Page:History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic Vol. II.djvu/51

27 I CONQUEST OF MALAGA. 27 The Moor did not understand the Castilian Ian- chapter XIII guage, and, deceived by the rich attire and courtly '■ — bearing of these personages, he mistook them for the king and queen. While in the act of refresh- ing himself with a glass of water, he suddenly drew a dagger from beneath the broad folds of his , albornoz, or Moorish mantle, which he had been incautiously suffered to retain, and, darting on the Portuguese prince, gave him a deep wound on the head ; and then, turning like lightning on the marchioness, aimed a stroke at her, which fortu- nately glanced without injury, the point of the weapon being turned by the heavy embroidery of her robes. Before he could repeat his blow, the Moorish Sceevola, with a fate very different from that of his Roman prototype, was pierced with a hundred wounds by the attendants, who rushed to the spot, alarmed by the cries of the marchioness, and his mangled remains were soon after discharg- ed from a catapult into the city ; a foolish bravado, which the besieged requited by slaying a Galician gentleman, and sending his corpse astride upon a mule through the gates of the town into the Chris- tian camp. ^^ This daring attempt on the lives of the king and queen spread general consternation throughout the army. Precautions were taken for the future, by ly related, and subsequently pre- bat. 1, quinc. 1, dial. 23. — Peter ferred to several important offices Martyr, Opus Epist., lib. 1, epist. of state. His son, the count of 63. — Bernaldez, Reyes Catolicos, Gelves, married a granddaughter MS., cap. 84. — Bleda, Coronica of Christopher Columbus. Oviedo, de losMoros, lib. 5, cap. 15. — L. Quincuagenas, MS. Marineo, Cosas Memorables, fol. 18 Oviedo, Quincuagenas, MS., 175, 176.