ABSTRACT
Musa alone raised his voice against the capitulation. He warned them not to rely on the delusive and treacherous promises of the Castilians, and implored them to make one supreme effort to break the leaguer. " Death is sweeter," he said, "than the pain and shame of servitude. Do you believe that the Castilians would observe faithfully their promises? You are deceived. The enemy is thirsting for our blood. But death is nothing to what he has in store for us-injury, outrage, humiliation, degradation; the plunder of our homes, the dishonour of our wives and daughters, the profanation of our mosques-in a word, oppression, injustice, and in-
reduce us into cinders."! His words had no effect. The A.H. brave knight, with a glance of contempt and indignation at his compatriots assembled in council, mounted his charger and rode forth from the city by the gate of Elvira never to return. "It is said that as he rode he encountered a party of Christian knights, half a score strong, and, answering their challenge, slew many of Death of them before he was unhorsed, and then, disdaining their M{\sa. offers of mercy, fought stubbornly upon his knees till he was too weak to continue the struggle: with a last effort he cast himself into the river Xenil, and, heavy with armour, sank to the bottom."
