The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-01-27
How Sheep Captured = Town.

How Sheep Captured q Town.
s. In the very heart OF old Spain, half
way between Madrid and Valencia, issthe
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 il
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 Jncar. These
streams come down through the ravines
clear and green-tinted, and are crossed
(@by old Moorish bridges. The city itself
was bnilt by the MOors, 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 Abed, the Sultan Of Seville. At
this time the Moorish power was in its
wane, and when Aben Abed heard of the
advance Of the dreaded Almorayides,
who were marching from the deserts of
Africa to attack him he hastened to ally
himself with Alphonso, the Christian
king of Leon. ss@ s. .fss 3. Sss Is b
The Sultan had daughter, who was
peerless among Spanish beauties. She
had been sought by many king, but her
her father had refused to part with her.
Now, in his sore distress, he offered the
fair Zarillah to his Christian neighbor,
il he would aid him against his enemies.
Give me Cuenca as dover, and
Il GnpHDf
thy battles, said King Alphonso.
Aben Abed closed the bargain at once
by giving the king the keys of his high.
|shilled, strong walled town.
The Christian King was faithful to his
contract, but his fair bride. accustomed
to the genial cline Of Andalusia, pinned
among the mists and the winds of the
north. She faded slowly as a flower
fades before the touch of the frost. and
at last died. Then Cuenca, enraged at
being given away like a slave, opened its
gates to its Moorish brothers, and again
lifted the crescent above the cross.
After the passage OF a dozen years Al
| phOnso, now King Of CASTLE as well of
Leon, determined to win back his Moor
ish jewel He laid siege to the city,
with the ayowedS purpose Of making it q
Christian stronghold. The inhabitants,
believing their city to be impregnable,
laughed at him. They said: s,
When the rock splits and the earth
oYTs' eons ~, ~ tuS nus u,
liza ~ sa;, n5
ona;n +l,aM oI;,,,I,aI +l1aes fao,. 30 ths a ~
tba;r r;na;n ha ttla s.,rv of s.Stl1.a1nas FIR
| Tom ami On sf;IeW IS Evprv time thnv
wore driven hack with fearful slaughter.
Ainhonso's army was hardly ina condi.
| ton to sustain a siege. Provisions did
Inot come in as expected. His soldiers
Ena1hed their. camp "Camp Starvation. :
He was about to order a retreat. when,
one night, the sentinel conducted to his
tent a young Christian slave named Mar
| tin IA lhaxar. Upon being Intercepted, the
lad; told how he had succeeded in reach
ing their camp by crossing a deep gorge.
Every day. he said, led out my
/ MASTER !, sheeDt 20 Ieed on q grass plot
outside the walls ct Cuenca; It is be
yonu lhe slgnt on me ssnIlneis, DaI may
~ eM stt
! : nv sTean
and be conducted into the city, -
The proposal was s. novel one. but ii
was accepted. 1t was also agreed that
an attack should he made 9upon the sid.
lKof the city opposite to that on which the
shepherd led his fioeks, at the time when,
would be opened for their admission. in
order to occupy the attention Of the gar.
rison and make the capture Of the place
more certain. 80 81 S 3 B i
At the appointed time twenty Of The
| most heroic of the christian cavaliers
descended the gorge and climbed nm ia
the grass plot. where Young Martin was
KILLING and .skinning his sheen. Then,
clad in their white fieeces, they followed
to the little side gate through which he
was usually admitted. 40 q .-s5..sz
night was dark and stormy; but as they
a. n r.ga aou rev arrows were
uis s.iaalisp, ~ III NIs ..,o,. -
e : ools x Grey Niaien: uon .a YOU
know , !, an - can sise tle Wat t
Wora. BE. = = -, s
FOO: fiool, why are you SO late returned
the sentinel q! mel, So :, .E 81 !, fs5s !, ga
SIS always nave TO wait my chance, re
piled the slave. But let he In; IAN
tired and hungry. III ..: sS,5
Well, come in, old blunderhead, said
the Moor, as he opened the gate.
AT the very moment that the supposed
sheep were entering, there was trurn-
bet call, and shouts and war cries at the
other end of the city, which drew the