the town. And they whom he had sent against the gate of Alcantara,
attacked it so bravely that they would have entered the city, if it had
not been for the boys and the women, who were upon the wall and in the
towers, and threw down stones upon them. And this while the cry went
forth in the city, and many horsemen sallied forth and fought with the
Christians before the bridge, and the battle lasted from morning until
midday, and when they separated, the Cid returned to his camp. And when
the Cid had taken food, he returned after the _siesta_ to attack the
suburb of Alcudia; and this attack was so vigorous that they who dwelt
therein thought the place would be forced, and they began to cry out,
Peace! Peace! being in great fear. Then, the Cid bade his men give over
the attack, and the good men of the suburb came out to him, and
whatsoever terms of security they asked, he granted them; and he took
possession of the suburb that night, and set his guards therein; and he
commanded his people that they should do no wrong to them of Alcudia,
and if any one offended he said that his head should be smitten off; so
he returned that night to the camp. And on the morrow he came there,
and assembled together the Moors of that place, and comforted them much
with his speeches, and promised that he would favour them greatly and
not oppress them, and bade them till their fields and tend their flocks
securely, saying that he would take only a tenth of the fruit thereof,
as their law directed. And he placed a Moor there named Yucef to be his
Almoxarife, that is to say, his Receiver. And he gave orders that all
Moors who would come and dwell therein might come securely, and they
also who would bring food thither for sale, and other merchandize. So
much food and much merchandize were brought there from all parts, and
that suburb became like a city, and there was plenty therein.

VIII. Now when the Cid Ruydiez had gotten possession of the suburbs, he
cut off from Valencia both the ingress and the egress, and they of the