CHAPTER LII

Chronicle of the Conquest of Granada

by Washington Irving

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

OF THE CITY OF MALAGA AND ITS INHABITANTS.--MISSION OF
HERNANDO DEL PULGAR.


The city of Malaga lies in the lap of a fertile valley, surrounded by
mountains, excepting on the part which lies open to the sea. As
it was one of the most important, so it was one of the strongest,
cities of the Moorish kingdom. It was fortified by walls of prodigious
strength studded with a great number of huge towers. On the land
side it was protected by a natural barrier of mountains, and on the
other the waves of the Mediterranean beat against the foundations
of its massive bulwarks.

At one end of the city, near the sea, on a high mound, stood the
Alcazaba, or citadel, a fortress of great strength. Immediately
above this rose a steep and rocky mount, on the top of which in old
times had been a pharos or lighthouse, from which the height derived
its name of Gibralfaro.* It was at present crowned by an immense
castle, which, from its lofty and cragged situation, its vast walls,
and mighty towers, was deemed impregnable. It communicated
with the Alcazaba by a covered way six paces broad, leading down
between two walls along the profile or ridge of the rock. The castle
of Gibralfaro commanded both citadel and city, and was capable, if
both were taken, of maintaining a siege. Two large suburbs adjoined
the city: in the one toward the sea were the dwelling-houses of the
most opulent inhabitants, adorned with hanging gardens; the other,
on the land side, was thickly peopled and surrounded by strong walls
and towers.

*A corruption of "Gibel-faro," the hill of the lighthouse.


Malaga possessed a brave and numerous garrison, and the common
people were active, hardy, and resolute; but the city was rich and
commercial, and under the habitual control of numerous opulent
merchants, who dreaded the ruinous consequences of a siege. They
were little zealous for the warlike renown of their city, and longed
rather to participate in the enviable security of property and the
lucrative privileges of safe traffic with the Christian territories
granted to all places which declared for Boabdil. At the head of
these gainful citizens was Ali Dordux, a mighty merchant of
uncounted wealth, connected, it is said, with the royal family of
Granada, whose ships traded to every part of the Levant and whose
word was as a law in Malaga. Ali Dordux assembled the most opulent
and important of his commercial brethren, and they repaired in a body
to the Alcazaba, where they were received by the alcayde, Aben
Comixa, with that deference generally shown to men of their great
local dignity and power of purse. Ali Dordux was ample and stately
in his form and fluent and emphatic in his discourse; his eloquence
had an effect, therefore, upon the alcayde as he represented the
hopelessness of a defence of Malaga, the misery that must attend a
siege, and the ruin that must follow a capture by force of arms. On
the other hand, he set forth the grace that might be obtained from
the Castilian sovereigns by an early and voluntary acknowledgment
of Boabdil as king, the peaceful possession of their property, and the
profitable commerce with the Christian ports that would be allowed
them. He was seconded by his weighty and important coadjutors;
and the alcadye, accustomed to regard them as the arbiters of the
affairs of the place, yielded to their united counsels. He departed,
therefore, with all speed to the Christian camp, empowered to
arrange a capitulation with the Castilian monarch, and in the mean
time his brother remained in command of the Alcazaba.

There was at this time as alcayde in the old crag-built castle of
Gibralfaro a warlike and fiery Moor, an implacable enemy of the
Christians. This was no other than Hamet Zeli, surnamed El Zegri,
the once-formidable alcayde of Ronda and the terror of its mountains.
He had never forgiven the capture of his favorite fortress, and panted
for vengeance on the Christians. Notwithstanding his reverses, he
had retained the favor of El Zagal, who knew how to appreciate a bold
warrior of the kind, and had placed him in command of this important
fortress of Gibralfaro.

Hamet el Zegri had gathered round him the remnant of his band
of Gomeres, with others of the same tribe recently arrived from
Morocco. These fierce warriors were nestled like so many war-hawks
about their lofty cliff. They looked down with martial contempt upon
the commercial city of Malaga, which they were placed to protect;
or, rather, they esteemed it only for its military importance and its
capability of defence. They held no communion with its trading,
gainful inhabitants, and even considered the garrison of the Alcazaba
as their inferiors. War was their pursuit and passion; they rejoiced
in its turbulent and perilous scenes; and, confident in the strength
of the city, and, above all, of their castle, they set at defiance the
menace of Christian invasion. There were among them also many
apostate Moors, who had once embraced Christianity, but had since
recanted and fled from the vengeance of the Inquisition.* These were
desperadoes who had no mercy to expect should they again fall into
the hands of the enemy.

*Zurita, lib. 30, cap. 71.


Such were the fierce elements of the garrison of Gibralfaro, and its
rage may easily be conceived at hearing that Malaga was to be given
up without a blow; that they were to sink into Christian vassals under
the intermediate sway of Boabdil el Chico; and that the alcayde of the
Alcazaba had departed to arrange the terms of capitulation.

Hamet determined to avert by desperate means the threatened
degradation. He knew that there was a large party in the city
faithful to El Zagal, being composed of warlike men who had taken
refuge from the various mountain-towns which had been captured;
their feelings were desperate as their fortunes, and, like Hamet,
they panted for revenge upon the Christians. With these he had a
secret conference, and received assurances of their adherence to
him in any measures of defence. As to the counsel of the peaceful
inhabitants, he considered it unworthy the consideration of a soldier,
and he spurned at the interference of the wealthy merchant Ali
Dordux in matters of warfare.

"Still," said Hamet el Zegri, "let us proceed regularly." So he
descended with his Gomeres to the citadel, entered it suddenly, put
to death the brother of the alcayde and such of the garrison as made
any demur, and then summoned the principal inhabitants of Malaga
to deliberate on measures for the welfare of the city.* The wealthy
merchants again mounted to the citadel, excepting Ali Dordux, who
refused to obey the summons. They entered with hearts filled with
awe, for they found Hamet surrounded by his grim African guard and
all the stern array of military power, and they beheld the bloody
traces of the recent massacre.

*Cura de los Palacios, c. 82.


Hamet rolled a dark and searching eye upon the assembly. "Who,"
said he, "is loyal and devoted to Muley Abdallah el Zagal?" Every
one present asserted his loyalty. "Good!" said Hamet; "and who is
ready to prove his devotion to his sovereign by defending this his
important city to the last extremity?" Every one present declared
his readiness. "Enough!" observed Hamet. "The alcayde Aben
Comixa has proved himself a traitor to his sovereign and to you
all, for he has conspired to deliver the place to the Christians. It
behooves you to choose some other commander capable of defending
your city against the approaching enemy." The assembly declared
unanimously that no one was so worthy of the command as himself.
So Hamet was appointed alcayde of Malaga, and immediately proceeded
to man the forts and towers with his partisans and to make every
preparation for a desperate resistance.

Intelligence of these occurrences put an end to the negotiations
between King Ferdinand and the superseded alcayde Aben Comixa,
and it was supposed there was no alternative but to lay siege to
the place. The marques of Cadiz, however, found at Velez a Moorish
cavalier of some note, a native of Malaga, who offered to tamper
with Hamet el Zegri for the surrender of the city, or at least of the
castle of Gibralfaro. The marques communicated this to the king.
"I put this business and the key of my treasury into your hands,"
said Ferdinand; "act, stipulate, and disburse in my name as you
think proper."

The marques armed the Moor with his own lance, cuirass, and
target and mounted him on one of his own horses. He equipped in
similar style also another Moor, his companion and relative. They
bore secret letters to Hamet from the marques offering him the town
of Coin in perpetual inheritance and four thousand doblas in gold if
he would deliver up Gibralfaro, together with a farm and two thousand
doblas for his lieutenant, Ibrahim Zenete, and large sums to be
distributed among his officers and soldiers; and he offered unlimited
rewards for the surrender of the city.

Hamet had a warrior's admiration of the marques of Cadiz, and
received his messengers with courtesy in his fortress of Gibralfaro.
He even listened to their propositions with patience, and dismissed
them in safety, though with an absolute refusal. The marques thought
his reply was not so peremptory as to discourage another effort. The
emissaries were despatched, therefore, a second time, with further
propositions. They approached Malaga in the night, but found the
guards doubled, patrols abroad, and the whole place on the alert.
They were discovered, pursued, and only saved themselves by the
fleetness of their steeds and their knowledge of the passes of
the mountains.*

*Cura de los Palacios, MS., c. 82.


Finding all attempts to tamper with the faith of Hamet utterly futile,
King Ferdinand publicly summoned the city to surrender, offering
the most favorable terms in case of immediate compliance, but
threatening captivity to all the inhabitants in case of resistance.

It required a man of nerve to undertake the delivery of such a
summons in the present heated and turbulent state of the Moorish
community. Such a one stepped forward in the person of a cavalier of
the royal guards, Hernan Perez del Pulgar by name, a youth of noble
descent, who had already signalized himself by his romantic valor
and daring enterprise. Furnished with official papers for Hamet el
Zegri and a private letter from the king to Ali Dordux, he entered
the gates of Malaga under the protection of a flag, and boldly
delivered his summons in presence of the principal inhabitants.
The language of the summons or the tone in which it was delivered
exasperated the fiery spirit of the Moors, and it required all the
energy of Hamet and the influence of several of the alfaquis to
prevent an outrage to the person of the ambassador. The reply
of Hamet was haughty and decided. "The city of Malaga has been
confided to me," said he--"not to be surrendered, but defended, and
the king shall witness how I acquit myself of my charge."*

*Pulgar, part 3, cap. 74.


His mission at an end, Hernan del Pulgar rode slowly and deliberately
through the city, utterly regardless of the scowls and menaces and
scarcely restrained turbulence of the multitude, and bore to Ferdinand
at Velez the haughty answer of the Moor, but at the same time gave
him a formidable account of the force of the garrison, the strength of
the fortifications, and the determined spirit of the commander and his
men. The king immediately sent orders to have the heavy artillery
forwarded from Antiquera, and on the 7th of May marched with his
army toward Malaga.