The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-29
SHEEP CAPTURED A TOWN.
The Clever Stratagem Practiced by
Quick-Nitted Boy.
From the Philadelphia Times.

QuIck-W1ttSu BOY.
From the Philadelphia Times.
In the very heart of old SPAIN half way
between Madrid and Valencia, is the
queer, quaint and curious old city of.
Cuenca. It is built on rocky hill. The
houses rise, tier above tier. roof above
roof to the Cathedral, which occupies al
most the only level space. The buildings
and courts, and the pleasant walk. planted
with chestnuts and evergreen oaks, seem
to hang over the precipice. and the walls
of the town look as if cut from the crag
itself.
The city is shut in by cliffs and noun
tains. Below are green valleys, watered
by the Huecar and the Jucar These
streams come down through the ravines
clear and green tinted, and are crossed
by old Moorish bridges. The city itself
was built by the Aoors, and for long
time was one of the strongest buttresses
of their power in Spain.
In the eleventh century of our era,
Cuenca was one of the possessions Of Aben
Abad. the Sultan OF Seville. AT this lime
the Moorish power was in its wane, and
when Aben Abed heard of the advance OF
the dreaded Alnoravldes. who were, marcn-
ing from the deserts of Africa to attack
him. he fastened TO ally himself with Al
phonso. the Christian king of Leon.
The Sultan had a daughter, who was
peerless among Spanish beauties She had
been sought by many king, put her Ia
Their had refused to part with her. Now,
in his sore distress, he offered the fair
Zarillah to his Christian neighbor, If he
would aid him against his enemies
'Give me Cuenca as a dover, and Will
marry thy daughter and help fight thy
battles said King Alphonso.
Aben Abed closed the bargain at once
bv giving the king the keys Of his hlsh-
hilled. strong-walled town.
The Christian King was faithful to ms
contract but his fair bride, accustomed
~ tba GENIAL cline of Andalusia, pinned
among the msts and the WINDS Oh the
north. She faded slowly as a flower fades
before the touch of the frost, and at last
died. Then Cuenca, enraged at being CIV
on awav like 4 slave, opened its gates 10
it's Moorish brothers, and again lifted the
crescent above the cross
After the passage of a dozen years Al
phonso. now King of CASTLE as Wen OF
Loon determined to win back his Moor
ish Jewel He laid siege to the city, win
the avowed purpose of making 1t CHRIS
ian stronghold. The inhabitants, beiiev-
mo their CITY to be impregnable, laughed
at him They said:
..Wben the rock splits and the earth
opens. you may come in, but not before
The STANDARDS were not dismayed, but
bravelv assaulted the place. Again and
again they climbed the steep paths to ther
rerino battle cry of st. James for Leon
and Cashier Every time they were orlV-
on back with fearful slaughter.
Alnbonso's army was hardly in con-
dition TO sustain a siege. Provisions did
MI come in as expected. His soldiers
named their camp Camp starvation he
was about to order retreat, when one
nigbt the sentinel conducted to his tent
a Young Christian slave named Martin
AIhaxar. Upon being interrogated, the
lad told how that he had succeeded IN
reaching their camp by crossing deep
gorge. -,
masters sheep to feed on a grass plot
outside the walls Of Cuenca. 1t is be
vond the sight of the, sentinels, but may
he reached by your soldiers. Send twenty
mon tomorrow, and they shall clothe
themselves with the skins of my sheep
and be conducted into the city
The proposal was novel one, but II
was accepted. II was also agreed that an
attack should be made upon The side of
~ litv onposite to that on which the
shepherd led his hocks, at the time when,
az nearly as could be judged, the gate
would he opened for their admission, in
order to occupy the attention of the garrl-
son and make the capture of the place
more certain.
A. the appointed time twenty of the
most heroic of the Christian cavaliers de-
seconded the gorge and climbed up TO the
GRASS plot. where young Martin was XIII
ing and skinning his sheep. Ihen, clad
In their white fieeces they followed TO the
little side gate through Whlch ne was 10
uaIy admitted
Eortunatelv for the Adventures, the
nIoht was dark and stormy; but as they
annroached the gate a few arrows were
discharged at random.
.eToo.sl'' cried Martin don't you know
who am? I can give the watchword. p"
"Fool. why are you so late?' returned
the sentinel
pifed the slave "But let me in, L am
tired and hungry"
"yyo1. come in. Old blunderhead," SAID
the Moor. as he opened the gate
Az The very moment that the supposed
sheen were entering, there was trumpet
cau and shouts and war cries at the other
end OF the city. which drew the whole gar
rison from their quarters. In the mids.
of the uproar and confusion the Span
iards threw off their disguise unnoticeG
! ed bv the boy Martin, they found means
10 open one Of the principal gates andl
thus they admitted their friends. The
sturg.e was short but bloody. In the end
tha christians prevailed, and Cuenca fell
away from the dominion of the Moors
Thus did the sheep capture the city, aud
thereafter the device o. Cuenca was a sill
YER sheep feeding upon a mountain cliff.
-s-<s-o-
How She FIXED Her Husband.
From The Denver Post.
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