long spears firmly grasped in their hands. The Arabs said that their
fashion of mail armor had come to them from King David, "to whom," they
said, "God made iron soft, and it became in his hands as thread." More
than half of them were mounted on the swift horses which were peculiar to
their people; and the white, red, and black turbans and cloaks made a most
striking picture around the camp-fires. These men, too, were already
trained and successful soldiers, held together both by a common religion
and by the hope of spoil. There were twelve thousand of them by the most
probable estimate,--for Musa had sent reinforcements,--and they had
against them from five to eight times their number. But of the Spaniards
only a small part were armed or drilled, or used to warfare, and great
multitudes of them had to put their reliance in clubs, slings, axes, and
short scythes. The cavalry were on the wings, where Luis found himself,
with Count Julian and Archbishop Oppas to command them. Soon, however, Don
Alonzo and Luis were detached, with others, to act as escort to the king,
Don Rodrigo.

The battle began soon after daybreak on Sunday, July 19, 711. As the
Spanish troops advanced, their trumpets sounded defiance and were answered
by Moorish horns and kettledrums. While they drew near, the shouts of the
Spaniards were drowned in the _lelie_ of the Arabs, the phrase _La
ila-ha ella-llah_--there is no deity but God. As they came nearer yet,
there is a tradition that Rodrigo looking on the Moslem, said, "By the
faith of the Messiah, these are the very men I saw painted on the walls of
the cave at Toledo." Yet he certainly bore himself like a king, and he
rode on the battle-field in a chariot of ivory lined with gold, having a
silken awning decked with pearls and rubies, while the vehicle was drawn
by three white mules abreast. He was then nearly eighty, and was dressed
in a silken robe embroidered with pearls. He had brought with him in carts
and on mules his treasures in jewels and money; and he had trains of mules