ed silent."

The latter, being ambitious, dethroned his brothers and sent them flying
across the frontier to Andalusia, then Moorish territory. Toro also
submitted to him, but not so Zamora, held by the dauntless Urraca and
the governor of the citadel, Arias Gonzalo. So it was besieged by the
royal troops and asked to surrender, the message being taken by the
great Cid from Don Sancho to his sister. She, of course, refused to give
up the town. Wherefore is not known, but the fact is that the Cid, the
ablest warrior in the hostile army, after having carried the embassy to
the Infanta, left the king's army; the many romances which treat of this
siege accuse him of having fallen in love with Dona Urraca's lovely
eyes,--a love that was perhaps reciprocated,--who knows?

In short, the city was besieged during nine months. Hunger, starvation,
and illness glared at the besieged. On the point of surrendering, they
were beseeched by the Infanta to hold out nine days longer; in the
meantime one Vellido Dolfo, famous in song, emerged by the city's
postern gate and went to King Sancho's camp, saying that he was tired of
serving Dona Urraca, with whom he had had a dispute, and that he would
show the king how to enter the city by a secret path.

According to the romances, it would appear that the king was warned by
the inhabitants themselves against the traitorous intentions of Vellido.
"Take care, King Sancho," they shouted from the walls, "and remember
that we warn you; a traitor has left the city gates who has already
committed treason four times, and is about to commit the fifth."

The king did not hearken, as is generally the case, and went out walking
with the knight who was to show him the secret gate; he never returned,
being killed by a spear-thrust under almost similar circumstances to
Siegfried's.

The father's curse had thus been fulfilled.

The traitor returned to the city, and, strange to say, was not punished,
or only insufficiently so; consequently, it is to-day believed that the
sister of the murdered monarch had a hand in the crime. Upon Vellido's
return to the besieged town, the governor wished to imprison him--which
in those days meant more than confinement--but the Infanta objected; it
is even stated that the traitor spoke with his heartless mistress,
saying: "It was time the promise should be fulfilled."

In the meanwhile, from the besieging army a solitary knight, Diego
Ordonez, rode up to the city walls