University of Virginia Library

CHAPTER XXXVIII.

The royal army, on its march against
Loxa, lay encamped, one pleasant evening
in May, in a meadow, on the banks
of the river Yeguas, around the foot of a
lofty cliff, called the Rock of the Lovers.
The quarters of each nobleman, formed,
as it were, a separate little encampment;
his stately pavilion, surmounted by his
fluttering pennon, rising above the surrounding
tents of his vassals and retainers.
A little apart from the others,
as it were in proud reserve, was the encampment
of the English earl. It was
sumptuous in its furniture, and complete
in its munitions. Archers, and soldiers
armed with battle-axes, kept guard around
it; while above, the standard of England
rolled out its ample folds, and flapped in
the evening breeze.

The mingled sounds of various tongues
and nations were heard from the soldiery,
as they watered their horses in the stream,
or busied themselves round the fires which
began to glow, here and there, in the
twilight: the gay chanson of the Frenchman,
singing of his amours on the pleasant
banks of the Loire, or the sunny
regions of the Garonne; the broad guttural
tones of the German, chanting
some doughty kriegerlied, or extolling
the vintage of the Rhine; the wild romance
of the Spaniard, reciting the
achievements of the Cid, and many a

famous passage of the Moorish wars; and
the long and melancholy ditty of the Englishman,
treating of some feudal hero or
redoubtable outlaw of his distant island.

On a rising ground, commanding a
view of the whole encampment, stood the
ample and magnificent pavilion of the
king, with the banner of Castile and
Aragon, and the holy standard of the
cross erected before it. In this tent
were assembled the principal commanders
of the army, having been summoned
by Ferdinand to a council of war, on
receiving tidings that Boabdil had thrown
himself into Loxa, with a considerable
reinforcement. After some consultation,
it was determined to invest Loxa on both
sides: one part of the army was to seize
upon the dangerous but commanding
height of Santo Albohacin, in front of the
city; while the remainder, making a circuit,
should encamp on the opposite side.

No sooner was this resolved upon,
than the Marquis of Cadiz stood forth,
and claimed the post of danger, on behalf
of himself and those cavaliers, his companions
in arms, who had been compelled
to relinquish it by the general retreat of
the army on the former siege. The
enemy had exulted over them, as if
driven from it in disgrace. To regain
that perilous height, to pitch their tents
upon it, and to avenge the blood of their
valiant compeer, the Master of Calatrava,
who had fallen upon it, was due to their
fame: the marquis demanded, therefore,
that they might lead the advance, and
secure the height, engaging to hold the
enemy employed, until the main army
should take its position on the opposite
side of the city.

King Ferdinand readily granted his
permission, upon which the Count de
Cabra begged to be admitted to a share
of the enterprise. He had always been
accustomed to serve in the advance;
and now that Boabdil was in the field,
and a king was to be taken, he could not
content himself with remaining in the
rear. Ferdinand yielded his consent;
for he was disposed to give the good
count every opportunity to retrieve his
late disaster.

The English earl, when he heard there
was a work of danger in question, was
eager to be of the party; but the king
restrained his ardour. "These cavaliers,"
said he, "conceive that they have
an account to settle with their pride.
Let them have the enterprise to themselves,
my lord: if you follow these
Moorish wars long, you will find no lack
of perilous service."

The Marquis of Cadiz and his companions
in arms struck their tents before
daybreak. They were five thousand
horse, and twelve thousand foot, and
they marched rapidly along the defiles
of the mountains; the cavaliers being
anxious to strike the blow, and get possession
of the height of Albohacin, before
the king, with the main army, should
arrive to their assistance.

The city of Loxa stands on a high
hill, between two mountains, on the banks
of the Xenil. To attain the height in
question, the troops had to pass over a
tract of country, rugged and broken,
and a deep valley, intersected by the
canals and water-courses, with which
the Moors irrigated their lands. They
were extremely embarrassed in this part
of their march, and in imminent risk of
being cut up in detail, before they could
reach the height. The Count de Cabra,
with his usual eagerness, endeavoured
to push across this valley, in defiance of
every obstacle. He, in consequence,
soon became entangled with his cavalry
among the canals; but his impatience
would not permit him to retrace his steps,
and choose a more practicable but circuitous
route. Others slowly crossed
another part of the valley by the aid of
pontoons; while the Marquis of Cadiz,
Don Alonso de Aguilar, and the Count
de Ureña, being more experienced in the
ground, from their former compaign,
made a circuit round the bottom of the
height, and, thus ascending, began to
display their squadrons, and elevate their
banners, on the redoubtable post, which,
in the former siege, they had been compelled
so reluctantly to abandon.