CHAPTER LXXXVII.
Exploit of the Count de Tendilla.
Boabdil el Chico followed up his
success by capturing the two fortresses
of Marchena and Bulduy; he sent his
alfaquis in every direction to proclaim a
holy war, and to summon all true Moslems,
of town or castle, mountain or
valley, to saddle steed, and buckle on
armour, and hasten to the standard of
the faith. The tidings spread far and
wide, that Boabdil el Chico was once
more in the field, and victorious. The
Moors of various places, dazzled by this
gleam of success, hastened to throw off
their sworn allegiance to the Castilian
crown, and to elevate the standard of
Boabdil; and the youthful monarch flattered
himself, that the whole kingdom
was on the point of returning to its allegiance.
The fiery cavaliers of Granada were
eager to renew those forays into the
Christian lands, in which they had formerly
delighted. A number of them,
therefore, concerted an irruption to the
north into the territory of Jaen, to harass
the country about Quexada. They had
heard of a rich convoy of merchants and
wealthy travellers on the way to the city
of Baeza; and they anticipated a glorious
conclusion to their foray in capturing this
convoy.
Assembling a number of horsemen,
lightly armed, and fleetly mounted, and
one hundred foot-soldiers, these hardy
cavaliers issued forth by night from
Granada, made their way in silence
through the defiles of the mountains,
crossed the frontier without opposition,
and suddenly appeared, as if fallen from
the clouds, in the very heart of the
Christian country.
The mountainous frontier, which separates
Granada from Jaen, was at this
time under the Count de Tendilla, the
same veteran who had distinguished himself
by his vigilance and sagacity, when
commanding the fortress of Alhama. He
held his head-quarters at the city of Alcala
la Real, in its impregnable fortress,
perched high among the mountains, about
six leagues from Granada, and predominating
over all the frontier. From this
cloud-capt hold among the rocks, he kept
an eagle eye upon Granada, and had his
scouts and spies in all directions; so that
a crow could not fly over the border
without his knowledge.
His fortress was a place of refuge for
the Christian captives, who escaped by
night from the Moorish dungeons of Granada.
Often, however, they missed their
way in the defiles of the mountains; and,
wandering about bewildered, either repaired
by mistake to some Moorish town,
or were discovered and retaken at daylight
by the enemy. To prevent these
accidents, the count had a tower built at
his own expense, on the top of one of the
heights near Alcala, which commanded
a view of the vega, and the country
around. Here he kept a light blazing
throughout the night, as a beacon for all
Christian fugitives, to guide them to a
place of safety.
The count was aroused one night from
his repose by shouts and cries, which
came up from the town, and approached
the castle walls. "To arms! to arms!
the Moor is over the border!" was the
cry. A Christian soldier, pale and emaciated,
and who still bore traces of the
Moorish chains, was brought before the
count. He had been taken as guide by
the Moorish cavaliers, who had sallied
from Granada, but had eacaped from
them among the mountains; and after
much wandering, had found his way to
Alcala by the signal-fire.
Notwithstanding the bustle and agitation
of the moment, the Count de Tendilla
listened calmly and attentively to the
account of the fugitive, and questioned
him minutely as to the time of departure
of the Moors, and the direction and rapidity
of their march. He saw, that it was
too late to prevent their incursion and
ravage; but he determined to await them,
and give them a warm reception on their
return. His soldiers were always on the
alert, and ready to take the field at a
moment's warning. Choosing one hundred
and fifty lances, hardy and valiant
men, well disciplined, and well seasoned,
as indeed were all his troops, he issued
forth quietly before break of day, and,
descending through the defiles of the
mountains, stationed his little force in
ambush in a deep barranca, or dry channel
of a torrent, near Barzina, three
leagues only from Granada, on the road
by which the marauders would have to
return. In the mean time, he sent scouts,
to post themselves upon different heights,
and look out for the approach of the
enemy.
All day they remained concealed in
the ravine, and for a great part of the
following night; not a turban, however,
was to be seen, excepting now and then
a peasant returning from his labour, or
a solitary muleteer hastening towards
Granada. The cavaliers of the count
began to grow restless and impatient:
they feared, that the enemy might have
taken some other route, or might have
received intelligence of their ambuscade;
and they urged him to abandon the enterprise,
and return to Alcala. "We are
here," said they, "almost at the gates of
the Moorish capital; our movements may
have been descried, and, before we are
aware, Granada may pour forth its legions
of swift cavalry, and crush us with
an overwhelming force." The Count de
Tendilla, however, persisted in remaining
until the scouts should come in. About
two hours before daybreak there were
signal-fires on certain Moorish watchtowers
of the mountains. While they
were regarding these with anxiety, the
scouts came hurrying into the ravine.
"The Moors are approaching," said
they; "we have reconnoitred them
near at hand. They are between one
and two hundred strong, but encumbered
with many prisoners and much booty."
The Christian cavaliers laid their ears
to the ground, and heard the distant
tramp of horses, and the tread of foot-soldiers.
They mounted their horses,
braced their shields, couched their lances,
and drew near to the entrance of the
ravine where it opened upon the road.
The Moors had succeeded in waylaying
and surprising the Christian convoy
on its way to Baeza. They had
captured a great number of prisoners,
male and female, with great store of
gold and jewels, and sumpter-mules,
laden with rich merchandise. With these
they had made a forced march over the
dangerous parts of the mountains; but
now, being so near to Granda, they
fancied themselves in perfect security.
They loitered along the road, therefore,
irregularly and slowly, some singing,
others laughing and exulting at having
cluded the boasted vigilance of the Count
de Tendilla; while ever and anon was
heard the plaint of some female captive,
bewailing the jeopardy of her honour;
and the heavy sighing of the merchant,
at beholding his property in the grasp of
ruthless spoilers.
The Count de Tendilla waited until
some of the escort had passed the ravine;
then, giving the signal for assault, his
cavaliers set up loud shouts and cries,
and charged furiously into the centre of
the foe. The obscurity of the place, and
the hour, added to the terrors of the surprise.
The Moors were thrown into
confusion. Some rallied, fought desperately,
and fell covered with wounds.
Thirty-six were killed, and fifty-five were
made prisoners; the rest, under cover of
the darkness, made their escape to the
rocks and defiles of the mountains. The
good count unbound the prisoners, gladdening
the hearts of the merchants, by
restoring to them their merchandise;
the female captives also regained their
jewels of which they had been despoiled,
excepting such as had been lost beyond
recovery. Forty-five saddle-horses, of
the choice Barbary breed, remained, as
captured spoils of the Moors, together
with costly armour, and booty of various
kinds. Having collected every thing in
haste, and arranged his cavalgada, the
count urged his way with all speed for
Aleala la Real, lest he should be pursued
and overtaken by the Moors of Granada.
As he wound up the steep ascent to his
mountain city, the inhabitants poured
forth to meet him with shouts of joy.
This triumph was doubly enhanced by
being received at the gates of the city by
his wife, the daughter of the Marquis of
Villena, a lady of distinguished merit,
whom he had not seen for two years
that he had been separated from his
home by the arduous duties of these iron
wars.
