reach them with
his forces.

This weak-hearted counsel was not to the taste of the valiant Ponce de
Leon. "God has given us the castle," he said, "and He will aid us in
holding it. We won it with bloodshed; it would be a stain upon our honor
to abandon it through fear. We knew our peril before we came; let us face
it boldly."

His words prevailed, and the army was led to the assault, planting their
scaling-ladders against the walls and swarming up to attack the Moors upon
the ramparts. The Marquis of Cadiz, finding that the gate of the castle
was commanded by the artillery of the town, ordered a breach to be made in
the wall; and through this, sword in hand, he led a body of troops into
the town. At the same time an assault was made from every point, and the
battle raged with the greatest fury at the ramparts and in the streets.

The Moors, who fought for life, liberty, and property, defended themselves
with desperation, fighting in the streets and from the windows and roofs
of their houses. From morning until night the contest continued; then,
overpowered, the townsmen sought shelter in a large mosque near the walls,
whence they kept up so hot a flight of arrows and lances that the
assailants dared not approach. Finally, protected by bucklers and wooden
shields, some of the soldiers succeeded in setting fire to the door of the
mosque. As the flames rolled upward the Moors, deeming that all was lost,
rushed desperately out. Many of them were killed in this final fight; the
rest surrendered as prisoners.

The struggle was at an end; the town lay at the mercy of the Spaniards; it
was given up to plunder, and immense was the booty taken. Gold and silver,
rare jewels, rich silks, and costly goods were found in abundance; horses
and cattle, grain, oil, and honey, all the productions of the kingdom, in
fact, were there in quantities; for Alhama was the richest town in the
Moorish territory, and from its strength and situation was called the Key
of Granada. The soldiers were not content with plunder. Thinking that they
could not hold the place, they destroyed all they could not carry away.
Huge jars of oil were shattered, costly furniture was demolished, much
material of the greatest value was destroyed. In the dungeons were found
many of the Christian captives who had been taken at Zahara, and who
gladly gained their freedom again.

The loss of Alhama was a terrible blow to the kingdom of Granada. Terror
filled the citi