University of Virginia Library

23. CHAPTER XXIII.
How King Ferdinand invaded the eastern side of the
kingdom of Granada, and how he was received by
El Zagal.

“Muley Abdalla el Zagal,” says the venerable
Jesuit father, Pedro Abarca, “was the most venomous
Mahometan in all Morisma:” and the worthy
Fray Antonio Agapida most devoutly echoes his
opinion; “Certainly,” adds the latter, “none ever
opposed a more heathenish and diabolical obstinacy
to the holy inroads of the cross and sword.”

El Zagal felt that it was necessary to do something
to quicken his popularity with the people, and that
nothing was more effectual than a successful inroad.
The Moors loved the stirring call to arms, and a wild
foray among the mountains; and delighted more in
a hasty spoil, wrested with hard fighting from the
christians, than in all the steady and certain gains
secured by peaceful traffic.

There reigned at this time a careless security along
the frontier of Jaen. The alcaydes of the christian
fortresses were confident of the friendship of Boabdil
el Chico, and they fancied his uncle too distant
and too much engrossed by his own perplexities, to
think of molesting them. On a sudden, El Zagal
issued out of Guadix with a chosen band, passed
rapidly through the mountains which extend behind
Granada, and fell like a thunderbolt upon the territories

in the neighborhood of Alcala la Real. Before
the alarm could be spread and the frontier roused,
he had made a wide career of destruction through
the country, sacking and burning villages, sweeping
off flocks and herds, and carrying away captives.
The warriors of the frontier assembled; but el Zagal
was already far on his return through the mountains,
and he re-entered the gates of Guadix in triumph,
his army laden with christian spoil, and conducting
an immense cavalgada. Such was one of the fierce
El Zagal's preparatives for the expected invasion of
the christian king, exciting the warlike spirit of his
people, and gaining for himself a transient popularity.

King Ferdinand assembled his army at Murcia, in
the spring of 1488. He left that city on the fifth of
June, with a flying camp of four thousand horse and
fourteen thousand foot. The marques of Cadiz led
the van, followed by the adelantado of Murcia. The
army entered the Moorish frontier by the sea-coast,
spreading terror through the land; wherever it appeared,
the towns surrendered without a blow, so
great was the dread of experiencing the woes which
had desolated the opposite frontier. In this way,
Vera, Velez el Rubio, Velez el Blanco, and many
towns of inferior note, to the number of sixty, yielded
at the first summons.

It was not until it approached Almeria, that the
army met with resistance. This important city was
commanded by the prince Zelim, a relation of El
Zagal. He led forth his Moors bravely to the encounter,
and skirmished fiercely with the advance

guard in the gardens near the city. King Ferdinand
came up with the main body of the army, and called
off his troops from the skirmish. He saw that to
attack the place with his present force was fruitless.
Having reconnoitred the city and its environs,
therefore, against a future campaign, he retired with
his army and marched towards Baza.

The old warrior El Zagal was himself drawn up
in the city of Baza, with a powerful garrison. He
felt confidence in the strength of the place, and rejoiced
when he heard that the christian king was
approaching. In the valley in front of Baza, there
extended a great tract of gardens, like a continued
grove, and intersected by canals and water-courses.
In this he stationed a powerful ambuscade of arquebussiers
and cross-bow-men. The vanguard of the
christian army came marching gaily up the valley,
with great sound of drum and trumpet, and led on
by the marques of Cadiz and the adelantado of
Murcia. As they drew near, El Zagal sallied forth
with horse and foot, and attacked them for a time
with great spirit. Gradually falling back, as if pressed
by their superior valor, he drew the exulting
christians among the gardens. Suddenly the Moors
in ambuscade burst from their concealment, and
opened such a terrible fire in flank and rear, that
many of the christians were slain, and the rest
thrown into confusion. King Ferdinand arrived in
time to see the disastrous situation of his troops, and
gave signal for the vanguard to retire.

El Zagal did not permit the foe to draw off unmolested.

Ordering out fresh squadrons, he fell upon
the rear of the retreating troops with loud and triumphant
shouts, driving them before him with dreadful
havoc. The old war-cry of “El Zagal! El Zagal!”
was again put up by the Moors, and was echoed
with transport from the walls of the city. The christians
were for a time in imminent peril of a complete
rout, when fortunately the adelantado of Murcia
threw himself with a large body of horse and foot
between the pursuers and the pursued, covering the
retreat of the latter, and giving them time to rally.
The Moors were now attacked so vigorously in turn,
that they gave over the unequal contest, and drew
back slowly into the city. Many valiant cavaliers
were slain in this skirmish, among the number of
whom was Don Philip of Arragon, Master of the
chivalry of St. George of Montesor; he was illegitimate
son of the king's illegitimate brother Don
Carlos, and his death was greatly bewailed by Ferdinand.
He had formerly been archbishop of Palermo,
but had doffed the cassock for the cuirass,
and had thus, according to Fray Antonio Agapida,
gained a glorious crown of martyrdom by falling in
this holy war.

The warm reception of his advance guard by the
old warrior El Zagal, brought king Ferdinand to a
pause: he encamped on the banks of the neighboring
river Guadalquiton, and began to consider whether
he had acted wisely in undertaking this campaign
with his present force. His late successes had probably
rendered him over-confident: El Zagal had

again schooled him into his characteristic caution.
He saw that the old warrior was too formidably ensconced
in Baza, to be dislodged by any thing except
a powerful army and battering artillery; and he feared,
that should he persist in his invasion, some disaster
might befall his army, either from the enterprise
of the foe, or from a pestilence which prevailed in
various parts of the country.

Ferdinand retired, therefore, from before Baza, as
he had on a former occasion from before Loxa, all
the wiser for a wholesome lesson in warfare, but by
no means grateful to those who had given it, and
with a solemn determination to have his revenge
upon his teachers.

He now took measures for the security of the
places gained in this campaign; placing in them
strong garrisons, well armed and supplied, charging
their alcaydes to be vigilant on their posts and to
give no rest to the enemy. The whole of the frontier
was placed under the command of the brave
Luiz Fernandez Puerto Carrero. As it was evident,
from the warlike character of El Zagal, that there
would be abundance of active service and hard
fighting, many hidalgos and young cavaliers, eager for
distinction, remained with Puerto Carrero.

All these dispositions being made, king Ferdinand
closed the dubious campaign of this year, not, as
usual, by returning in triumph at the head of his
army to some important city of his dominions, but
by disbanding the troops, and repairing to pray at
the cross of Caravaca.