sallied
forth undressed, with his cuirass upon his arm. The late gorgeous camp
was now a scene of wild confusion. The flames kept spreading from one
pavilion to another, glaring upon the rich armor and golden and silver
vessels, which seemed melting in the fervent heat. The ladies of the
court fled, shrieking and half dressed, from their tents. There was an
alarm of drum and trumpet, and a distracted hurry about the camp of men
half armed.

The idea that this was a stratagem of the Moors soon subsided; but it was
feared they might take advantage of it to assault the camp. The Marquis
of Cadiz, therefore, sallied forth with three thousand horse to check any
advance from the city. When they emerged from the camp they found the
whole firmament illuminated. The flames whirled up in long light spires,
and the air was filled with sparks and cinders. A bright glare was thrown
upon the city, revealing every battlement and tower. Turbaned heads were
seen gazing from every roof, and armor gleamed along the walls; yet not a
single warrior sallied from the gates. The Moors suspected some stratagem
on the part of the Christians, and kept quietly within their walls. By
degrees the flames expired; the city faded from sight; all again became
dark and quiet, and the Marquis of Cadiz returned with his cavalry to the
camp. When the day dawned on the Christian camp nothing remained of
that beautiful assemblage of stately pavilions but heaps of smouldering
rubbish. The fire at first had been attributed to treachery, but on
investigation it proved to be entirely accidental.

The wary Ferdinand knew the sanguine temperament of the Moors, and
hastened to prevent their deriving confidence from the night's disaster.
At break of day the drums and trumpets sounded to arms, and the Christian
army issued from among the smoking ruins of their camp, in shining
squadrons, with flaunting banners and bursts of martial melody, as though
the preceding night had been a time of high festivity instead of terror.

The Moors had beheld the conflagration with wonder and perplexity. When
the day broke and they looked toward the Christian camp, they saw
nothing but a dark smoking mass. Their scouts came in with the joyful
intelligence that the whole camp was a scene of ruin. Scarce had the
tidings spread throughout the city when they beheld the Christian army
advancing toward their walls. They considered it a feint to cover their
desperate situation and prepare