Page:History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic Vol. III.djvu/330

304 11. lintlle be- iino Oraii. 304 AFRICAN EXPEDITION OF XIMENES. PART intrepid bearing of the prelate, and, returning to the army, he gave instant orders to advance. ^° Slowly and silently the Spanish troops began their ascent up the steep sides of the sierra, under the friendly cover of a thick mist, which, rolling heavily down the skirts of the hills, shielded them for a time from the eye of the enemy. As soon as they emerged from it, however, they were saluted with showers of balls, arrows, and other deadly missiles, followed by the desperate charges of the Moors, who, rushing down, endeavoured to drive back the assailants. But they made no impression on the long pikes and deep ranks of the latter,, which remained unshaken as a rock. Still the numbers of the enemy, fully equal to those of the Spaniards, and the advantages of their position enabled them to dispute the ground with fearful ob- stinacy. At length, Navarro got a small battery of heavy guns to operate on the flank of the Moors. The effect of this movement was soon visible. The exposed sides of the Moslem column, finding no shelter from the deadly volleys, were shaken and thrown into disorder. The confusion extended to the leading files, which now, pressed heavily by the iron array of spearmen in the Christian van, began I to give ground. Retreat was soon quickened into a disorderly flight. The Spaniards pursued ; many of them, especially the raw levies, breaking their ranks, and following up the flying foe without the '0 Gomez, De Rebus Gestis, fol. lypo, lib. 3, cap. 19. — Zurita, 108 - 110. — Qiiiiitaiiilla, Arclie- Analcs, lib. 8, cap. 30.