well, but he was forbidden to reveal those
important secrets except to the king and queen. The good marques was not
more given to superstitious fancies than other commanders of his time,
yet there seemed something singular and mysterious about this man;
he might have some important intelligence to communicate; so he was
persuaded to send him to the king and queen. He was conducted to the
royal tent, surrounded by a curious multitude exclaiming "El Moro
Santo!" for the news had spread through the camp that they had taken a
Moorish prophet.

The king, having dined, was taking his siesta, or afternoon's sleep, in
his tent, and the queen, though curious to see this singular man, yet
from a natural delicacy and reserve delayed until the king should be
present. He was taken, therefore, to an adjoining tent, in which were
Dona Beatrix de Bovadilla, marchioness of Moya, and Don Alvaro of
Portugal, son of the duke of Braganza, with two or three attendants.
The Moor, ignorant of the Spanish tongue, had not understood the
conversation of the guards, and supposed, from the magnificence of the
furniture and the silken hangings, that this was the royal tent. From
the respect paid by the attendants to Don Alvaro and the marchioness he
concluded that they were the king and queen.

He now asked for a draught of water: a jar was brought to him, and the
guard released his arm to enable him to drink. The marchioness perceived
a sudden change in his countenance and something sinister in the
expression of his eye, and shifted her position to a more remote part of
the tent. Pretending to raise the water to his lips, the Moor unfolded
his albornoz, so as to grasp a scimetar which he wore concealed beneath;
then, dashing down the jar, he drew his weapon and gave Don Alvaro a
blow on the head that struck him to the earth and nearly deprived him of
life. Turning then upon the marchioness, he made a violent blow at her;
but in his eagerness and agitation his scimetar caught in the drapery
of the tent; the force of the blow was broken, and the weapon struck
harmless upon some golden ornaments of her head-dress.*

* Pietro Martyr, Epist. 62.

Ruy Lopez de Toledo, treasurer to the queen, and Juan de Belalcazar,
a sturdy friar, who were present, grappled and struggled with the
desperado, and immediately the guards who had conducted him from the
marques de Cadiz fell upon him and cut him to pieces.*

* Cura de los Palacios

The