nd exercises, with horses, hawks, and
hounds, being passionately fond of hunting and falconry, so as to pass
weeks together in sporting campaigns among the mountains. The jealous
suspicions of Ferdinand followed him into his retreat. No exertions were
spared by the politically pious monarch to induce him to embrace the
Christian religion as a means of severing him in feelings and sympathies
from his late subjects; but he remained true to the faith of his
fathers, and it must have added not a little to his humiliation to live
a vassal under Christian sovereigns.

His obstinacy in this respect aggravated the distrust of Ferdinand,
who, looking back upon the past inconstancy of the Moors, could not feel
perfectly secure in his newly-conquered territories while there was one
within their bounds who might revive pretensions to the throne and rear
the standard of an opposite faith in their behalf. He caused,
therefore, a vigilant watch to be kept upon the dethroned monarch in his
retirement, and beset him with spies who were to report all his words
and actions. The reader will probably be surprised to learn that the
foremost of these spies was Aben Comixa! Ever since the capture and
release of the niece of the vizier by the count de Tendilla, Aben Comixa
had kept up a friendly correspondence with that nobleman, and through
this channel had gradually been brought over to the views of Ferdinand.
Documents which have gradually come to light leave little doubt that
the vizier had been corrupted by the bribes and promises of the Spanish
king, and had greatly promoted his views in the capitulation of Granada.
It is certain that he subsequently received great estates from the
Christian sovereigns. While residing in confidential friendship with
Boabdil in his retirement Aben Comixa communicated secretly with
Hernando de Zafra, the secretary of Ferdinand, who resided at Granada,
giving him information of all Boabdil's movements, which the secretary
reported by letter to the king. Some of the letters of the secretary
still exist in the archives of Samancas, and have been recently
published in the collection of unedited documents.*

* El rey Muley Babdali (Boabdil) y sus criados andan continuamente
a casa con glagos y azores, y alla esta agora en al campo de Dalias y en
Verja, aunque su casa tiene en Andarax, y dican que estara alla por todo
este mes.--"Carta Secreta de Hernando de Zafra," Decembre, 1492

The jealous doubts o