ere filled up, trees hewn down, rocks broken and overturned; in short,
all the obstacles which nature had heaped around entirely and promptly
vanished. In little more than twelve days this gigantic work was
effected and the ordnance dragged to the camp, to the great triumph of
the Christians and confusion of the Moors.*

* Zurita

No sooner was the heavy artillery arrived than it was mounted in all
haste upon the neighboring heights: Francisco Ramirez de Madrid, the
first engineer in Spain, superintended the batteries, and soon opened a
destructive fire upon the castles.

When the alcayde, Mahomet Lentin, found his towers tumbling about
him and his bravest men dashed from the walls without the power
of inflicting a wound upon the foe, his haughty spirit was greatly
exasperated. "Of what avail," said he, bitterly, "is all the prowess of
knighthood against these cowardly engines that murder from afar?"

For a whole day a tremendous fire kept thundering upon the castle of
Albahar. The lombards discharged large stones which demolished two of
the towers and all the battlements which guarded the portal. If any
Moors attempted to defend the walls or repair the breaches, they were
shot down by ribadoquines and other small pieces of artillery. The
Christian soldiery issued from the camp under cover of this fire, and,
approaching the castles, discharged flights of arrows and stones through
the openings made by the ordnance.

At length, to bring the siege to a conclusion, Francisco Ramirez
elevated some of the heaviest artillery on a mount that rose in form of
a cone or pyramid on the side of the river near to Albahar and commanded
both castles. This was an operation of great skill and excessive labor,
but it was repaid by complete success, for the Moors did not dare to
wait until this terrible battery should discharge its fury. Satisfied
that all further resistance was in vain, the valiant alcayde made signal
for a parley. The articles of capitulation were soon arranged. The
alcayde and his garrisons were permitted to return in safety to the city
of Granada, and the castles were delivered into the possession of King
Ferdinand on the day of the festival of St. Matthew in the month of
September. They were immediately repaired, strongly garrisoned, and
delivered in charge to the city of Jaen.

The effects of this triumph were immediately apparent. Quiet and
security once more settled upon the bishopric. The husbandmen