Historical Tales, Volume VII | Page 7

a
Spanish city on the African coast. His daughter Florinda was maid of
honor to the queen of Don Roderic. But word from the daughter came
to the father that she had suffered grievous injury at the hands of the
king, and Count Julian, thirsting for revenge upon Roderic, offered to
deliver Ceuta into the hands of the Arabian warrior and aid him in the
conquest of Spain. To test the good faith of Julian, Musa demanded that
he should first invade Andalusia himself. This he did, taking over a
small force in two vessels, overrunning the coast country, killing many
of its people, and returning with a large booty in slaves and plunder.
In the summer of 710 a Berber named Tarif was sent over to spy out the
land, and in the spring of 711 the army of invasion was led over by
Tarik Ibn Zeyad, a valiant chief, who had gained great glory in the wars
with the Berber tribes. Who Tarik was cannot be told. He was of
humble origin, probably of Persian birth, but possessed of a daring
spirit that was to bring him the highest fame. He is described as a tall
man, with red hair and a white complexion, blind of one eye, and with
a mole on his hand. The Spanish historians call him Tarik el Tuerto,
meaning either "one-eyed" or "squint-eyed." Such was the man whom
Musa sent to begin the conquest of Spain.
The army of invasion consisted of seven thousand men,--a handful to
conquer a kingdom. They were nearly all Moorish and Berber cavalry,
there being only three hundred Arabians of pure blood, most of whom
were officers. Landing in Spain, for a time they found no one to meet
them. Roderic was busy with his army in the north and knew naught of
this invasion of his kingdom, and for two months Tarik ravaged the
land at his will. But at length the Gothic king, warned of his danger,
began a hasty march southward, sending orders in advance to levy
troops in all parts of the kingdom, the rallying place being Cordova.
It was a large army which he thus got together, but they were ill-trained,
ill-disciplined, and ill-disposed to their king. Ninety thousand there
were, as Arab historians tell us, while Tarik had but twelve thousand,
Musa having sent him five thousand more. But the large army was a
mob, half-armed, and lacking courage and discipline; the small army

was a compact and valorous body, used to victory, fearless, and
impetuous.
It was on Sunday, the 19th of July, 711, that the two armies came face
to face on the banks of the Guadalete, a river whose waters traverse the
plain of Sidonia, in which the battle was fought. It was one of the
decisive battles in the world's history, for it gave the peninsula of Spain
for eight centuries to Arab dominion. The story of how this battle was
fought is, therefore, among the most important of the historical tales of
Spain.
Roderic's army consisted of two bodies of men,--a smaller force of
cavaliers, clad in mail armor and armed with swords and battle-axes,
and the main body, which was a motley crew, without armor, and
carrying bows, lances, axes, clubs, scythes, and slings. Of the Moslem
army the greater number wore mail, some carrying lances and scimitars
of Damascus steel, others being armed with light long-bows. Their
horses were Arabian or Barbary steeds, such as Roderic had seen on the
walls of the secret chamber.
It was in the early morning of a bright spring day that the Spanish
clarions sounded defiance to the enemy, and the Moorish horns and
kettle-drums rang back the challenge to battle. Nearer and nearer
together came the hosts, the shouts of the Goths met by the shrill lelies
of the Moslems.
"By the faith of the Messiah," Roderic is reported to have said, "these
are the very men I saw painted on the walls of the chamber of the spell
at Toledo." From that moment, say the chroniclers, "fear entered his
heart." And yet the story goes that he fought long and well and showed
no signs of fear.
On his journey to the south Roderic had travelled in a chariot of ivory,
lined with cloth of gold, and drawn by three white mules harnessed
abreast. On the silken awning of the chariot pearls, rubies, and other
rich jewels were profusely sprinkled. He sat with a crown of gold on
his head, and was dressed in a robe made of strings of pearls
interwoven with silk. This splendor of display, however, was not empty

ostentation, but the state and dignity which was customary with the
Gothic kings.
In his chariot of ivory Roderic passed through the ranks, exhorting the
men to