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drawn up in one sole body of a square form, the outer ranks being composed of his bravest warriors, armed with very long lances, which they maintained with their feet and hands. Behind these files of lancers were others, bearing shields and armed with swords, their large round bucklers amply defending them from the cross-bows of the enemy. Within these ranks were, furthermore, two files of soldiers, armed with slings and cross-bows, while in the centre of all there remained a large and ample space, in which Abdelmumen ranged all his cavalry, having been careful to appoint certain places where openings for the sallying forth and re-entering of the horse could be very speedily made, without causing any disorder among the infantry.

And now, as King Taxfin desired nothing so much as the battle, he also made ready his force, and commanded that the Almohades should be attacked by the greater part of his cavalry. And the impetuosity of that Almoravide charge was terrible; but the obstacle presented by the very long lances of their opponents made it impossible for the cavalry of the king to break that strong squadron of the Almohades, while not a few of the horses were pierced through with their riders by those formidable weapons. The Almoravide cavalry were then compelled to turn their horses for the renewal of the charge, when the slings and cross-bows of their enemy poured on them an unceasing storm of missiles, and the cavalry of Abdelmumen, bursting suddenly forth from both flanks of his square, fell heavily on their rear, to the great loss of the Almoravides; but the Almohade horse instantly withdrew to the strong Alcazaba formed to receive them by the serried ranks as before described, thus avoiding the shock of King Taxfin's cavalry, which was so much more powerful than their own. battle continued after the manner above related during the whole of that sanguinary day, until the loss of the Almoravides was such that they could no longer maintain the fight. All the cavalry was either slain or wounded, and the most valiant of their number counted with the dead; thus the victory and the field remained to Abdelmumen Ben Aly.

The

King Taxfin then retired with all speed to Telencen, and, become distrustful now of the fortune of his arms, he set

himself diligently to fortify himself within those walls, insomuch that the victorious army of Abdelmumen found the place well garrisoned and defended, when that leader, in his turn, advanced with his force to besiege the city. He commenced the blockade nevertheless, and many obstinate combats ensued; but wearied at length with the continued sallies of the besieged, and the frequent surprises, in which his people suffered great loss, Abdelmumen Ben Aly departed for Medina Uhran, leaving only a portion of his army to maintain the siege of Telencen.

Now King Taxfin had carefully placed the city of Uhran in the best state of defence he could devise, considering it as the principal resource and last asylum remaining to him in the evil condition of his affairs, since he could thence prepare his passage to Spain, if need were that he should cross into that country; nay, the king had written to the Alcayde of Almeria, Abdallah Ben Maimoun, commanding him to hold ten good ships in the great port of Uhran, keeping them constantly prepared for whatever might happen, and holding all ready to sail at a moment's warning. He now found that Abdelmumen Ben Aly had fixed his camp on a hill which rises above Uhran, with the intention of besieging that city and fortress. Taxfin therefore sallied forth from Telencen, broke and scattered the force left by Abdelmumen to besiege the place, and at once proceeded to the relief of his asylum of Uhran.

Arrived within the Comarca of that town, King Taxfin seated his camp within view of his enemies, when various skirmishes ensued, wherein both parties fought bravely, with changing fortunes, but for the most part to the greater loss of the Almoravides.

The author of the "Fen Imamia," speaking on the authority of Aben Matruc Alkisi, relates that King Taxfin, having penetrated and broken the camp of Abdelmumen Ben Aly, succeeded in making good his entrance into Uhran; but perceiving that the siege was likely to be a long one, and finding also that his sallies and surprises, while they exhausted his own people, produced but little effect upon the enemy, he lost all hope of being able longer to maintain himself in the kingdom of Morocco. Thus, despairing and without counsel, he left the city secretly

and by night, with the desire and intention of reaching the well-fortified citadel of the great haven, where he hoped to find the ships prepared to, transport him into Spain. The king went forth, then, mounted on a beautiful and spirited mare, called Rahihana,* renowned for her swiftness, and unequalled among all the horses and mares of the numerous stud that he possessed. The night was very dark, and Taxfin, fearful of falling into the hands of his enemies, was proceeding with a troubled mind; thus it chanced, that as he came to a high and steep cliff, it appeared to him in the obscurity that all the ground was level, unless indeed it were that the mare became alarıned at the sound of the sea: be this as it may, the king fell with his horse over the precipice, and so died: his body was found dashed to pieces on the shore of the sea when the light of the following morning appeared, as was that of the mare, which also lay dead beside her master. The remains of the noble Taxfin were then taken to Abdelmumen Ben Aly, who commanded that the body should be nailed to a willow tree, and sent the head to Tinmaul.

The Almoravides were not made acquainted with this event until informed thereof by their enemies themselves; but when the truth was told to them, they lost all hope, and a few days after† Abdelmumen took the city of Uhran by force of arms, entering the same in the month of Muharram of the year 540. Yet he did not obtain possession of the place until after an obstinate resistance, nor would he even then have succeeded, had not the defenders been exhausted by thirst, he having found means to cut off the water by which the city was supplied. Thus, many of the people had died of the torment of thirst, and those who remained were but ill able to endure the toils needful to the defence of the place. According to Yahye Ben Omeira, Abdelmumen entered on the morning of the Easter of Alfitra, when he put to the sword whatever Almoravides he found remaining, with not a few of the inhabitants of Uhran.'

*The Arabic writers have not only preserved the name, but the genealogy of Rahihana, whose equal, as they affirm, was never seen among the finest horses of Africa or Arabia.-De Marlès.

Yahye Ben Omeira says three days.-Condé.

The reign of King Taxfin, from the departure of his father to the day of his own unhappy death, was two years and two months;* but it has also been affirmed that his death took place in the month of Ramazan of the year 539. The author just quoted furthermore informs us that King Taxfin had caused his son Abu, Ishac Ibrahim, to receive the oath of allegiance as his successor, immediately after his return into Africa from Andalusia.

CHAP. XXXVII.-THE WAR AGAINST THE ALMORA VIDES IN SPAIN IS

STILL CONTINUED.

THE insurrection in Andalusia, and the war declared in that country against the Almoravides, was meanwhile continued with implacable hatred. The siege of Xativa was eagerly maintained by Abu Meruan Abdelmelik Ben Abdelaziz, and the city was well defended by Abu Abdallah, the nephew of Aben Gania, with his Almoravide troops; but when the rebel Wali of Murcia, Abu Giafar, arrived at Xativa for the second time in aid of Abu Meruan Ben Abdelaziz, the general Abu Abdallah was compelled to retire to the Alcazaba, there to defend himself as he best might from the enemy thus powerfully reinforced. Finally, the Alcayde of the frontiers, Aben Ayadh, also came to the aid of Valencia and Murcia with a very well-appointed body of soldiers from his own govenment; whereupon Abdallah Aben Gania began to treat for the surrender of the place, perceiving clearly that it was not possible for him to hold that fortress any longer. The conditions being accordingly agreed upon, the brave general Abdallah came forth from the city, and left Xativa with all his men; he directed his march towards Almeria, intending to pass over into Majorca in company with his father, unless the affairs of the Almoravides should present a better hope of amelioration than could be then entertained.

Abdallah Aben Gania had no sooner issued from the Alcazar of Xativa, than the city was taken into possession by Abu Meruan Ben Abdelaziz, who then dismissed his

*This is manifestly an oversight, since Aly Ben Juzef died at the close of Regeb in the year 539; the reign of Taxfin was consequently of two months only.-Tr.

a fine

auxiliaries, all highly satisfied with the rich gifts of horses, arms, and costly vestments, which he had bestowed upon them. Having next placed all things in order within the city, he made his solemn entrance, mounted on dromedary and bearing magnificent vestments, with the most splendid arms: thus surrounded by his Xeques and noble cavaliers, he was proclaimed their sovereign by the people with all possible demonstrations of gladness,-an event which happened in the moon Safer of the year 540. On that occasion Alicant was united to the Amilia of Xativa, and the province was added to the sovereignty or government of Abu Meruan Ben Abdelaziz.

During that same moon of Safer, Abu Giafar Hamdain Ben Muhamad Ben Hamdain returned to Murcia, after having pursued and harassed Abdallah Aben Gania and the Almoravides in their retreat, hanging on their rear and doing them all the injury in his power until they reached the Comarcas of Almeria, where the Almoravide party still retained the upper hand.

In Granada the rebellion was likewise continued, the Almoravides being there also reduced to the Alcazaba; the rebels demanded succour from the people of Cordova, and the Cadi Abul Hassan Ben Adha wrote in that behalf to his kindred and partizans. Abu Giafar Ben Hamdain consequently despatched his nephew Aly Ben Omar Mumamad Adha, known as Omilimad, to the aid of the rebels in Granada, while the Alcayde of Jaen, Aben Gozei, also joined them, marching from that city with such followers as he could get together, reinforced by a thousand cavaliers of the Axarquia. These forces, united to the body of men brought by Abu Giafar of Murcia, formed an imposing camp of twelve thousand horse, with a still greater number of foot-soldiers.

When the Almoravides perceived that this tempest had gathered around them, they saw clearly that the army then menacing them from without, when united with the rebel force already within the city, would give them more than enough to do; they consequently held a council, and the result of their deliberations was a resolve to attack the newly-arrived auxiliaries without delay. At the hour of dawn, therefore, they sallied forth from the Alcazaba, and falling upon the rebel camp, when the generals commanding

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