. The sole resistance attempted against the troops of Ismail Ben Dylnoun was in the entrance to the Alcazar of Seville, which was well defended by the royal guards. But all these troops were eventually cut to pieces, when the riches which Aben Abed had amassed in that palace were divided by Almamun Ismael Ben Dylnoun among his troops and allies: even the hareem of the King Aben Abed was not respected.

The General Hariz Ben Alhakem was now appointed Naib, or lieutenant of the King Almamun of Toledo in the city of Cordova, while the king himself remained in Seville, where he abode during the six months next following. At the end of that time, Aben Abed, who had meanwhile assembled his scattered power, came with a great host before the city, having taken a solemn oath to recover the possession thereof or die in the attempt.

While Aben Abed thus held the place besieged, Almamun fell sick, and his malady increased in such sort that he perceived the end of his days and of all his glorious undertakings to be fast approaching. He then declared his son Yahye Alcadir Bila to be his successor; but as that prince was still very young, King Almamun appointed Hariz Ben Alhakem Ben Okeisa, with other Walies in whom he placed confidence, to be the guardians and tutors of the youth. He likewise ioined his friend and ally the King of Gallicia in that trust, being well assured of the loyalty and good faith of that monarch, and of the affection which he bore to himself and his house.