!" cried he, and to the inspiring
sound of this old English war-cry he and his followers rushed down to
the battle with manly and courageous hearts.* They soon made their way
into the midst of the enemy, but when engaged in the hottest of the
fight they made no shouts nor outcries. They pressed steadily forward,
dealing their blows to right and left, hewing down the Moors and cutting
their way with their battle-axes like woodmen in a forest; while
the archers, pressing into the opening they made, plied their bows
vigorously and spread death on every side.

* Cura de los Palacios.

When the Castilian mountaineers beheld the valor of the English
yeomanry, they would not be outdone in hardihood. They could not vie
with them in weight or bulk, but for vigor and activity they were
surpassed by none. They kept pace with them, therefore, with equal heart
and rival prowess, and gave a brave support to the stout Englishmen.

The Moors were confounded by the fury of these assaults and disheartened
by the loss of Hamet el Zegri, who was carried wounded from the field.
They gradually fell back upon the bridge; the Christians followed
up their advantage, and drove them over it tumultuously. The Moors
retreated into the suburb, and Lord Rivers and his troops entered
with them pell-mell, fighting in the streets and in the houses. King
Ferdinand came up to the scene of action with his royal guard, and the
infidels were driven within the city walls. Thus were the suburbs gained
by the hardihood of the English lord, without such an event having been
premeditated.*

* Cura de los Palacios, MS.

The earl of Rivers, notwithstanding he had received a wound, still
urged forward in the attack. He penetrated almost to the city gate,
in defiance of a shower of missiles that slew many of his followers.
A stone hurled from the battlements checked his impetuous career: it
struck him in the face, dashed out two of his front teeth, and laid him
senseless on the earth. He was removed to a short distance by his men,
but, recovering his senses, refused to permit himself to be taken from
the suburb.

When the contest was over the streets presented a piteous spectacle, so
many of their inhabitants had died in the defence of their thresholds or
been slaughtered without resistance. Among the victims was a poor weaver
who had been at work in his dwelling at this turbulent moment. His wife
urged him to fly into the city. "Why should I