Christian faith, the implacable hatred of both nations being there made manifest, and the bravery as well as constancy of the well-experienced combatants on either side being equally conspicuous.

And now in the thickest of the fight the valiant Ameer Seif Dolah Aben Hud fell mortally wounded by the thrust of a lance: his sword, waving in the hottest of the struggle, had left the noble breast to be pierced through, and with rivers of his heart's blood the exalted soul passed forth by that issue. Fighting like a raging lion among the foremost there also fell Abdallah Aben Sad, Naib of Valencia, nephew of Muhamad Aben Sad Ben Mardanis, Naib of Murcia. With the loss of those two illustrious leaders sank the spirit of the Moslemah both of Murcia and Valencia. In vain did the heroic valour of the Wali Abu Muhamad Aben Ayadh make giant efforts to maintain the combat; he could not prevent his people from resigning the field to their enemy, and the flight of the vanquished soldiers was protected only by the shadows of the night, which alone availed to give a truce to the cruel slaughter. Aben Ayadh thus escaped with the relics of the army, and by some of the authorities we are told that Aben Hud also left the field alive, but died in the night from the loss of blood which his many wounds occasioned. That defeat of the Moslemah took place on a Giuma, or Friday, which was the 20th of the moon Xaban, in the year 540, or, as other writers of the period say, on a Saturday in the same moon.

After this battle, Abdallah El Thograi, with his allies, proceeded to besiege the city of Murcia, where the government had been left to Muhamad Ben Sad Aben Mardanis, who was Naib thereof. But that general would not await the foe within the walls, and with the small force at his command he sallied forth against El Thograi, to whom he offered battle before the city, and fought with infinite valour. The troops of Aben Sad were nevertheless defeated by the greater number of their enemies, and many perished at the hands of the Infidels, who followed eagerly in pursuit of the flying. Aben Sad himself escaped solely by the fleetness of his horse, and took refuge with a few of his people in Alicant.

Abdallah El Thograi then gained possession of Murcia,

which he entered in the first days of the moon Dylhagia in the year 540. He took much pains to win the friendship of the citizens by his favourable treatment of them, and laboured earnestly to renew his former alliance with their principal men; but he could not prevent the Christians who were his auxiliaries from forming part of the force which then garrisoned Murcia, although he greatly desired to do so, and their presence was a thing by which the inhabitants were all much dissatisfied.

The Wali Muhamad Aben Ayadh was meanwhile thinking only of vengeance, and occupied himself eagerly in the assemblage of troops with which he might once more make head against the foe..

On the side of Algarve, Ahmed Ben Husein Aben Cosai was pursuing his conquests, and proceeding from Calat Mertula, he had made himself master of the greater portion of the district, nearly all the towns having submitted themselves to his rule. When this leader was informed of the successes obtained by Abdelmumen Ben Aly and his Almohades in Africa, and heard of the death of King Taxfin at Uhran, he sent letters and messages to the Prince of the Almohades, Abdelmumen, giving him an account of the revolutions which had taken place in Spain, and relating the manner in which he had himself obtained possession of a certain part of Andalusia while acting against the Almoravides, whom he declared to be heretics and bad Moslemah. He furthermore made profession of his own adhesion to the opinions of El. Mehedi and the doctrines of Alzagali, and concluded by proffering his allegiance to Abdelmumen Ben Aly, whom he invited to enter Andalusia and make himself master of that country. Highly satisfied with these proceedings on the part of Ahmed Ben Husein Aben Cosai, Abdelmumen replied by appointing that leader to be his Wali of Algarve; and this was done in the moon of Rebie Segunda in the year 540.

At the same time, the general of the Almoravides, Abu Zacaria Yahye Aben Gania, being made acquainted with the evil condition of his sovereign's affairs in Africa, continued to do his utmost for the support of the tottering empire of the latter in Andalusia, not only by force of arms, but also by the exercise of the most consummate prudence. He passed

through all the provinces still remaining true to the house of Juzef, King of the Moslemah, exhorting the people to union and obedience to their legitimate sovereigns, nor failing to employ rigorous measures wherever he found persuasions of no avail. By these means Abu Zacaria maintained many of the principal cities in their allegiance to their king; but perceiving that in despite of all his efforts the rebels were nevertheless gaining ground, those of the Axarquia and Algarve more especially being very powerful, he resolved at length to seek alliances among the Christians: he furthermore endeavoured to weaken the force of the rebel bands by sowing the seeds of dissension among their leaders; and having heard that Ahmed Husein Aben Cosai had written to the Almohades, proposing to subject himself to their allegiance, as related above, he took occasion from the reward received by Aben Cosai on being named the Wali of Algarve, to excite against him the envy of his partizans, Mohamad Ben Sid-Ray and Omar Ben Almondar; having caused it to be intimated to those generals that it was now time they should look about for themselves, since Aben Cosai thought only of his own aggrandizement, and aimed at nothing less than securing the sovereignty of the state for himself. Aben Gania added that Åben Cosai was manifestly attacking the liberties of them all, since he was labouring to bring the fierce Almohades into Spain, thus renewing the misfortunes which the Andalusian princes and generals had endured from the coming of the Almoravides, with this difference, that Juzef Ben Taxfin had been summoned to redeem the Moslemah from the chains drawn around them by the tyrant Alfonso, while Ahmed Husein Aben Cosai could assign no motive so laudable for the evil course which he was at that moment pursuing, but was in fact moved solely by an unbridled desire of sovereignty, which was now leading him to invite to Spain those ruthless Almohades by whom such vast rivers of Moslemah blood had already been shed in Africa. Aben Gania concluded by declaring that for himself he sought only to maintain without a blemish the honourable charge of General and Protector of the Frontiers, which he

*The South and East.

had held so long, and, continuing in the path of God, to be the true servant of Islam, even to the death; but as regarded the generals whom he addressed, they were assured that he desired nothing more than to open their eyes to the dangers they were incurring from the ambition of Aben Cosai.

The two generals to whom Abu Zacaria Aben Gania directed these reasonings were men of noble minds and generous hearts; the fires of emulation, not wholly extinguished within them, were rekindled, and they began to observe the government of Ahmed Husein Aben Cosai with disapproval. The alliances he had formed, and the treaties he had concluded of his own authority, were made the pretext for an open rupture, which was presently followed by each of the generals leading his troops against their late chief, Aben Cosai.

That Wali, the better to defend himself from their attack, then invited to his aid the tyrant Aben Errik, Lord of Colymbria, who lost no time in repairing to Andalusia, when Aben Cosai and himself entered the territories of Beja and Merida in company with the Christian forces, committing their accustomed ravages in all the districts within their reach. They were opposed by Muhamad Sid Ray and Omar Ben Almondar, when many sanguinary battles were delivered between those forces; but the troops of Ahmed Cosai were defeated, and he was compelled to retire to his fortress of Calat Mertula. These events took place in the moon Xaban 540, and the cavaliers of Aben Errik then departing, received rich gifts from Aben Cosai, both of arms and horses. But the proceedings of the latter were as those of a servant who dares not move an eyelash without the consent of others, and awaits the command of his master for every action. This gave occasion for his enemies to bring him into contempt, and he became the scorn as well as the abhorrence of the people, insomuch that his troops would no longer defend him, but were disposed, on the contrary, to promote the designs of those who sought his ruin. A popular insurrection was thus easily excited against Aben Cosai, when the generals attacking him found means to possess themselves of his fortress of Calat Mertula, which done, they hurried to the

Alcazar of Axaregib, where he then dwelt, and deposing Ahmed Husein Aben Cosai, they proclaimed Muhamad Sid Ray governor in his stead. Then the latter seized Aben Cosai and imprisoned him in Medina Beja; but in the meantime a partizan of the fallen chief, Abdallah Ben Aly Ben Samail, had raised his banner and did his utmost to support the claims of his chief. This general Abdallah succeeded in obtaining possession of Beja, and at once set Aben Cosai free, when Muhamad Sid Ray was compelled to fly in his turn, and took refuge in Seville.

CHAP. XXXIX.-OF THE WAR BETWEEN THE ALMORAVIDES AND

ALMOHADES.

THE sanguinary struggle so long maintained in Africa between the Almoravides and Almohades was meanwhile continued without ceasing. The Mexuar, or Great Council of Morocco, had proclaimed the son of King Taxfin, even Ibrahim Abu Ishak, so soon as they had been made acquainted with his father's unhappy death; seeing that King Taxfin, becoming distrustful of his fortune, had caused him to receive the oath of allegiance as future sovereign of the empire, and had sent him from Uhran to Morocco, for the greater safety, but a short time before his own death. The ceremony of Ibrahim's inauguration had in faet taken place about a month prior to that event, and all the nobles of Lamtuna had then willingly taken the oath of allegiance to him.

There was, nevertheless, one person who now opposed the solemn proclamation and acknowledgment of Ibrahim as King of Morocco; this was his uncle and the brother of his father, even Ishak Ben Aly, who refused him obedience, and demanded that he should himself be proclaimed king. Nor were there wanting Almoravide nobles who supported that fatal division in the already tottering empire of Morocco, as if they desired to give a new impulse to the fall of the state, now imminent, and had determined to hasten the approach of its total ruin, although they could not but be aware that Abdelmumen Ben Aly never laid the arms from