United States or Nicaragua ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
And they took counsel together in this distress, both the Almoravides and the men of the town, how they might obtain the love of the Cid, in whatever manner they could, so that they might remain in peace in the city till they had sent to the Miramamolin beyond sea, and received his commands; and they sent to the Cid to say this.
On the second day after this Guazil had arrived, the Cid attacked the suburb which is called Villa Nueva, and entered it by force, and slew many Moors, both men of Andalusia and Almoravides, and plundered all that they found, and pulled down the houses, and the wood and stone the Cid sent to Juballa, and he set a guard there that the Moors might not recover the place.
This he did for the sake of abasing a certain kinsman of his, who was chief Alcayde, and who was better and wiser than he. Moreover he made no account of the Alcayde of the Almoravides who held the Alcazar, neither took counsel with him concerning anything, and he gave no heed to him except to supply him and his company with their charges, which he did right sparingly.
He came also to talk with Abeniaf and counsel him that he should give up the city to the King of Zaragoza, and they would send away the Almoravides, and the King would protect him; but Abeniaf would give no ear to this, and the Guazil said unto him that he would repent not having taken this advice.
So they made their covenant that the Almoravides should be placed in safety, and that they should pay the Cid for all the corn which was in his granaries at the time when King Yahia was slain. And moreover the thousand maravedis per week, which they were wont to pay him should be paid for the whole time which they had been in arms, and also from that time forth.
Then Abeniaf returned into the city, full sorrowful and taking great thought; and then he saw the foolishness that he had done in sending away the Almoravides out of the land, and in putting his trust in men of another law.
The danger of total extinction finally became so great that the emirs were induced to join forces for their personal safety and to take measures to preserve their own towns and cities. Realizing their helpless condition, they sent a letter to Yousouf-ben-Tashfyn, Prince of the Almoravides, a Mohammadan tribe of Africa, asking him to come with his hosts to help them do battle against the infidel.
Africa, after having been separated from the vast empire of the Caliphs of the East by the Fatimite caliphs, and being, during three centuries of civil war, the prey of a succession of conquerors more ferocious and sanguinary than the lions of their deserts, was now subjected to the family of the Almoravides, a powerful tribe of Egyptian origin.
There was, on the opposite African coast, a sect of Berber fanatics, fierce and devout, known as "saints," but which the Moors called Almoravides. Fighting for the faith was their occupation. What more fitting than to use them as a means of driving the infidel Christians out of Moslem territory!
The Cid thought that they who were the Chiefs within the walls, thrust out the poor and feeble, that they might be able to hold out longer; and it troubled him, for he thought to take the town by starving it, and he feared the coming of the Almoravides. Sometimes it troubled him, and at other times he seemed pleased that the Moors should come out and give themselves prisoners to his people.
Word Of The Day