to their repartimientos or allotments, a certain
quantity of bread, wine, and cattle to be delivered at the royal camp
before Loxa, one half at the end of June and one half in July. These
lands, also, together with Biscay and Guipuscoa, were ordered to send
reinforcements of horse and foot, each town furnishing its quota,
and great diligence was used in providing lombards, powder, and other
warlike munitions.

The Moors were no less active in their preparations, and sent missives
into Africa entreating supplies and calling upon the Barbary princes
to aid them in this war of the faith. To intercept all succor, the
Castilian sovereigns stationed an armada of ships and galleys in the
Straits of Gibraltar under the command of Martin Diaz de Mina and
Carlos de Valera, with orders to scour the Barbary coast and sweep every
Moorish sail from the sea.

While these preparations were making, Ferdinand made an incursion at the
head of his army into the kingdom of Granada, and laid waste the Vega,
destroying its hamlets and villages, ravaging its fields of grain, and
driving away the cattle.

It was about the end of June that King Ferdinand departed from Cordova
to sit down before the walls of Loxa. So confident was he of success
that he left a great part of the army at Ecija, and advanced with but
five thousand cavalry and eight thousand infantry. The marques of Cadiz,
a warrior as wise as he was valiant, remonstrated against employing
so small a force, and indeed was opposed to the measure altogether, as
being undertaken precipitately and without sufficient preparation. King
Ferdinand, however, was influenced by the counsel of Don Diego de Merlo,
and was eager to strike a brilliant and decided blow. A vainglorious
confidence prevailed about this time among the Spanish cavaliers; they
overrated their own prowess, or rather they undervalued and despised
their enemy. Many of them believed that the Moors would scarcely remain
in their city when they saw the Christian troops advancing to assail it.
The Spanish chivalry, therefore, marched gallantly and fearlessly, and
almost carelessly, over the border, scantily supplied with the things
needful for a besieging army in the heart of an enemy's country. In the
same negligent and confident spirit they took up their station before
Loxa.

The country around was broken and hilly, so that it was extremely
difficult to form a combined camp. The river Xenil, which runs by the
town, was com