king and queen, brought out of their tents by the noise, were filled
with horror when they learned the imminent peril from which they had
escaped. The mangled body of the Moor was taken by the people to the
camp and thrown into the city from a catapult. The Gomeres gathered up
the body with deep reverence as the remains of a saint; they washed and
perfumed it and buried it with great honor and loud lamentations.
In revenge of his death they slew one of their principal Christian
captives, and, having tied his body upon an ass, they drove the animal
forth into the camp.

From this time there was appointed an additional guard around the tents
of the king and queen, composed of four hundred cavaliers of rank of
the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon. No person was admitted to the royal
presence armed; no Moor was allowed to enter the camp without a previous
knowledge of his character and business; and on no account was any Moor
to be introduced into the presence of the sovereigns.

An act of treachery of such ferocious nature gave rise to a train of
gloomy apprehensions. There were many cabins and sheds about the camp
constructed of branches of trees which had become dry and combustible,
and fears were entertained that they might be set on fire by the
mudexares, or Moorish vassals, who visited the army. Some even dreaded
that attempts might be made to poison the wells and fountains. To quiet
these dismal alarms all mudexares were ordered to leave the camp,
and all loose, idle loiterers who could not give a good account of
themselves were taken into custody.

CHAPTER LX.

HOW HAMET EL ZEGRI WAS HARDENED IN HIS OBSTINACY BY THE ARTS OF A
MOORISH ASTROLOGER.

Among those followers of the santon that had effected their entrance
into the city was a dark African of the tribe of the Gomeres, who was
likewise a hermit or dervise and passed among the Moors for a holy and
inspired man. No sooner were the mangled remains of his predecessor
buried with the honors of martyrdom than this dervise elevated himself
in his place and professed to be gifted with the spirit of prophecy. He
displayed a white banner, which he assured the Moors was sacred, that he
had retained it for twenty years for some signal purpose, and that Allah
had revealed to him that under that banner the inhabitants of Malaga
should sally forth upon the camp of the unbelievers, put it to utter
rout, and banquet upon the provisions in which it abounded.* The hung