To
each of these tables there was a small lance, no bigger than a bodkin,
on which were engraved certain Chaldaic characters. This hall was kept
constantly closed, by a gate of brass, with a great lock of steel, the
key of which was in possession of the king.
On the top of the tower was a bronze figure of a Moorish horseman,
fixed on a pivot, with a shield on one arm, and his lance elevated
perpendicularly. The face of this horseman was towards the city, as if
keeping guard over it; but if any foe were at hand, the figure would
turn in that direction, and would level the lance as if for action.
When this talisman was finished, Aben Habuz was all impatient to try
its virtues; and longed as ardently for an invasion as he had ever
sighed after repose. His desire was soon gratified. Tidings were
brought, early one morning, by the sentinel appointed to watch the
tower, that the face of the bronze horseman was turned towards the
mountains of Elvira, and that his lance pointed directly against the
Pass of Lope.
"Let the drums and trumpets sound to arms, and all Granada be put on
the alert," said Aben Habuz.
"O king," said the astrologer, "Let not your city be disquieted, nor
your warriors called to arms; we need no aid of force to deliver you
from your enemies. Dismiss your attendants, and let us proceed alone
to the secret hall of the tower."
The ancient Aben Habuz mounted the staircase of the tower, leaning
on the arm of the still more ancient Ibrahim Ebn Abu Ayub.
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