CHAPTER XXIII

Chronicle of the Conquest of Granada

by Washington Irving

CHAPTER XXIII, CHRONICLE OF THE CONQUEST OF GRANADA by Washington Irving

RETREAT OF HAMET EL ZEGRI, ALCAYDE OF RONDA.


The bold alcayde of Ronda, Hamet el Zegri, had careered wide over
the Campina 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 toward 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.
He 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 neighborhood 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 the stirrups, and rolled a stern
and thoughtful eye over the country; then, sinking into his saddle,
he seemed to commune 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 the 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."--"'Tis 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 scimetar. 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 scimetar shall cleave thee to the saddle-bow."*

*Cura de los Palacios, ubi sup.


The renegado obeyed, trembling. They turned off from the direct road
to the mountains and struck southward toward 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 in 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
scimetar and his eye 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 watch-dogs should
betray them. In this way they passed in deep midnight by Arcos,
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 armor,
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 as he entered the city, for they saw a
dark cloud 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 had
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
afterward 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 marques
of Cadiz the royal raiment which he had worn on that day, and
conferred on him and 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.*

*Mariana, Abarca, Zurita, Pulgar, etc.


Queen Isabella was equally mindful of the great services of Don Luis
Fernandez Puerto Carrero. Besides many encomiums and favors, 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.*