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第79章

chronicle of the conquest of granada-第79章

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 the multiplicity of towers and petty edifices; gave greater advantages to the Moors; who were on foot; than to the Christians; who were on horseback。  The Moors; too; knew the ground; with all its alleys and passes; and were thus enabled to lurk; to sally forth; attack; and retreat almost without injury。

*〃Illi (Mauri) pro fortunis; pro libertate; pro laribus patriis; pro  vita denique certabant。〃Pietro Martyr; 〃Epist。 70。〃


The Christian commanders; seeing this; ordered many of the horsemen to dismount and fight on foot。  The battle then became fierce and deadly; each disregarding his own life; provided he could slay his enemy。  It was not so much a general battle as a multitude of petty actions; for every orchard and garden had its distinct contest。  No one could see farther than the little scene of fury and bloodshed around him; nor know how the general battle fared。  In vain the captains exerted their voices; in vain the trumpets brayed forth signals and commands: all was confounded and unheard in the universal din and uproar。  No one kept to his standard; but fought as his own fury or fear dictated。  In some places the Christians had the advantage; in others the Moors; often a victorious party; pursuing the vanquished; came upon a superior and triumphant force of the enemy; and the fugitives turned back upon them in an overwhelming wave。  Some broken remnants; in their terror and confusion; fled from their own countrymen and sought refuge among their enemies; not knowing friend from foe in the obscurity of the groves。  The Moors were more adroit in these wild skirmishings from their flexibility; lightness; and agility; and the rapidity with which they would disperse; rally; and return again to the charge。*

*Mariana; lib。 25; cap。 13。


The hardest fighting was about the small garden…towers and pavilions; which served as so many petty fortresses。  Each party by turns gained them; defended them fiercely; and were driven out; many of the towers were set on fire; and increased the horrors of the fight by the wreaths of smoke and flame in which they wrapped the groves and by the shrieks of those who were burning。

Several of the Christian cavaliers; bewildered by the uproar and confusion and shocked at the carnage which prevailed; would have led their men out of the action; but they were entangled in a labyrinth and knew not which way to retreat。  While in this perplexity Juan Perea; the standard…bearer of one of the squadrons of the grand cardinal; had his arm carried off by a cannon…ball; the standard was wellnigh falling into the hands of the enemy; when Rodrigo de Mendoza; an intrepid youth; natural son of the grand cardinal; rushed to its rescue through a shower of balls; lances; and arrows; and; bearing it aloft; dashed forward with it into the hottest of the combat; followed by his shouting soldiery。

King Ferdinand; who remained in the skirts of the orchard; was in extreme anxiety。  It was impossible to see much of the action for the multiplicity of trees and towers and the wreaths of smoke; and those who were driven out defeated or came out wounded and exhausted gave different accounts; according to the fate of the partial conflicts in which they had been engaged。  Ferdinand exerted himself to the utmost to animate and encourage his troops to this blind encounter; sending reinforcements of horse and foot to those points where the battle was most sanguinary and doubtful。

Among those who were brought forth mortally wounded was Don Juan de Luna; a youth of uncommon merit; greatly prized by the king; beloved by the army; and recently married to Dona Catalina de Urrea; a young lady of distinguished beauty。*  They laid him at the foot of a tree; and endeavored to stanch and bind up his wounds with a scarf which his bride had wrought for him; but his life…blood flowed too profusely; and while a holy friar was yet administering to him the last sacred offices of the Church; he expired; almost at the feet of his sovereign。

*Mariana; P。 Martyr; Zurita。


On the other hand; the veteran alcayde Mohammed Ibn Hassan; surrounded by a little band of chieftains; kept an anxious eye upon the scene of combat from the walls of the city。  For nearly twelve hours the battle raged without intermission。  The thickness of the foliage hid all the particulars from their sight; but they could see the flash of swords and glance of helmets among the trees。  Columns of smoke rose in every direction; while the clash of arms; the thundering of ribadoquines and arquebuses; the shouts and cries of the combatants; and the groans and supplications of the wounded bespoke the deadly conflict waging in the bosom of the groves。  They were harassed; too; by the shrieks and lamentations of the Moorish women and children as their wounded relatives were brought bleeding from the scene of action; and were stunned by a general outcry of woe on the part of the inhabitants as the body of Reduan Zafarjal; a renegado Christian and one of the bravest of their generals; was borne breathless into the city。

At length the din of battle approached nearer to the skirts of the orchards。  They beheld their warriors driven out from among the groves by fresh squadrons of the enemy; and; after disputing the ground inch by inch; obliged to retire to a place between the orchards and the suburbs which was fortified with palisadoes。

The Christians immediately planted opposing palisadoes; and established strong outposts near to the retreat of the Moors; while at the same time King Ferdinand ordered that his encampment should be pitched within the hard…won orchards。

Mohammed Ibn Hassan sallied forth to the aid of the prince Cid Hiaya; and made a desperate attempt to dislodge the enemy from this formidable position; but the night had closed; and the darkness rendered it impossible to make any impression。  The Moors; however; kept up constant assaults and alarms throughout the night; and the weary Christians; exhausted by the toils and sufferings of the day; were not allowed a moment of repose。*

*Pulgar; part 3; cap。 106; 107; Cura de los Palacios; cap。 92;  Zurita; lib。 20; cap 31。



CHAPTER LXXII。

SIEGE OF BAZA。EMBARRASSMENTS OF THE ARMY。


The morning sun rose upon a piteous scene before the walls of Baza。 The Christian outposts; harassed throughout the night; were pale and haggard; while the multitudes of slain which lay before their palisadoes showed the fierce attacks they had sustained and the bravery of their defence。

Beyond them lay the groves and gardens of Baza; once favorite resorts for recreation and delight; now a scene of horror and desolation。  The towers and pavilions were smoking ruins; the canals and water…courses were discolored with blood and choked with the bodies of the slain。  Here and there the ground; deep dinted with the tramp of man and steed and plashed and slippery with gore; showed where had been some fierce and mortal conflict; while the bodies of Moors and Christians; ghastly in death; lay half concealed among the matted and trampled shrubs and flowers and herbage。

Amidst these sanguinary scenes rose the Christian tents; hastily pitched among the gardens in the preceding evening。  The experience of the night; however; and the forlorn aspect of everything in the morning convinced King Ferdinand of the perils and hardships to which his camp must be exposed in its present situation; and after a consultation with his principal cavaliers he resolved to abandon the orchards。

It was a dangerous movement; to extricate his army from so entangled a situation in the face of so alert and daring an enemy。  A bold front was therefore kept up toward the city; additional troops were ordered to the advanced posts; and works begun as if for a settled encampment。 Not a tent was struck in the gardens; but in the mean time the most active and unremitting exertions were made to remove all the baggage and furniture of the camp back to the original station。

All day the Moors beheld a formidable show of war maintained in front of the gardens; while in the rear the tops of the Christian tents and the pennons of the different commanders were seen rising above the groves。  Suddenly; toward evening the tents sank and disappeared; t

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