ins from their several points of
attack, whilst the war-cry, _Santiago y Cierra Espana_, was echoed from
one to another with inspiring courage and animated enthusiasm. The Moors
answered the challenge with wild acclamations, looking on the advancing
foe as a devoted prey on which they were shortly to glut their
long-desired vengeance. The Christians were, therefore, suffered to
proceed unmolested in their course lest, by a premature disclosure of
the resources of their enemies, they might be induced to retreat, and
thus prevent the Moors from obtaining a complete victory. Slowly, then,
the Christians began to ascend the rugged and difficult paths of the
mountain. The deafening shouts had for some time ceased, and were
succeeded by a dismal and deadly silence. The Christians, therefore,
continued to ascend in noiseless progression, until El Feri de
Benastepar, judging that the enemy was sufficiently drawn into his toils
to ensure success for the artful manoeuvres which he had planned, now
gave the signal of command, and again the whole mountain rung with an
overpowering tumult of cries and yells.

Suddenly the rocks above seemed to be alive, broken into numberless
fragments. With dreadful and overwhelming violence their huge disjointed
masses rolled from their elevated summits, and gathering a new impetus
in their headlong course, rushed down the sides of the mountain, and
bounding from point to point with an appalling crash, heaped destruction
on the advancing enemy. The ominous and redoubled cries from the summit
of the Sierra, rose above the terrific sound of the deadly fragments,
and were sufficient to strike dismay into the most daring. Astonishment
for a moment paralyzed the Spaniards; yet their intrepidity did not
quail in the hazardous moment, though they perceived a heap of mangled
corpses swept before them with fearful rapidity. Aguilar could not
behold unmoved the destruction wrought amongst his brave followers; and
fearing that a second discharge of those terrible missiles might
succeed in disheartening them, in a voice of enthusiasm----

"Forward, my brave comrades!" he cried: "those rebels will find that
they will sooner tire of hurling rocks than we shall of withstanding
them. By suffering we will triumph. On, brave companions, on!"

Aguilar succeeded by his example in instilling into the hearts of his
men a degree of maddened courage, which alone could carry them through
the obstacles that impeded their