lous and antagonistic; the one was devout, credulous, and
emotional; the other cool, crafty, and diplomatic. Suddenly the
long-slumbering hatred burst into open revolt, and the Khalif sent
thirty thousand Syrians to put down a formidable revolution in his
African dominions.

In full sympathy with their kinsmen across the sea, the Moors in Spain
began to realize that while that land had been won by twelve thousand
Berbers, led by one Berber general, that the lion's share of the
spoils had gone to the Arabs, who were carrying things with a high
hand! There were signs of a general uprising, in concert with the
revolution in Africa; and it looked as if the new territory was to be
given up to anarchy; when suddenly all was changed.

The Khalif, who was the head of all the Mahommedan empire, was
supposed to be the supreme ruler in spiritual and temporal affairs.
But as his empire extended to such vast dimensions, he was obliged to
delegate much of his temporal authority to others; so gradually it had
become somewhat like that of the Pope. He was the supreme spiritual
head, and only nominally supreme in affairs of state.

The family of _Omeyyad_ had given fourteen Khalifs to the Mahommedan
empire from 661 to 750; at which time the then reigning Omeyyad
was deposed, and the second dynasty of Khalifs commenced, called
_Abbaside_, after Abbas, an uncle of the Prophet.

Abd-er-Rahman was a Prince belonging to the deposed family of
the Omeyyads. He was the only one of his family who escaped the
exterminating fury of the Abbasides. There was no future for him
in the east, so the thoughts of the ambitious youth turned to the
west--to the newly won territory of Spain.

The coming of this last survivor of the Omeyyads to Andalusia is one
of the romances of history, and was not unlike the coming of another
young Pretender to Scotland, one thousand years later. It aroused the
same wild enthusiasm, and as if by magic an army gathered about him,
to meet the army of the Governor, Yusuf, which would resist him.
Victory declared itself for the Prince, and he entered Cordova
in triumph. Before the year had expired the dynasty of the
Omeyyads--which was to stand for three centuries--was finally
established, and its first king--Abd-er-Rahman--reigned at Cordova.

His hereditary enemies the Abbasides followed him to Spain, and found
supporters among the disaffected. But it was in vain. The Abbaside
army of invasion was utterly annihilated;