of him. It was with infinite reluctance that Don Alonso de Aguilar
yielded to these united and powerful reasons. Proudly and sullenly
he drew off his forces, laden with the baggage of the army, and made
an unwilling retreat toward Antiquera. Muley Abul Hassan pursued
him for some distance through the mountains, but soon gave up the
chase and turned with his forces upon Alhama.

As the army approached the town they beheld the fields strewn
with the dead bodies of their countrymen, who had fallen in defence
of the place, and had been cast forth and left unburied by the
Christians. There they lay, mangled and exposed to every indignity,
while droves of half-famished dogs were preying upon them and
fighting and howling over their hideous repast.* Furious at the
sight, the Moors, in the first transports of their 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 for the necessary
mantelets and other protections-- thinking by attacking suddenly
and at various points to distract the enemy and overcome them by
the force of numbers.

*Pulgar, Cronica.


The marques of Cadiz, with his confederate commanders, distributed
themselves along the walls to direct and animate their men in the
defence. The Moors in their blind fury often assailed the most
difficult and dangerous places. Darts, stones, and all kinds of
missiles were hurled down upon their defenceless heads. As fast
as they mounted they were cut down or dashed from the battlements,