Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1899-01-05

ian neighbor. if he would aid him
against his enemies
''Give me Cuenca as dover, and
| will marry thy daughter and help
fight thy battles, said King Al
phonso.
Aben Abed closed the bargain at
once by giving the king the keys of
his high-hilled, strong-walled town.
The Christian king was faithful to
his contract, but his fair bride, &C
customed to the genial cline of An
dalusia, 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 slave, opened its gates to
its Moorish brothers, and again lifted
the crescent above the cross.
After the passage of dozen years
Alphonso, now king of CASTLE as well
of Leon, determined to win back his
Moorish jewel He laid siege to the
city, with the ayowed purpose of MAX
ing it Christian stronghold. The
abitants, believing their city to be
impregnable, laughed at him. They
said:
''When the rock splits and the earth
opens, you may come in, but not be-
fore"
The Spaniards were not dismayed,
but bravely assaulted the place. Again
and again they climbed the steep
paths to their ringing battle cry of
Est. James for Leon and CASTLE p
Every time they were driven back
with fearful slaughter.
Alphonso's army was hardly in
condition to sustain siege. Proyis-
ions did not come in as expected
His soldiers named their camp ''Camp
Starvation. He was about to order
retreat, Yhen, one night, the senti
mel conducted to his tent young
Christian slave named Martin Alhaxar.
Upon being Intercepted, the lad told
how that he had succeeded in reach
ing their camp by crossing deep
gorge,
every day." he said, 'I lead out
my masters sheep to feed on grass
plot outside the walls of Cuenca It
is beyond the sight of the. sentinels,
but may be reached by your soldiers.
Send twenty men tomorrow, and they
shall clothe themselves with the skins
of my sheep and be conducted into
the CITY,"
The proposal was novel one, but
it was accepted. It was also agreed
that an attack should be made upon
the side of the city opposite to that
on which the shepherd led his focks,
at the time when, as nearly as could
be judged, the gate would be opened
for their admission, in order to occupy
the attention of the garrison and make
the capture of the place more certain.
At the appointed time twenty OF the
most heroic of the Christian cavaliers
descended the gorge and climbed up
to the grass plot, where young Mar
tin was killing and SHINING his sheep.
Then, clad in their white feeces, they
followed to the little side gate through
which he was usually admitted.
Fortunately for the adventurers,
the night was dark and stormy; but
as they approached the gate o few ar
rows were discharged at random.
''Fools p cried Martin; ''don't you
know who am ? I can give the watch
word"
Fool, why are you so late?" re-
turned the sentinel.
Il always have to wait my chance, !"
replied the slave. ''But let me in, l
am tired and hungry"
''Well, come in, old blunderhead, !"
said the Moor, as he opened the gate.
At the very moment that the sup
posed sheep were entering, there was
trumpet-call, and shouts and war
cries at the other end of the city,
which drew the whole garrison from
their quarters. In the midst of the
uproar and confusion the Spaniards
tire W off their disguise unnoticed.
Led by the boy Martin, they found
means to open one of the principal
gat es and thus they admitted their
fri ends. The struggle was short but
bloody. In the end the Christians
prevailed, aud Cuenca fell away from
the dominion of the Moors.
Thus did the sheep capture the city.
and thereafter the device of Cuenca
was silver. sheep feeding upon a
mountain cliff.