CHAPTER I

Departure from San Lucar.—The Count of Niebla,—The attack on
Gibraltar,—Gibraltar.—Return to San Lucar,—Cadiz,—The
Barbary CoaSt,—Ceuta,—Malaga,—Cartagena,—The Balearic
Isles,—Gulf of Lyons,—A great Storm,—The Riviera,—Genoa,

WE set sail and left the harbour of San Lucar
de Barrameda. I travelled in a ship of Galicia,
as I had already made preparations for my
departure and had no horses and other things necessary
for a land journey. That day and the night following
we sailed on, and doubling Cape Trafalgar we entered
the Straits, and at daylight we reached the promontory
of Carnero at the entrance to Gibraltar. We anchored
close to the town and saw there a great number of ships
and a galley of the King, all of which had come with
the Count of Niebla.^ We found that the Count was
encamped about half a league from Gibraltar with
1200 horsemen and 5000 foot soldiers, and his son was
there with him. I disembarked and went to see the
Count, and he was delighted to meet me, and mar¬
velled how I had been able to come, in view of my
recent illness. He took counsel with his knights
and told them the reason for his being there, which
before had been kept secret. The undertaking was
to be as follows. He had been told that in Gibraltar
there were not ten Moors who were fighting men,
whereas to defend so great a fortress not even a thousand
would be sufficient, and that it could be taken by
assault. He proposed to mufter his horsemen at the
entrance which is on land, while he with his men-at-
arms launched an attack close to the dockyard, on the
side of the mountain where King Alfonso entered.
His son Don Juan was to march againft the tower of

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