CHAPTER LII.
Of the city of Malaga and its inhabitants.
The city of Malaga lies in the lap of
a fertile valley, surrounded by mountains,
excepting on the part which lies open to
the sea. As it was one of the most important,
so it was one of the strongest
cities of the Moorish kingdom. It was
fortified by walls of prodigious strength,
studded with a great number of huge
towers. On the land side it was protected
by a natural barrier of mountains, and,
on the other, the waves of the Mediterranean
beat against the foundations of
its massive bulwarks.
At one end of the city, near the sea,
on a high mound, stood the alcazaba or
citadel, a fortress of great strength. Immediately
above this rose a steep and
rocky mount, on the top of which, in old
times, had been a pharos, or lighthouse,
from which the height derived its name
of Gibralfaro.[73]
It was at present crowned
by an immense castle, which, from its
lofty and cragged situation, its vast walls
and mighty towers, was deemed impregnable.
It communicated with the alcazaba
by a covered way, six paces broad,
leading down between two walls, along
the profile or ridge of the rock. The
castle of Gibralfaro commanded both
citadel and city, and was capable, if both
were taken, of maintaining a siege.
Two large suburbs adjoined the city:
in the one towards the sea were dwelling-houses
of the most opulent inhabitants,
adorned with hanging gardens; the
other, on the land side, was thickly peopled,
and surrounded by strong walls and
towers.
Malaga possessed a brave and numerous
garrison, and the common people
were active, hardy, and resolute; but the
city was rich and commercial, and under
the habitual control of numerous opulent
merchants, who dreaded the ruinous consequences
of a siege. They were little
zealous for the warlike renown of their
city, and longed rather to participate in
the enviable security of property, and the
lucrative privileges of safe traffic with
the Christian territories, granted to all
places which declared for Boabdil. At
the head of these gainful citizens was
Ali Dordux, a mighty merchant, of uncounted
wealth, whose ships traded to
every port of the Levant, and whose
word was a law in Malaga.
Ali Dordux assembled the most opulent
and important of his commercial
brethren, and they repaired in a body to
the alcazaba, where they were received
by the alcayde, Albozen Connexa, with
that deference generally shown to men
of their great local dignity and power of
purse. Ali Dordux was ample and
stately in his form, and fluent and emphatic
in his discourse. His eloquence
had an effect, therefore, upon the alcayde,
as he represented the hopelessness of a
defence of Malaga, the misery that must
attend a siege, and the ruin that must
follow a capture by force of arms. On
the other hand, he set forth the grace
that might be obtained from the Castilian
sovereigns by an early and voluntary
acknowledgment of Boabdil as king, the
peaceful possession of their property, and
the profitable commerce with the Christian
ports that would be allowed them.
He was seconded by his weighty and important
coadjutors; and the alcayde, accustomed
to regard them as the arbiters
of the affairs of the place, yielded to their
united counsels. He departed, therefore,
with all speed, to the Christian camp,
empowered to arrange a capitulation with
the Castilian monarch, and in the mean
time his brother remained in command
of the alcazaba.
There was, at this time, as alcayde,
in the old crag-built castle of Gibralfaro,
a warlike and fiery Moor, an implacable
enemy of the Christians. This was no
other than Hamet Zeli, surnamed El
Zegri, the once formidable alcayde of
Ronda, and the terror of its mountains.
He had never forgiven the capture of his
favourite fortress, and panted for vengeance
on the Christians. Notwithstanding
his reverses, he had retained the favour
of El Zagal, who knew how to appreciate
a bold warrior of the kind, and
had placed him in command of this important
fortress of Gibralfaro.
Hamet el Zegri had gathered round
him the remnant of his band of Gomeres,
with others of the same tribe. These
fierce warriors were nestled, like so many
war-hawks, about their lofty cliff. They
looked down with martial contempt upon
the commercial city of Malaga, which
they were placed to protect; or rather,
they esteemed it only for its military importance
and its capability of defence.
They held no communion with its trading,
gainful inhabitants, and even considered
the garrison of the alcazaba as
their inferiors. War was their pursuit
and passion; they rejoiced in its turbulent
and perilous scenes; and, confident
in the strength of the city, and above all,
of their castle, they set at defiance the
menace of Christian invasion. There
were among them, also, many apostate
Moors, who had once embraced christianity,
but had since recanted, and had
fled from the vengeance of the inquisition.
These were desperadoes, who had
no mercy to expect, should they again
fall into the hands of the enemy.
Such were the fierce elements of the
garrison of Gibralfaro; and its rage
may easily be conceived at hearing, that
Malaga was to be given up without a
blow; that they were to sink into Christian
vassals, under the intermediate sway
of Boabdil el Chico, and that the alcayde
of the alcazaba had departed to arrange
the terms of capitulation.
Hamet el Zegri determined to avert,
by desperate means, the threatened degradation.
He knew that there was a
large party in the city faithful to El
Zagal, being composed of warlike men,
who had taken refuge from the various
mountain towns which had been captured.
Their feelings were desperate as their
fortunes, and, like Hamet, they panted
for revenge upon the Christians. With
these he had a secret conference, and
received assurances of their adherence to
him in any measures of defence. As to
the council of the peaceful inhabitants,
he considered it unworthy the consideration
of a soldier, and he spurned at the
interference of the wealthy merchant, Ali
Dordux, in matters of warfare.
"Still," said Hamet el Zegri, "let us
proceed regularly." So he descended
with his Gomeres to the citadel, entered
it suddenly, put to death the brother of
the alcayde and such of the garrison as
made any demur, and then summoned
the principal inhabitants to deliberate on
measures for the welfare of the city.[74]
The wealthy merchants again mounted
to the citadel, excepting Ali Dordux, who
refused to obey the summons. They
entered with hearts filled with awe, for
they found Hamet surrounded by his
grim African guard, and all the array of
military power, and they beheld the
bloody traces of the recent massacre.
Hamet el Zegri rolled a dark and
searching eye upon the assembly.—
"Who," said he, "is loyal and devoted
to Muley Abdalla el Zagal?" Every one
present asserted his loyalty. "Good!"
said Hamet, "and who is ready to prove
his devotion to his sovereign by defending
this his important city to the last
extremity?" Every one present expressed
his readiness. "Enough," observed
Hamet: the "alcayde, Albozen
Connexa, has proved himself a traitor to
his sovereign and to you all; for he has
conspired to deliver the place to the
Christians. It behoves you to choose
some other commander, capable of defending
your city against the approaching
enemy." The assembly declared
unanimously, that there could be none so
worthy of the command as himself. So
Hamet el Zegri was appointed alcayde of
Malaga, and immediately proceeded to
man the forts and towers with his partisans,
and to make every preparation for
a desperate resistance.
Intelligence of these occurrences put
an end to the negotiations between King
Ferdinand and the superseded alcayde
Albozen Connexa, and it was supposed
there was no alternative but to lay siege
to the place. The Marquis of Cadiz,
however, found at Velez a Moorish cavalier
of some note, a native of Malaga,
who offered to tamper with Hamet el
Zegri for the surrender of the city; or,
at least, of the castle of Gibralfaro.
The marquis communicated this to the
king. "I put this business and the key
of my treasury into your hand," said
Ferdinand: "act, stipulate, and disburse,
in my name, as you think proper."
The marquis armed the Moor with his
own lance, cuirass, and target, and
mounted him on one of his own horses.
He equipped also, in similar style, another
Moor, his companion and relation.
They bore secret letters to Hamet from
the marquis, offering him the town of
Coin in perpetual inheritance, and four
thousand doblas in gold, if he would
deliver up Gibralfaro: together with
large sums to be distributed among his
officers and soldiers; and he held out
unlimited rewards for the surrender of
the city.[75]
Hamet had a warrior's admiration for
the Marquis of Cadiz, and received his
messengers with courtesy, in his fortress
of Gibralfaro. He even listened to their
propositions with patience, and dismissed
them in safety, though with an absolute
refusal. The marquis thought his reply
was not so peremptory as to discourage
another effort. The emissaries were
despatched therefore, a second time, with
further propositions. They approached
Malaga in the night; but found the guards
doubled, patrols abroad, and the whole
place on the alert. They were discovered,
pursued, and only saved themselves by
the fleetness of their steeds, and their
knowledge of the passes of the mountains.
Finding all attempts to tamper with
the faith of Hamet el Zegri utterly futile,
King Ferdinand publicly summoned the
city to surrender; offering the most
favourable terms in case of immediate
compliance, but threatening captivity to
all the inhabitants in case of resistance.
The message was delivered in presence
of the principal inhabitants, who, however,
were too much in awe of the stern
alcayde to utter a word. Hamet el
Zegri then rose haughtily, and replied,
that the city of Malaga had not been
confided to him to be surrendered, but
defended; and the king should witness
how he acquitted himself of his charge.[76]
The messengers returned with formidable
accounts of the force of the garrison,
the strength of the fortifications,
and the determined spirit of the commander
and his men. The king immediately
sent orders to have the heavy
artillery forwarded from Antequera; and,
on the seventh of May, marched with his
army towards Malaga.
