days, and attacked the place with his wonted vigour, but effected nothing of any importance, and having laid waste the Comarca, he broke up his camp. Many of the Muhahidines then joined his force, a thing which encouraged him to press forward; those traitors serving him as guides, and supplying all needful information on the way. Among other matters, they advised him of such points as he might spoil and devastate to his advantage, warning him of all those where it would be well that he should refrain from doing so.

Thus conducted, the Christian king arrived before Gezira Xucar, the fortress of which he assaulted several times, but could not take it, and lost many of his cross-bearing followers in the attempt. From that place he proceeded to Denia, making a fierce attack upon the city in the Easter of Alfitra at the close of Ramazan; but here also he was repulsed, and after unavailing combats with the garrison of Denia, he next passed by the Fax of Xativa to the territory of Murcia, laying the country waste in his progress. By Guadilmansora, he repaired to Burxana, and subsequently turned towards Nahar Taxila; an incursion which occupied him eight days. Thence the Christian monarch departed for Medina Baza, to which city he laid siege, and the city being without walls, he expected no difficulty in making good his entrance; but the inhabitants defended themselves with so much bravery that Aben Radmir was compelled to desist from his attempt, after he had suffered a considerable loss of his people.

On the first Juma in the moon of Dylcada, the Christian king reached Badiaza, where he made a furious attack on the fortress from the side of the Almicabira; but here too he lost his time and soldiers vainly; finding which, and having remained before the place until the following Monday, he then departed to a town called Sérida: there he laid an ambush into which he hoped to attract the defenders of the place; but as these had received warning, his cares were again rendered useless, the inhabitants would not come forth from their town, nor could the Christians venture to enter it.

On the Wednesday following Aben Radmir passed on to another town, called Gayana, which he attacked with good

hope of taking it, since there were many traitor Muhahidines therein. Nay, these came forth with horse and arms to meet the Christians, and there did not remain one of those perjured vassals in all the Comarcas who was not in haste now to discover himself and join the King Aben Radmir. He, therefore, seeing that his army was here daily increased by the arrival of new troops, remained in Gayana about a month, as we are told by the author of the Bargeliya.* At this place it was that the secret negociations and plots of the Andalusian Christians were brought to light, more especially those which had been entered into by the men of Granada.

The Wali of that city, informed of their dispositions, took much pains to assure himself of the persons of those traitors, but he found them to be in such vast numbers that he determined to suspend the measures he had taken, lest he should drive them to further acts of rebellion, or to an open declaration of their purposes, when they would all have given aid and favour to those of their Law. He therefore appeared to content himself with their deceptive promises of fidelity, although he did not believe in any of them, but set himself to fortify the city, and make all needful preparations for the defence, well convinced that he would find more difficulty in delivering himself from the Muhahidines within, than from the Christians of Aben Radmir without. Those traitorous Infidels were in fact now hastening from all parts to join themselves to the army of the Christian king.

The Wali of Andalusia at that time was Abu Tahir Temim, brother of the King Aly Ben Juzef; the Prince held his court in Granada, but had passed over to Africa a short time previously for the purpose of assisting with his counsels in the war then waged by his brother against El Mehedi. Now, however, being informed of the perilous condition of things in Andalusia, he returned thither with a large body of cavalry, which, added to the troops he already possessed, constituted a very powerful army. This the Prince Temim determined to encamp in the immediate neighbourhood of Granada, extending his lines entirely around the city, which thus remained within them as in a circle.

On his part Aben Radmir left Gayana with his troops,

* Bargeliya: the clearness or lustre of the lightning.—Condé.

which were now very numerous, and fixed his camp in the hamlet of Degma, which is near Granada. He had more than fifty thousand men, the greater part cavalry, and that powerful army filled the inhabitants of the city with dread, neither could they believe themselves secure, although they knew the number and strength of the forces assembled in their defence. The Azala of terror* was made in all the mosques; but it is true that the people hurried rather to their arms than to the prayer: the ceremony was nevertheless continued in Granada even to the day of Id Annaherii or the Easter of Victims, called also the Easter of Lambs.

Aben Radmir subsequently moved his camp to the bank of the river Ferdex, and thence to the farms of Muzabeca, finally transferring it to those of Nibel; but while in that place there fell great rains and storms of snow, insomuch that he could do nothing to any purpose, and must have perished with all his army had not the Muhahidines hastened to his assistance with provisions. Here he remained during seventeen days, perpetually harassed by the Almoravide skirmishers, who did not cease to beset his camp, now with an onslaught of cavalry, and now with a surprise from their foot-soldiers. This state of things caused the Christian king to lose all hope of possessing Granada, and he saw that his incursion had been a rash resolve, the hope of success held out to him by the Muhahidines having proved an ill-founded one; wherefore he determined to content himself with the satisfaction of his covetousness, and with the plunder of the country which he could not conquer.

He therefore broke up his camp, first proceeding to the fields of Mersana, which lie towards Venix, whence he continued his way by Zequia, and at the close of evening reached Alcala Yashebi. From this place Aben Radmir

*The Azala of terror is made in cases of danger, as its name implies; the usual ceremonies and prostrations being much curtailed. But it is rarely performed in the mosques, and few attend it, those who do so appearing with arms in their hands, and even stained with blood. The short ceremonies connected with the Azala of terror may also be made wherever the person performing it may chance to find himself at the moment, nor is he held to repair to the mosque for that purpose, if his circumstances render it difficult for him to do so.-( -Condé.

repaired to the hamlet of Luc, but not remaining there, passed on by Vezjana, Vezria, Cabra, and Alixena, constantly followed by the light troops of the Almoravides, who did not leave him an hour of repose. Thus occupied by perpetual attacks on his rear-guard and the flanks of his army, the skirmishes which he was compelled to fight on various parts of his route were frequently very grave, and caused him much loss: by these incessant surprises and onslaughts of the Moslemah, he was also prevented from breaking his order of march for the purposes of devastating the surrounding country, as it had been his intention to do: he proceeded therefore in a condition of much restraint and disquietude. Yet the injuries which he found means to inflict on his passage were neither few nor unimportant.

After this manner, Aben Radmir continued his march until he arrived near Lyrena, where the Moslemah, desiring much to engage the Christian enemy in a pitched battle, made arrangements for a general attack on the vanguard, to be commenced at the dawn of day; this took place accordingly, and such was the impetuosity with which they fell upon their foes, that they threw them into complete disorder, compelling them to abandon their baggage, and leave the provisions of the whole army in the hands of the victors.

But now, believing that they had vanquished and overcome all the Misbelievers, the Moslemah conquerors began to feast on the prey, and occupied themselves in gathering the spoil; wherefore Aben Radmir, advised of their employment, by the fugitives of the vanguard, placed his main body in order of battle, and attacking the disarranged force of the Moslemah when they least expected him, with four battalions of horse, he cut down vast numbers of the Faithful, putting the rest to flight, and pursuing them until nightfall deprived him of the power to distinguish friend from foe.

Many noble Moslemah died in that battle, as they endeavoured to reanimate their men, and sought to lead the fugitives back to the strife; nay, the carnage would have been even more complete had it not been late in the afternoon when the troops of Aben Radmir appeared.

It was now the turn of the Moslemah to lose their baggage and provisions, all of which fell into the power of

the Christians, who were then well repaid for the momentary loss and partial plunder of their own munitions.

From this time Aben Radmir directed his march towards the Mediterranean, still followed at a certain distance by companies of the Almoravide troops; but the latter dared no longer attempt to oppose his passage.

We find it related that at the crossing of the river Motril, and when from the marshy fords of that stream the army was traversing the deep ravines which succeeded, Aben Radmir turned to some of the most noble among the cavaliers by whom he was accompanied, and speaking in the Christian tongue, he said, "How magnificent a grave would not this make us, if there were any one on those heights who would throw down earth to cover us." Thenceforward he turned his steps in the direction of Velad, and there, being on the shore of the sea, Aben Radmir caused a small bark to be constructed, which he used for the purpose of taking fish on that strand. This was done either in the accomplishment of a vow which he had made to carry his arms through the Moslemah territory, and even to the coast of Granada, or merely that the thing might be described at a future time as the completion of some great exploit.* King Radmir subsequently ascended towards Granada, and fixed his camp on the farm of Dilar, whence he proceeded to Emidam, and while there he had certain skirmishes with the light cavalry of the Almoravides. A few days later beheld him entering on the Vega of Granada, when he encamped on the sources of the Teja, where the Almoravides did not give him an hour of repose, insomuch that it became needful to entrench and fortify the Christian camp: nor was the fear lest his more open assailants should press within

* In the details of this retreat there is a manifest obscurity which would most probably have been elucidated by a note, had the careful and accurate author been permitted to see his work through the press. In default of this it may be added here that certain writers declare the Christian king to have promised the generals of his immediate suite that they should eat fish taken by themselves from the waters of that region. Hence the construction of the fishing-bark: but we give our readers the assertion for only so much as it may be worth, not having found confirmation of its authenticity in any writer of acknowledged authority.

Tr.