[ebxmlms-develop] oabdil.

[Fedd <blu...@ro...>]

Danger had passed by, and then resumed their course. Hamet el Zegri rode
on in silence, his hand upon his scimetar and his eye upon the renegado
guide, prepared to sacrifice him on the least sign of treachery, while
his band followed, gnawing their lips with rage at having thus to skulk
through a country they had come to ravage. When night fell they struck
into more practicable roads, always keeping wide of the villages and
hamlets, lest the watch-dogs should betray them. In this way they passed
in deep midnight by Arcos, crossed the Guadalete, and effected their
retreat to the mountains. The day dawned as they made their way up the
savage defiles. Their comrades had been hunted up these very glens by
the enemy. Every now and then they came to where there had been a
partial fight or a slaughter of the fugitives, and the rocks were red
with blood and strewed with mangled bodies. The alcayde of Ronda was
almost frantic with rage at seeing many of his bravest warriors lying
stiff and stark, a prey to the hawks and vultures of the mountains. Now
and then some wretched Moor would crawl out of a cave or glen, whither
he had fled for refuge, for in the retreat many of the horsemen had
abandoned their steeds, thrown away their armor, and clambered up the
cliffs, where they could not be pursued by the Christian cavalry. The
Moorish army had sallied forth from Ronda amidst shouts and
acclamations, but wailings were heard within its walls as the alcayde
and his broke