University of Virginia Library

CHAPTER XXIII.

The hold alcayde of Ronda, Hamet el
Zegri, had careered wide over the campiña
of Utrera, encompassing the flocks
and herds, when he heard the burst of
war at a distance. There were with him
but a handful of his Gomeres. He saw
the scamper and pursuit afar off, and
beheld the Christian horsemen spurring
madly on towards the ambuscade, on the
banks of the Lopera. Hamet tossed his
hand triumphantly aloft for his men to
follow him. "The Christian dogs are
ours!" said he as he put spurs to his
horse, to take the enemy in rear.

The little band which followed Hamet
scarcely amounted to thirty horsemen.
They spurred across the plain, and
reached a rising ground, just as the force
of Puerto Carrero had charged with sound
of trumpet upon the flank of the party in
ambush. Hamet beheld the headlong
rout of the army with rage and consternation.
They found the country was
pouring forth its legions from every quarter,
and perceived that there was no
safety but in precipitate flight. But which
way to fly? an army was between him
and the mountain pass: all the forces of
the neighbourhood were rushing to the
borders; the whole route by which he
had come was, by this time, occupied by
the foe. He checked his steed, rose in
his stirrups, and rolled a stern and
thoughtful eye over the country; then,
sinking into his saddle, he seemed to
commune for a moment with himself.
Turning quickly to his troop, he singled

out a renegado Christian, a traitor to his
religion and his king. "Come hither,"
said Hamet: "thou knowest all the secret
passes of this country?" "I do,"
replied the renegado. "Dost thou know
any circuitous route, solitary and untravelled,
by which we can pass wide within
these troops, and reach the Serrania?"
The renegado paused: "Such a route I
know, but it is full of peril; for it leads
through the heart of the Christian land."
"It is well," said Hamet: "the more
dangerous in appearance, the less it will
be suspected. Now, hearken to me. Ride
by my side. Thou seest this purse of
gold and this cimeter. Take us, by the
route thou hast mentioned, safe to the
pass of the Serrania, and this purse shall
be thy reward: betray us, and this cimeter
shall cleave thee to the saddlebow."[36]

The renegado obeyed, trembling. They
turned off from the direct road to the
mountains, and struck southward towards
Lebrixa, passing by the most solitary
roads, and along those deep ramblas and
ravines by which the country is intersected.
It was indeed a daring course.
Every now and then they heard the distant
sound of trumpets, and the alarm-bells
of towns and villages, and found
that the war was still hurrying to the
borders. They hid themselves in thickets
and the dry beds of rivers, until the
danger had passed by, and then resumed
their course. Hamet el Zegri rode on in
silence, his hand upon his cimeter, and
his eyes upon the renegado guide, prepared
to sacrifice him on the least sign
of treachery; while his band followed,
gnawing their lips with rage, at having
thus to skulk through a country they had
come to ravage.

When night fell they struck into more
practicable roads, always keeping wide
of the villages and hamlets, lest the
watchdogs should betray them. In this
way they passed, in deep midnight, by
Acros, crossed the Guadalete, and effected
their retreat to the mountains. The
day dawned as they made their way up
the savage defiles. Their comrades had
been hunted up these very glens by the
enemy. Every now and then they came
to where there had been a partial fight,
or a slaughter of the fugitives; and the
rocks were red with blood, and strewed
with mangled bodies. The alcayde of
Ronda was almost frantic with rage at
seeing many of his bravest warriors,
lying stiff and stark, a prey to the hawks
and vultures of the mountains. Now and
then some wretched Moor would crawl
out of a cave or glen, whither he had
fled for refuge; for, in the retreat, many
of the horsemen had abandoned their
steeds, thrown away their armour, and
clambered up the cliffs, where they
could not be pursued by the Christian
cavalry.

The Moorish army had sallied forth
from Ronda amidst shouts and acclamations;
but wailings were heard within
its walls as the alcayde and his broken
band returned, without banner or trumpet,
and haggard with famine and fatigue.
The tidings of their disaster had preceded
them, borne by the fugitives of the army.
No one ventured to speak to the stern
Hamet el Zegri as he entered the city,
for they saw a dark cloud gathered upon
his brow.

"It seemed," says the pious Antonio
Agapida, "as if Heaven meted out this
defeat, in exact retribution for the ills
inflicted upon the Christian warriors in
the heights of Malaga." It was equally
signal and disastrous. Of the brilliant
array of Moorish chivalry, which descended
so confidently into Andalusia,
not more than two hundred escaped.
The choicest troops of the frontier were
either taken or destroyed: the Moorish
garrisons enfeebled, and many alcaydes
and cavaliers of noble lineage carried
into captivity, who were afterwards
obliged to redeem themselves with heavy
ransoms.

This was called the battle of Lopera,
and was fought on the 17th of September,
1483. Ferdinand and Isabella were at Vittoria,
in Old Castile, when they received
news of the victory, and the standards
taken from the enemy. They celebrated
the event with processions, illuminations,
and other festivities. Ferdinand sent to
the Marquis of Cadiz the royal raiment
which he had worn on that day, and conferred
on him, and on all those who
should inherit his title, the privilege of

wearing royal robes on our Lady's day
in September, in commemoration of this
victory.

Queen Isabella was equally mindful of
the great services of Don Luis Fernandez
Puerto Carrero. Besides many encomiums
and favours, she sent to his wife
the royal vestments and robe of brocade
which she had worn on the same day, to
be worn by her, during her life, on the
anniversary of that battle.[37]